The Ever Evolving Search Landscape

For businesses of any size, establishing a strong online presence has consistently relied on effective Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs) directly correlates with increased brand awareness, website traffic, and ultimately (when applied appropriately), business growth. The search landscape is no stranger to massive, abrupt changes in algorithms and performance, but it is currently experiencing one of the more significant transformations with the integration of Generative AI into core search functionalities. This change in the optimization landscape is even bringing new acronyms (that’s how important it is!) with the likes of Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) and AI Engine Optimization (AEO). 

These changes in search extends beyond traditional “blue link” search listings. AI-powered systems, exemplified by Google’s AI Overviews, alongside conversational AI platforms such as Gemini, ChatGPT, and Claude, are increasingly providing direct, synthesized answers and summaries. For instance, Google AI Overviews are now showing up in more than 50% of search results and Digiday reports a drop off of up to 25% on search related traffic! That’s only one platform and doesn’t even include the most popular AI tool – Chat GPT. Just look at the new daily share-of-search: 

Image Credit: Visual Capitalist Chat GPT in Search Share

This necessitates a strategic adaptation of traditional SEO practices.

This shift is even more significant than previous algorithmic updates. Consider the introduction of Featured Snippets by Google in prior years. While they offered direct answers at the top of the SERP, potentially reducing clicks to traditional organic results, AI Overviews represent a more comprehensive integration of AI. Recent analyses indicate a measurable reduction in organic click-through rates (CTRs) where AI Overviews are displayed, particularly for informational and non-branded queries – with some studies reporting decreases ranging from 15% to over 50% in CTR for affected queries. Now is this all doom and gloom, or is there opportunity with the changing search landscape? 

The objective is expanding from solely achieving high rankings to ensuring content is reliably referenced and cited by these intelligent AI systems, in a favorable manner. The goal of this guide is to outline actionable strategies to navigate this evolving digital environment, transitioning from traditional SEO toward GEO or AEO strategies.

Adapting to the New Landscape: SEO & GEO/AEO Principles

Effective optimization for AI necessitates a nuanced understanding of both enduring SEO practices and the specialized requirements of GEO/AEO. These strategies are interconnected, with traditional SEO forming the foundational layer upon which AI-specific optimizations are built.

Image Source: Corkboard Concepts SEO vs AEO

Traditional SEO Tasks

These are the established practices crucial for ensuring your website is discoverable, crawlable, and performs optimally in conventional search engine results. They remain essential as AI models still draw extensively from the indexed web.

1. Technical SEO (Crawlability & Indexing): Fundamental for any online visibility. Search engine bots must efficiently discover and comprehend your content. This encompasses a well-structured site, functional internal and external links, and appropriate robots.txt  and sitemap configurations.
2. Keyword Optimization (Intent & Volume): While AI enhances query understanding, traditional keyword research is still vital. It involves identifying the specific terms users employ and aligning content with that search intent.
3. Page Speed Optimization: A fast-loading website enhances user experience, which is a recognized ranking signal for traditional search and contributes to overall site quality, a factor AI models likely evaluate.
4. Backlink Building (Quality & Relevance): Acquiring high-quality backlinks from authoritative and relevant domains continues to be a powerful signal of credibility and authority to search engines.
5. Meta Tags & Descriptions (CTR Focus): Well-crafted meta titles and descriptions are crucial for attracting clicks in traditional SERPs. Despite potential shifts in overall click patterns due to AI Overviews, these elements remain the primary direct appeal to human users in standard search results.
6. XML Sitemaps & Robots.txt: These files are instrumental in guiding search engine crawlers to efficiently discover and index significant pages on your site.
7. Local SEO (Google Business Profile Optimization): For businesses with a physical presence, optimizing your Google Business Profile is paramount for capturing local search traffic.
8. Visibility in SERP Features: Continual optimization for traditional Featured Snippets, local packs, and other rich results provides prominent exposure within the SERP. 
9. Click-Through Rate (CTR) Enhancement: Ongoing refinement of the appeal of your search listings to maximize clicks from search results.
10. Duplicate Content Management: Essential for preventing penalties and ensuring search engines prioritize the desired version of your content.

Overlapping Priorities: Synergistic Strategies for Both Realms

These strategies offer substantial benefits across both traditional search and AI-driven environments, forming the bedrock for making your content understandable, trustworthy, and valuable to both human users and sophisticated AI algorithms.

