Gaining visibility in AI responses: How to optimise your content to be cited by generative AI

As content writers and SEOs, our ultimate goal is to drive organic traffic. With the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT, many users are turning to these systems for their searches.

As search traffic on AI tools grows, it opens new opportunities to optimise content specifically for these platforms.

A new term has even emerged for this: Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO). While GEO builds on traditional SEO, it emphasises ensuring AI systems understand, process, and highlight your content.

Before proceeding, it’s important to note that AI results now appear in search engines as part of search engine results pages (SERPs) and also in standalone generative AI tools, such as Perplexity AI or ChatGPT.

Google and Bing both display their own AI-generated responses for many search queries at the top of their SERPs. And in tools like ChatGPT, which are primarily conversational AI, real-time search capabilities are now integrated along with their pre-existing training data.

This article will cover both types and explore how you can optimise content for visibility in AI-generated responses.

The current state of AI results

Before we look into optimisation strategies, it’s essential to understand some limitations. Unlike traditional search engines with often clearly defined “ranking factors,” generative AI functions more like a “black box.” Even the engineers behind these tools often lack full transparency into how they work.

Conventional search algorithms allow SEOs and writers to target specific “ranking factors” to improve chances of visibility. On the other hand, generative AI lacks any comparable checklist of ranking factors.

Furthermore, AI-generated search results are still in their infancy. While they represent a promising source of traffic, the lack of concrete data makes it challenging to develop precise strategies.

6 checkpoints for optimising for Google’s ‘AI Overviews’

Google’s ‘AI Overviews’ are the AI-generated results displayed at the top of search engine results pages (SERPs). This SERP feature is still in the experimental stage, but is being gradually refined.

1. Ready your tools

You can check your website’s visibility in AI Overviews using Semrush’s Position Tracking feature. If your website is listed among the sources for the AI Overview, the Position Tracking tool will identify it as ranking for this SERP feature.

Keep in mind that if your domain is featured in the AI Overview, it will always be shown as ranking in the top position within the Position Tracking tool, regardless of its actual position in organic search results.

In addition to that, you can also make good use of the AI Overviews Visualizer. This is a free tool by Market Brew that mimics the tech used behind Google’s generative AI. This tool can be helpful for you to understand how content from a specific URL may be cited in Google’s AI Overviews. 

Both of these tools can aid you in understanding how your web content is (or will be) performing in AI-generated results.

2. Enhance user experience

Align your content with user intent, whether it’s informational, commercial, or transactional. Prioritise readability by using short paragraphs, natural language, clear headings, and visuals such as images and infographics. Engaging and easy-to-understand content is more likely to stand out.

3. Build authority and write comprehensively

This one is particularly important, as Google is favoring “brand signals” more than ever now. Write in a confident, authoritative tone. If you can, back your claims with data, quotes, and statistics. In-depth content that demonstrates expertise and credibility is more likely to be featured in AI Overviews.

Also, address potential questions, provide examples, and satisfy the reader’s curiosity.

4. Improve site structure

Implement structured data using schema markup, create a strong internal linking strategy, and ensure your site is fully indexed in Google Search Console. These steps help Google better understand your content and increase its visibility.

5. Target specific queries

Tailored approaches to different query types increase the likelihood of being featured in AI Overviews. For shopping-related searches, optimise product descriptions and engage with user reviews. For local searches, maintain accurate directory listings and participate in community forums. 

6. Manage online presence

Engage actively on social media and in forums to influence content that AI systems might cite. A strong online reputation enhances how AI tools perceive and feature your content. This ties back to the brand signals and authority building we talked about. 

Optimising for generative AI tools in 5 steps

Most of the advice shared above for Google’s AI Overviews also applies to the AI chat tools.  

Here are 5 steps to keep in mind when optimising for these platforms:

1. Craft high-quality content

Focus on creating articles that go beyond surface-level information by prioritising depth and quality. Instead of targeting a specific word count, aim to fully satisfy the query and cover the topic comprehensively.

Define technical terms to make complex concepts clearer, include practical examples to help readers apply the information, and explore multiple perspectives to provide a well-rounded view. Writing in a conversational tone makes your content easier for AI tools to process.

Also, showcase authority by including author credentials, quoting experts, and backing claims with verified data where possible. AI tools prioritise trustworthy, reliable sources.

2. Structure for readability

Organise your content with clear subheadings, a logical flow, and ample white space. Avoid jargon and use active, descriptive language that mirrors common search queries. Simple, clear sentences improve comprehension and readability.

3. Address the search query naturally

Address the needs of users at various stages of their journey, from awareness to decision-making. For instance, provide introductory information for beginners and detailed guides for those ready to act.

This one is important because AI tools get more conversational and precise queries from the users, instead of just “keywords”. While keywords remain important, avoid overloading your content with them. Focus on phrases that align with how users naturally speak and search. Contextual relevance is key.

4. Leverage multimedia and structured data

Enhance engagement with images, videos, and infographics. Use FAQ schema to help AI tools understand your content better. Structured data improves how AI systems interpret and present your information.

5. Ensure technical accessibility

Optimise your site’s architecture to make it AI-friendly. Use server-side rendering to ensure content is accessible to AI crawlers, and create logical content clusters with strong internal linking.

The complexity of AI results

Now that we’ve discussed best practices for optimising content for AI Overviews, it’s important to note that the process is not as straightforward as it seems.

To gain more insight into the complexities of optimising for AI Overviews, I spoke with Tyler Hakes, the strategy director at the content agency Optimist.

He explained, “You have the complexity of different types of optimisation — are you hoping that your company appears by name in the output on a specific topic? Or that your content is referenced and linked as a citation? Again, these appear to be totally separate goals and there are different (unknown) factors that decide which companies, sites, and links appear in these parts of the generated output.”

Additionally, as AI tools deliver highly personalised results for each user, it’s challenging to measure results objectively.

Regarding this, Tyler said, “Each person’s ChatGPT account, session, history, etc. all influence (or potentially influence) future outputs. So if we ask ChatGPT the same question, we could get entirely different responses. Hence, tracking the output and if our brand appears could be very misleading if it’s only the case for a small number of user agents run by the tracking tools.”

Considering this, even if you use tools to aid in content optimisation, it’s crucial to understand that these tools provide directional insights rather than an objective reflection of reality.

Adapting website and content marketing to new SEO and AI rules

As you would have already noted, most standard SEO best practices still apply in GEO. It builds on traditional SEO by emphasising clarity, structure, and AI-specific optimisation techniques.

On the future of GEO, Tyler Hakes added, “I think the big shift is that the LLM is likely to take into account more ‘authority’ factors that go beyond standard SEO practices. Things like brand, reputation, repetition, and messaging all likely play a role.”

The key to success lies in creating high-quality, comprehensive content that adheres to traditional SEO principles while evolving your strategy as more information becomes available about how these AI tools operate.

Curious to know more about this topic? Reach out to Sameer