Meet the Content Optimization Family

Times, they are a changin’.

Once upon a time, a solid SEO strategy was all you needed to make sure your content was reaching the right audience. Now, with the rise of AI Overviews and LLMs, SEO alone may not be enough.

So, how can you make sure the content you spent countless hours (and dollars) on is pulling its weight?

Let’s back up for just a minute and talk about the different ways your content is being picked up, scanned, and recommended.

How Does Content Get Indexed?

Websites get indexed on the internet through a process called crawling. Bots known as Spiders comb through the internet to find new content. The crawling begins with URLs it already knows are valid and follows links from those, branching out across the internet. This is one of the reasons internal linking and back linking are so important.

As they go to each site, they collect data and prioritize the pages. They do this by looking at factors like quality of information, how frequently the site is updated, and popularity.

This is how you get your standard, organic search results.

But now, there are a few new ways to consider showing up in results. Namely, LLMs and AI-generated summaries.

What is an LLM and How Does it Work?

An LLM, or Large Language Model, is a tool like ChatGPT that can engage in conversations. While LLMs might not actively comb through the internet itself, it uses information that has already been indexed. An LLM gathers its data during training; it isn’t actively searching the web each time a user asks a question. It’s learning facts and language patterns, not indexing the web itself.

What is an AI-generated Summary and How Does it Work?

AI-generated summaries, like the ones Google’s AI Overview, use the top sources for a query and then ask an LLM to summarize it. It fetches information in real time, unlike an LLM. What constitutes a “top source”? It uses the same ranking systems that search engines have been using, but it adds some additional filters to focus on credibility, diversity, and reducing low-authority content. Typically, only around 4 sources will make it into the summary.

How to Get Your Content Featured in Overviews and LLMs

SEO- Search Engine Optimization

SEO isn’t dead, it’s just not the only player in the game. SEO is still the primary way that your content is getting indexed, even though it may no longer be the primary driver of organic traffic. When AI summaries are used, most people are skipping the actual websites listed in favor of quickly reading the summary. It’s similar to how first page Google results used to work. People would still sometimes migrate to the second page of the search results, but rarely.

If you’re following best SEO practices and incorporating AEO and GEO, then you’ll do just fine.

AEO- Answer Engine Optimization

This form of optimization focuses on creating clear and concise answers to users’ questions. AEO focuses on content that will be used in a quick overview, like AI summaries and Alexa or Siri responses. Because of this, you should prioritize clear, concise content that has a visible hierarchy.

If I had a numbered list, I’d want to format it like this:

An Example of an AEO-friendly List

1.     Numbered lists work well for steps.

2.     Keep the list under 8 steps when possible due to limited overview space.

3.     Focus on clear and concise writing.

4.     Use a period, not parentheses.

·      Bulleted lists work best for lists.

·      The same rules apply as above.

·      Make sure they fall into the visual hierarchy this way: Header, subheader, indented list. This makes it easier for the bots to clearly decipher the information you’re presenting.

When focusing on AEO, leave long blocks of text out of lists like this. There’s a place for more detailed text, and that’s what both SEO and GEO are searching for.

GEO- Generative Engine Optimization

While information formatted for GEO can also be picked up by AI summaries, it’s mainly concerned with LLMs. Models like Claude, Gemini, and ChatGPT all search for clear language with a bit more detail than the summaries allow for.

It may be helpful to think of good GEO content as the combination of great SEO practices and AEO together. You still need the content authority, links, and mentions from other sites, and keywords of SEO, but you also need to structure your content in a way that ensures most, if not all, paragraphs can be pulled by an LLM. This means that the sections or paragraphs should stand on their own without a lot of necessary context from other parts of your content. For example, this section gives a basic overview of SEO and AEO while diving deeper into GEO. GEO also really likes graphs and statistics.

Best Practices for LLMs and AI Overviews

The best way to make sure that your content is hitting the SEO, AEO, and GEO standards is to make sure your content eeats!

E: Do you have experience in the topic you’re covering? This often focuses on first-hand knowledge of the topic. Writing about a restaurant you visited, a product you created, or an event you attended.

E: Do you have the expertise to discuss the topic? Indexing prioritizes content from people who have the knowledge or skills needed to cover the topic at hand. A medical article by someone who has never studied medicine may not check this box.

A: Do you have authority in your field? Are you a trusted voice in your field? Have you built up your name or company as a brand authority through things like talks, events, or thought leadership?

T: Are you a trustworthy source? Focus on posting well-researched, accurate content and keeping it updated (another reason a content refresh may be a good idea).

Don’t be Scared, Be Prepared

With a solid content strategy, you won’t have to worry about getting lost within the depths of the internet. While changes are occurring, the basic principles of good SEO can still carry you pretty far. With some simple formatting changes, content refresh efforts, and strategy, you’ll be showing up everywhere you need to be.

Want to make sure your site content is hitting all its optimization opportunities? Reach out with a link to your site. I’d be happy to take a look (for free).

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