1. High-Quality, Helpful Content Creation: This is the cornerstone of effective digital presence. Content that is thoroughly researched, accurate, comprehensive, and genuinely beneficial to the target audience is universally valued. Google’s “helpful content” system explicitly champions this, and AI models are fundamentally designed to deliver precise and useful information. (Google Search Central, Bing Webmaster Guidelines, Gemini/ChatGPT/Claude (Implied from Safety/Utility), Rand Fishkin, Lily Ray)
2. E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness): Demonstrating strong E-A-T (Google and marketers in general love their acronyms!) is increasingly paramount. AI models derive understanding from vast datasets and ascertain source credibility. Ensure content is attributed to verified subject matter experts, supported by verifiable data, and published on a reputable domain. Highlighting team credentials and certifications is advisable. (Google Search Quality Rater Guidelines)
3. User Experience (UX): A positive and intuitive user experience is critical. For traditional search, it influences engagement metrics. For AI, well-structured, readable content is more readily processed and learned from by AI models, contributing to higher quality outputs. What’s more is just take a step back from the myopic view of “EO”, whether it be “S”, “G” or “A”, and User Experience still benefits just that – the user – who is ultimately who you want to take action! Search engines and AI tools are not likely to buy your products or services – people will. So this makes for a solid overlapping component of any marketing tactic.
4. Structured Data Implementation (Schema Markup): Implementing relevant schema (e.g., FAQPage, HowTo, Product, Service, Organization) provides critical context to both traditional search engines and AI models, facilitating the understanding of entities, relationships, and specific data points for extraction. (Schema.org, SchemaApp.com)
5. Internal Linking: A robust internal linking structure enhances crawlability, distributes link equity across your site, and clarifies the semantic relationships between content pieces, aiding both traditional search engines and AI models in understanding your topical authority.
6. Addressing User Intent: Accurately discerning and fulfilling the user’s underlying intent, whether expressed as a typed query or a conversational AI prompt, is fundamental to providing valuable responses
7. Mobile Responsiveness: A mobile-friendly website is a standard expectation for contemporary web experiences and a critical factor across all forms of search interaction.
8. Regular Content Updates: Maintaining current and relevant information signals timeliness and accuracy to all search systems, fostering continued trust.
9. Brand Consistency: Upholding a consistent brand voice and messaging across all digital platforms builds recognition and reinforces trustworthiness. 
10. Analytics & Performance Monitoring: Continuous tracking of key metrics is indispensable for evaluating strategy effectiveness and identifying areas for refinement. 
11. Security (HTTPS): A secure website (HTTPS) is a foundational trust signal and a fundamental requirement for any online presence. 
12. Knowledge Graph Optimization: Strive for accurate and comprehensive representation within Google’s Knowledge Graph. AI models draw significantly from these structured knowledge bases for factual accuracy and entity understanding.

GEO/AEO Tasks: Optimizing for the AI Ecosystem

These are the strategies specifically designed to enhance a client’s likelihood of being cited, summarized, or directly referenced within AI-generated responses, reflecting the distinct ways AI interacts with information. These are not wholly unique to AI optimization and some may reflect SEO strategies, but the primary focus here is on prioritizing optimization strategies for AI. 

