Hello GEO, goodbye SEO

Written By Ramona Fellmy

In the battle for search visibility between ChatGPT Atlas and Google, businesses will face a different set of challenges and opportunities. Unlike Google's traditional, list-based results, Atlas prioritizes generating a single, synthesized answer. This shift means that businesses will need to focus on Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) to be cited as an authoritative source in AI-generated answers, rather than just on ranking for keywords. 

SEO strategy for the new AI era

To succeed in a landscape with both traditional search and AI browsers like Atlas, businesses should adopt a hybrid SEO approach that focuses on both traditional tactics and new AI-centric methods:

1. Create authoritative, quote-worthy content. 

  • Demonstrate expertise: Produce original research, case studies, or detailed how-to guides that showcase genuine expertise and experience (E-E-A-T).

  • Answer questions directly: Structure content with clear headings (H2s and H3s) and use FAQ schemas to provide concise, easily digestible answers that AI can extract. 

2. Diversify your visibility. 

  • Cultivate brand mentions: Work on earning brand mentions and citations in reputable industry directories, affiliate listicles, and forums. These are powerful trust signals for AI.

  • Use multimedia: Incorporate videos, images, and infographics, as AI Overviews are pulling more of this multimodal content than ever before.

  • Optimize for local search: Ensure your Google Business Profile and local directory listings are complete and accurate to appear in geographically relevant results. 

3. Shift from keywords to intent. 

  • Understand conversational queries: Anticipate the longer, more conversational questions users ask AI assistants, and build out topic clusters that address the full context of their intent.

  • Focus on topics, not just phrases: Create content that thoroughly covers a topic from all angles, as AI algorithms are trained to understand the semantic relationships between ideas. 

4. Strengthen your technical foundation.

  • Use structured data: Implement relevant schema markup (like FAQ, HowTo, or Product) to help AI algorithms better understand your content's context and display it in rich results.

  • Ensure accessibility: Make sure your site has a clean technical foundation, fast loading speed, and is easily crawlable by all search bots, including those from AI providers. 

By focusing on building trust, demonstrating authority, and structuring content for both human readers and AI models, businesses can stay visible and competitive in both Google and emerging AI-powered search environments. Thanks to @ADDALY for sharing how #Ai is transforming brand visibility in searches.

Ramona Fellmy

Ramona Fellmy is the Founder and Creative Director of DAPP Detroit, a creative design and AI architecture studio that builds intelligent systems for enterprise and SaaS brands. With a background spanning design, technology, and strategy, Ramona helps organizations streamline operations, enhance digital experiences, and bridge the gap between innovation and implementation. Her work focuses on automation, AI-driven workflows, and brand systems that simplify complexity across industries including FinTech, EdTech, MedTech, and InsurTech.

https://www.dappdetroit.com
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