How to integrate GEO with an SEO strategy

6 tips for integrating GEO with SEO

Marketers can integrate their existing SEO strategies with GEO best practices to optimize content for both traditional and AI search platforms.

1. Research conversational queries

AI search tools interpret natural, question-based inputs more effectively than traditional keyword searches. Developers build them to process context-rich prompts, such as "How can B2B marketers improve lead generation with AI tools?" rather than shorter keyword-based searches like "AI lead generation B2B."

To adapt, content teams can use tools, such as AnswerThePublic and Ahrefs, that capture how people phrase questions in AI search tools. Insights into customers' language patterns can help marketers shape content to align with users' search patterns.

2. Include FAQ sections in content

FAQ sections improve the likelihood that AI search tools will select a piece of content as source material for a response. They work because AI models often pull succinct answers that directly answer users' questions, which FAQs are designed to do.

Marketers can format questions with H2 or H3 heading tags and incorporate FAQ schema markup -- a specialized code that tells search engines which text is a question and which is an answer, so AI tools can find relevant answers. Additionally, FAQs should directly address user concerns and reflect common questions that the target audience asks in conversational search tools or support logs.

3. Use conversational language

Content that uses a natural, conversational tone aligns more closely with the format that AI tools typically generate. While traditional SEO often emphasizes keyword density and formulaic content structures, AI tools prioritize coherence and tone that mimics human conversation.

Content teams should use plain language as they write, simplify complex concepts and avoid technical and industry jargon where possible. Conversational language makes content more accessible to audiences and increases the chances that AI will show it in its summaries.

4. Optimize content structure for clarity

AI systems rely heavily on structured, well-organized content to generate accurate summaries. Disorganized or ambiguous layouts reduce the chances that AI will select content to feature in responses.

Clear hierarchies that use header tags -- such as H1, H2 and H3 -- bullet points, numbered lists and tables help AI tools parse and prioritize information. Marketers should ensure each section addresses a single topic and includes concise takeaways to support easy integration into AI responses.

5. Refresh high-performing SEO pages with GEO elements

To improve visibility in AI search, marketers can update legacy content that already ranks well organically. Teams can review high-ranking pages for opportunities to add questions, simplified summaries or structured takeaways.

After teams identify high-performing content, they can use GEO tools to audit it and apply GEO enhancements where appropriate. This process strengthens performance across both traditional and AI search.

6. Implement structured data and schema markup

Structured data enhances both SEO and GEO because it enables AI models to interpret content's context and relevance. In particular, schema markup enables more precise categorization of content types, including articles, how-to guides and reviews.

Marketing teams can use schema.org formats and tools like Google's Rich Results Test to evaluate their schema markup implementation. This enhances traditional search engine results page (SERP) ranking and offers context clues that AI search tools use as they generate responses.

5 ways to measure GEO performance

The following metrics -- which go beyond traditional SEO analytics -- can help measure GEO's effectiveness.

1. Track content visibility in GenAI responses

Unlike traditional SERPs, AI search tools don't offer consistent ranking positions. To measure visibility, marketers can manually query AI search tools and assess whether their content appears in the summary or referenced sources.

Marketers can maintain a list of key queries and monitor them regularly across platforms like Google AI Overviews and ChatGPT with web browsing enabled. Screenshot archives and visibility logs can help marketers track changes over time.

2. Measure traffic from GenAI search platforms

AI search tools can drive clicks to a brand's content because they often include source links in their responses. Marketers can track referral traffic from these platforms to assess content performance within search journeys.

Although tools like Google's AI Overviews may limit referral data, marketers can use analytics tools to monitor traffic spikes that correspond with AI-generated search results. Tactics like urchin tracking module parameters -- text strings in URLs that track clicks to a particular link -- and custom campaigns help marketers attribute traffic more precisely to campaigns and content sources.

3. Evaluate engagement metrics for GEO-optimized content

GEO best practices, such as using a conversational tone and including FAQ sections, can increase engagement. Metrics like time on page, bounce rate and scroll depth offer indirect signals of GEO effectiveness.

Marketers can compare engagement across GEO-optimized and standard SEO content to identify patterns. They should use these insights to refine which GEO tactics bring out the strongest user response.

4. Use GEO tracking tools and plugins

Some software vendors have begun to offer functionality that tracks content featured in GenAI responses. For instance, many SEO platforms include visibility monitoring as part of their reporting suite.

Marketers can evaluate tools, such as Semrush, Profound or seoClarity, to incorporate GEO-specific data into existing analytics workflows. As more platforms expand their capabilities, marketers can expect broader integration of GEO metrics.

5. Solicit user feedback on AI-discovered content

Marketers can collect direct feedback to gain qualitative insights into customers' search behaviors. For instance, they can add short surveys to popular content pages and ask how users found the content. This approach helps marketers identify which topics and formats perform best in AI search results and where users expect content improvements or further context.

Key takeaways

The growing adoption of AI-powered search interfaces has changed how people discover and consume content. Traditional SEO tactics remain important, but marketers must align them with GEO best practices to stay competitive in an evolving search ecosystem.

Marketers can focus on conversational queries, structured formatting and targeted measurement to expand their visibility across traditional and AI search tools. Additionally, they should conduct ongoing experiments with GEO strategies to maintain relevance and search performance as AI search algorithms evolve.

Griffin LaFleur is a MarketingOps and RevOps professional working for Swing Education. Throughout his career, LaFleur has also worked at agencies and independently as a B2B sales and marketing consultant.