1. Direct Question Answering: This is paramount for AI tools, which are engineered to provide direct, concise answers. Content should be structured to explicitly and clearly address common audience questions, ideally in the initial sentences of relevant sections. (Note: This has been a Corkboard Concepts SEO strategy for over 5 years, focusing on question-based article titles with quick, direct answers followed by explanations – please see our Marketing Glossary for an example of this)
2. Semantic Content Optimization: Move beyond exact keyword targeting to prioritize comprehensive topical coverage, including entities and their relationships. AI models process language semantically, as such, in-depth content that addresses all facets of a subject, utilizing diverse but related vocabulary, is highly valued. What does this mean? The quick SEO “box checking” for including the keyword in titles, headings and copy on popular SEO plugins is even more so now than ever, less meaningful and really needs to be approached as a starting point to fully optimize, and not a completion of task. 
3. Fact-Checking & Data Verifiability: AI models emphasize accurate, verifiable information to mitigate “hallucinations.” All claims should be substantiated with data, and explicit sourcing or easily confirmable evidence should be provided for AI reference. For those that have been writing SEO content for years, take a step back to college thesis writing or more fact-based journalism and research – include properly cited references for materials. 
4. Original Research & Unique Insights: Content presenting novel data, proprietary studies, or unique expert perspectives offers distinct value. Such content positions your client as an authority and provides unique, citable information for AI models. Survey tools are everywhere and for those not familiar with research, make sure that you understand the basics – or ask AI on how to effectively implement a research strategy! Research – big and small – is everywhere around you so start getting more intentional on pulling that into your content! 
5. Entity Recognition & Definition: Clearly define and consistently associate key entities (your brand, products, services, key personnel, or industry concepts) within your content. This facilitates AI models’ accurate integration of your information into their knowledge bases.
6. Ubiquity of Brand Mentions (across diverse sources): Beyond traditional backlinks, cultivate mentions and citations across a broad spectrum of reputable platforms (e.g., industry news, expert interviews, thought leadership publications, trusted review sites). AI models learn from the collective credibility inferred from these mentions, which is a massive change for a world that’s revolved around backlinks. This represents a massive opportunity for PR and industry coverage because publications have been wary of being used as an SEO-tool for too long and have avoided backlinks. Just make sure you have a properly explained boiler plate for your business’s releases! 
7. Conversational Language Optimization: Employ a natural, conversational tone that mirrors common speech patterns and question phrasing. This enhances the processability of your content by AI models for synthesis into natural-sounding responses.
8. FAQ Sections (Explicit Q&A): Incorporating dedicated sections for frequently asked questions with clear, concise answers provides an easily parsable structure for AI to extract information. Leverage FAQ Schema in these pages when creating these, as this provides direct reference to the FAQ/Q&A nature of the content. 
9. Summarizability of Content: Design content for easy summarization. Use clear headings, concise paragraphs, bullet points, and lists. Content structured for efficient distillation is more likely to be utilized by AI models for succinct answers. 
10. Expert Commentary & Quotable Content: Include direct quotes, insights, and expert opinions from recognized authorities, including internal experts at your organization. Most businesses exist because the individuals within them are great at doing their job – position these subject matter experts in your online content. This enhances content authority, increasing its likelihood of being attributed and incorporated by AI models. 
11. Go Beyond the DoFollow: Google pioneered backlinking as a way of better indexing the open web and through that, there became DoFollow and NoFollow links to better understand which ones had SEO value and simply put – DoFollow’s did, NoFollow’s did not (it literally tells search crawls to not follow the link). That being said, AEO is turning this upside down and is less based off of linking and more based off of content – in reputable, highly used websites. Just look at the recent SEMrush research on the most cited websites for AI references and you see a number that historically use NoFollow links. Your big three traditional NoFollow’s on this list include Reddit, Wikipedia and Quora, along with social media sites, and based on this chart – these need to be a part of your offsite AEO strategy! 

Image Source: Visual Capitalist Where AI Gets Its Facts

From Search Queries to Conversational Requests

Let’s take a look at the differences in traditional “Information Retrieval” to more conversational execution. The use of AI fundamentally transforms how users interact with tools to get information. While traditional query types classify user intent for search engines, AI prompts facilitate a more direct, conversational, and often task-oriented interaction with the AI itself.

Traditional Search Query Types: The Foundation of User Intent

Historically, SEO has categorized user intent into three core types of search queries:

1. Informational Queries:
   • User Goal: To acquire knowledge or understand a concept.
   • Examples: “What is cloud computing,” “How to manage social media,” “Definition of blockchain.”
   • SEO Objective: Provide comprehensive, authoritative content (articles, guides, videos) that fully addresses the user’s inquiry.
2. Navigational Queries:
   • User Goal: To directly access a specific, known website or webpage.
   • Examples: “Microsoft 365 login,” “Company name careers,” “Official website for [Product X].”
   • SEO Objective: Ensure the brand’s official digital properties rank prominently for branded and directly navigational terms.
3. Transactional Queries:
   • User Goal: To complete a specific action, typically a purchase, sign-up, or download.
   • Examples: “Buy accounting software,” “Sign up for free SEO tools,” “Schedule a consultation with marketing agency” (shameless self promotion)
   • SEO Objective: Optimize product/service pages and conversion funnels to facilitate the desired action.
   • Note: Commercial Investigation queries (e.g., “Best project management software reviews,” “Compare CRM systems”) represent a crucial intermediary stage where users research before a potential transaction but all good things come in three’s. 

