SEO vs GEO Simplified - Should You Optimize for LLMs?
Every business owner/leader I talk about is interested in showing up on ChatGPT or AI Overviews.
But, is this a different process than SEO?
Should you focus on optimizing for LLMs?
What do you need to do (differently) to show up on conversations?
>> Spoiler alert, they have more similarities than differences<<
In this newsletter, I will be focusing on two recent articles and data by Aleyda Solís & Ryan Law, while adding a piece of my mind into the conversation.
➤ What you will read:
🗝 The Difference Between SEO & GEO
🗝 It's SEO with Extra Steps
🗝 How to Actually Optimize for Conversational Search or LLMs?
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The Difference Between SEO & GEO
As Aleyda points out, we need to consider 3 things:
User Search Behavior
In short, User Behavior changes when interacting with LLMs. You cannot think of single queries, but conversations with in-depth details, follow-up questions, and potentially a memory of previous conversations with the user. While, traditional search was shorter and based on queries.
Optimizing for GEO
Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), comes with more similarities than differences with traditional SEO. The following list includes information from both the previous table and GEO, LLMO, AEO… It’s All Just SEO by Ryan Law.
Both SEO & GEO:
The differences? LLMs prefer:
It's SEO with Extra Steps
Essentially, from the few differences, you can see most also affect SEO in different levels.
In many of the bullet points, you will notice me writing more or less. Because, the same factors matter in SEO as well.
Why GEO instead of SEO?
It's a new area, impacting a good percentage of website traffic, and seems to be becoming increasingly important over time.
Companies that nail the channel might reap the advantages in the future, by becoming leaders.
Why Not?
On the other hand, optimizing for the 5% of traffic which will probably require an immense amount of energy and budget, does seem counter-intuitive.
ChatGPT, Perplexity, AI Overviews, and other chatbots send anywhere between 1%-10% of current website traffic, but mostly keep people in their loop, answering questions without leaving the chat environment.
Optimizing for Dark LLM Traffic
Similar to Dark Social, Dark LLM might be the conversations that never leave from a chatbot, but end up generating the equivalent of a social conversation and a potential sale.
You will never learn what that person dicussed.
You will never have tracking coming to your website, as it will be direct or branded search.
But, you will get the sale.
Optimizing for that dark box might be more important than the traffic.
How to Actually Optimize for Conversational Search or LLMs?
By increasing your company's or product's digital footprint, brand, and being consistent on your message, while providing unique and high-quality content, you can show up on LLMs:
LLMs tend to prefer big brands, and big brands have a large digital footprint with people mentioning them online.
But, you also have to remember that LLMs get confused on what you do. They need to understand what you do.
Consistency across your website's pages and external pages mentioning you is very important to "connect the dots" on your brand.
For smaller brands, niching down into a specific domain will help them more!
Business Development Strategist | Driving Growth through Strategic Partnerships
4moInteresting take! SEO and LLMs do seem pretty similar. Optimizing for conversations is definitely the way forward.