Milivoje Krivokapic 
You type a question into ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Google’s AI Mode. In the blink of an eye, you get a neatly packaged answer, backed by citations. Then you see those citations don’t include your content, even if you’ve covered the topic in detail.
That’s the reality for marketers in 2025. Search engines aren’t the only place people find information anymore. Generative engines or AI systems that create answers instead of listing links are taking over more of the discovery journey.
Just as SEO gave us strategies to rank higher in Google, a new discipline is emerging to make your content visible in this AI-driven world: generative engine optimization (GEO). Some call it AI search engine optimization. Whatever the label, the goal is the same: get your content not just found, but featured as a trusted source in the AI’s answer. Because in an era where clicks may never happen, the most valuable visibility is the one that happens before the click exists.
What’s Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)?
Generative engine optimization (GEO) is the practice of shaping your content so that large language models (LLMs) and other AI-driven tools are more likely to use (and credit) it when generating answers.
Think of it as the next step after traditional SEO, with these differences:
- SEO focuses on ranking your pages in search results.
- Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) aims to land your content in featured snippets or voice assistant answers.
- GEO takes it further: optimizing for generative engines like ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Google’s AI Overviews, where the AI writes the answer and may cite your work directly.
The concept gained attention when research showed a 40% boost in AI citations when content was structured with LLMs in mind. Since then, marketers and agencies have been experimenting with formats, writing styles, and off-site signals to improve their visibility in AI-generated responses.
Why GEO Is a Hot Topic in 2025
AI isn’t just changing how we search. It’s changing where audiences find their answers. Instead of scanning through ten blue links, more people are relying on generative engines to summarize the web for them. That shift means fewer clicks from traditional search results and more influence coming from AI-generated summaries.
For marketers, this is a double-edged sword. On one side, visibility in standard SEO is shrinking. On the other hand, well-placed citations in generative engines’ responses can send highly targeted traffic your way, sometimes from users who never planned to visit a search results page in the first place.
The momentum behind generative engine optimization is growing fast:
- Adoption by AI platforms: Google’s AI Overviews, Perplexity, and Microsoft Copilot already link directly to sources in their responses.
- Agency services: Marketing agencies and startups are now offering AI search engine optimization as a dedicated service.
- Shifting budgets: Brands are reallocating part of their SEO spend toward GEO strategies to capture AI-driven visibility.
Simply put, the way people find and trust information is evolving. Getting cited by LLMs is quickly becoming as valuable as ranking on page one of Google.
How LLMs Choose What to Cite
LLMs don’t work like Google’s search crawlers. They generate answers using a mix of:
- Pretraining data: The vast collection of text they were originally trained on.
- Retrieval-augmented generation (RAG): Pulling in fresh, relevant information from the web in real time.
- Formatting and structure cues: How easily your content can be extracted and dropped into an AI-generated answer.
When deciding whether to cite a source, generative engines tend to favor:
- Clear, scannable formats: Lists, bullet points, and Q&A structures make it easy for the AI to pull relevant chunks.
- Domain authority: Well-established, trusted domains are more likely to be chosen over lesser-known sites.
- Freshness: Recently updated content signals relevance, especially for fast-changing topics.
- Attribution signals: Clearly stated author names, dates, and cited references improve credibility.
In other words, if generative engine optimization is about showing up in AI answers, you need to think like the AI: favor clarity, structure, and trust signals that make your content the safest choice for citation.
GEO Best Practices: How to Get Cited by LLMs
Getting cited in AI-generated answers is all about making your content the easiest, safest, and most relevant choice for the AI. Here’s how to approach generative engine optimization (and, in broader terms, AI search engine optimization) so your work is more likely to be included in an LLM’s response.
Structure for AI
Generative engines work best with content they can easily scan and extract.
Organizing your writing with clear headings, short paragraphs, and logical flow makes it simpler for an AI to identify the right snippets. Use bullet points or tables when they add clarity, but always keep the overall structure clean and purposeful.
Be Fact-Forward
AI tools prioritize content that delivers clear, verifiable information without fillers. Place your most important facts, statistics, and expert quotes near the top of a section instead of hiding them deep in the text.
When you back up claims with credible sources and clear attribution, you make it easier for generative engines to trust and cite your work.
Keep Language Simple and Clear
While creativity has its place, generative engines often prefer content that’s straightforward and predictable in sentence structure.
To get the most from AI search engine optimization, keep your language concise, avoid unnecessary jargon, and explain industry terms in plain English to help AI tools process your content accurately and without misinterpretation.
Use Unique Terminology & Context
If you cover niche topics, consistent and distinctive terminology can make your content stand out. Whether it’s a coined phrase, a unique analogy, or a memorable example, these elements can create a stronger match when AI engines retrieve relevant content for their answers.
Build Off-Page Mentions
Your authority doesn’t just come from your own site. Mentions on trusted platforms like Quora, Reddit, industry-specific publications, or news outlets strengthen your perceived credibility.
Even without backlinks, these mentions can improve your chances of being seen as a reliable source worth citing.
Keep Content Fresh
Generative engines often favor recent content, especially for topics that evolve quickly. Regular updates with new statistics, fresh examples, and current references signal that your content remains relevant. That increases the likelihood of it being included in AI-generated responses.
Monitor & Test
Generative engine optimization isn’t a one-and-done strategy. Periodically test your target queries in different generative engines and check if your content is cited. Getting AI visibility reports can help track where you appear.
If you’re not showing up, tweak your formatting, wording, or structure, and test again.
From Found to Quoted
When someone gets an answer from an AI tool, they’re also getting a handful of trusted sources behind it. If your content isn’t one of them, you’re missing a big part of today’s visibility game. GEO is how you change that.
It’s your chance to make sure the answers people get from AI tools are built on your expertise.
You don’t need to overhaul your entire content strategy to get started. By structuring your content for clarity, leading with facts, and building credibility both on and off your site, you can start positioning yourself as the go-to source that AI engines want to cite.
At Zlurad, we help businesses adapt to this new reality. From refining your content for AI readability to building the technical foundation that generative engines trust, our strategies make sure your voice doesn’t get lost in the AI shuffle.
Because in today’s search landscape, getting found is good. But getting quoted is even better.