AI Prompt Intents: Conversational Objectives

AI prompts often include or extend traditional intents, driving toward direct answers, content generation or task execution within a conversational framework.

1. Informational/Generative Prompts:
   • User Goal: To synthesize knowledge, obtain detailed explanations, or generate new content/ideas based on existing information. This aligns with informational needs but emphasizes direct delivery and creation.
   • Examples:
     • “Explain the strategic advantages of omnichannel marketing for SMBs.”
     • “Summarize key findings from the latest industry report on AI in digital advertising.”
     • “Draft three social media captions for a new product launch targeting startups.”
     • “Compare the features and pricing models of leading email marketing platforms.”
     • “Provide a step-by-step guide to developing a content marketing calendar.”
   • AI Response Characteristics: Direct, concise answers, comprehensive summaries, comparative analyses, explanations, newly generated text (e.g., outlines, reports, marketing copy), and structured instructions. Content’s ability to be easily extracted and repurposed by AI is paramount.
2. Navigational/Direct Access Prompts:
   • User Goal: To locate specific contact details, official website links, or access points for known entities or services. The AI acts as a direct conduit rather than a traditional browser.
   • Examples:
     • “What is the contact number for [Client Company Name] customer support?”
     • “Can you give me the direct link to [Client Product]’s pricing page?”
     • “How do I access the client portal for [Client Service]?”
     • “Find the address for [Client Company Name]’s main office.”
   • AI Response Characteristics: Provision of direct URLs, contact information (phone, address), or clear instructions for accessing specific platforms or services. Accurate and consistent NAP information across all digital touchpoints is critical for clients.
3. Transactional/Action-Oriented Prompts:
   • User Goal: To initiate or complete a task, make a decision leading to an action, or execute a command, often with AI serving as a facilitator.
   • Examples:
     • “Identify the top three TikTok advertising agencies with case studies in the [Client’s Industry] sector.” (Commercial Investigation -> Recommendation/Transactional)
     • “Draft an introductory email to schedule a discovery call with a digital marketing agency specializing in B2B SaaS.”
     • “Recommend a cost-effective cloud solution for a small business’s data storage needs.”
     • “Help me find and book a virtual consultation with a marketing expert on social media strategy.”
   • AI Response Characteristics: Targeted recommendations, generation of actionable content (e.g., emails, proposals), direct facilitation of bookings or purchases (if integrated with third-party tools), and problem-solving solutions. For clients, this necessitates being recognized as a leading solution for specific challenges and having clearly defined service benefits.

This mapping shows that while the core human intentions continue, AI prompts offer a more robust, conversational and integrated means of fulfilling these needs, frequently combining multiple intents within a single interaction. Consequently, optimizing for AI search emphasizes the provision of comprehensive, semantically rich, and directly answerable content that is primed for synthesis and action.

AEO/GEO: Optimizing for AI

To continue to optimize your content to be found, SEOs, or optimization teams, must strategically integrate traditional SEO with forward-looking GEO/AEO practices.

Elevating Content for AI Consumption

Content must be inherently “AI-ready,” prioritizing clarity, accuracy, and structured presentation.

• Direct Answers for Immediate Utility: For informational prompts, ensure that the initial sentences of relevant content sections concisely address the user’s question. Adopt a clear, Q&A-style approach.
• Embrace Semantic Depth: Shift beyond mere keyword saturation. Develop content that offers comprehensive topical coverage, exploring related entities, concepts, and their interrelationships. AI models excel at understanding context; therefore, holistic discussions of a subject, utilizing varied but relevant vocabulary, are highly valued.
• Strategic Structured Data (Schema Markup): Schema implementation is no longer supplementary; it is foundational. Employing relevant schema types (e.g., FAQPage, HowTo, Product, Service, Organization) assists AI models in accurately interpreting your content and extracting precise information for their responses.
• Prioritize Original Research and First-Party Data: In an environment increasingly populated by AI-generated content, unique insights, proprietary studies, and exclusive data offer a significant competitive advantage. We want to avoid being stuck in an Inception-like content cycle where the AI is referencing AI content that was originally generated by AI and pulled from AI – and no one knows when the dream ends (this was a stretch of a reference but if you know, you know). This establishes your content as a definitive authority and provides unique, citable information for AI.

Building Authority, Authenticity and Accuracy in the AI Era

In an increasingly AI-forward landscape, trust is key. AI models prioritize information from authoritative and credible sources to minimize “hallucinations” and deliver reliable answers.

• Reinforce E-A-T: Every piece of content must unequivocally demonstrate Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. This involves clear author credentials, rigorous citation of reputable sources, transparent data presentation, and a robust brand reputation. For agencies, emphasize your team’s certifications, industry recognition, and extensive experience.
• Achieve Ubiquitous Brand Mentions: Beyond conventional backlinking, focus on securing mentions and citations across a diverse array of reputable platforms. This includes industry news outlets, expert interviews, thought leadership contributions, and positive sentiment on relevant review platforms. AI models continuously learn from the collective credibility inferred from these mentions.
• Proactive Online Reputation Management: Actively monitor and manage online reviews and social media sentiment. A consistently positive and well-regarded brand is inherently deemed more trustworthy by both human users and AI systems.
• Strategic Digital PR: Invest in securing earned media placements, press coverage, and collaborative content opportunities. These external validations signal authority and assist AI models in discerning your client’s standing within their industry.

Adapting to Evolving Click Dynamics

As AI Overviews increasingly provide direct answers, the objective shifts from solely acquiring clicks to ensuring your brand is recognized as a primary, trusted source.

• Focus on Being Cited: When an AI Overview addresses a user’s query, the new measure of success includes having your client’s website cited as a source. This still enhances brand awareness and establishes authority, even if a direct click to the website is not the immediate outcome.
• Optimize for Prominent AI Overview Inclusion: Structure content to present key answers concisely and prominently, facilitating AI extraction. Employ clear headings, bullet points, and numbered lists to enhance summarization.
• Address the Commercial Investigation Phase: Many informational queries now transition into a “commercial investigation” phase, where users research solutions before making a decision. AI Overviews will be highly relevant here. Your content should comprehensively guide users through this research, effectively positioning your client as the optimal solution.
• Diversify Digital Traffic Channels: Mitigate over-reliance on a single traffic source. Strengthen social media engagement, email marketing initiatives, direct traffic acquisition, and paid advertising efforts to create a more resilient traffic portfolio. If this shift in AI usage has taught us anything with the decrease in organic traffic, it is that it is always important to be visible through diverse channels. 
• Refine Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO): Given the potential for shifts in traffic patterns, each website visit becomes more valuable. Optimize landing pages, calls to action, and user journeys to maximize the conversion rate of visitors into leads or customers. Conversion Rate Optimization always went hand and hand with SEO and other marketing efforts, but now it’s more important than ever to capture those individuals as they get to your site! 

Conclusion: Embracing the AI-Driven Future of Digital Marketing

The digital marketing landscape is in a state of continuous evolution. The emergence of AI Overviews and sophisticated conversational AI tools represents a significant acceleration of this change, akin to the impact of mobile-first indexing or the introduction of Featured Snippets. While the core tenets of delivering value and cultivating trust remain constant, the mechanisms of information delivery and the very definition of “visibility” are being redefined.

For small to medium-sized businesses and the marketing teams supporting them, success in the AI-driven future of search hinges on:

• Elevating content quality and depth: Strive to be the definitive, most authoritative source on your specific topics.
• Structuring for AI interpretability: Ensure your content is easily digestible and synthesizable by AI models.
• Building undeniable brand authority: Cultivate a widely recognized and trusted brand presence across the digital ecosystem.
• Mastering conversational user intent: Adapt your content to directly answer questions and facilitate user actions within an AI interaction.

By proactively refining your SEO strategy to optimize for AI, your clients are positioned not merely to adapt to this transformation but to thrive, establishing themselves as indispensable resources and trusted entities in the next era of digital search. The landscape is changing, and significant opportunities await those who strategically embrace this evolution.

Corkboard Concepts & SEO, AEO and GEO

At Corkboard Concepts, we’ve consistently taken an indirect approach to SEO for reasons like this. Jordan Atchison, CMO at Corkboard Concepts says, “We’ve always tried to match SEO with basic business sense which can be seen in areas like making sure content matches what’s really going to help push your product or service, ensuring your information is up-to-date, just like you would with a sales flyer if you were going to talk to a customer, and making sure that you’re positioned in easy to find areas that are relevant to your business and customer.” When taking a more holistic approach to your SEO or any marketing strategy, this allows for you to quickly adapt to new changes in the environment to make sure that your strategy is still relevant and that ultimately, your business is represented well.