How to Optimize Content for AI Overviews and Generative Search

Gartner predicts traditional search engine volume will dip by 25% by 2026, thanks to AI chatbots and generative search. If that stat made your stomach flip, wondering if your SEO expertise is going to be suddenly rendered obsolete, relax. Take a deep breath.

SEO isn’t packing its bags, it’s just changing the address. Where the old goal was snagging those coveted top spots on SERPs, the new mission is becoming the source AI tools lean on when they craft answers. If ChatGPT, Google’s AI Overviews, or Perplexity are pulling information from articles, you want your content to be what shows up in the citations.

The reassuring part is that Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) isn’t some mysterious new craft you need to learn overnight. It’s simply SEO stepping into its next phase, powered by the same pillars you already know by heart: E-E-A-T, user-first content, and a technically sound site.

In this guide, you’ll find a clear roadmap for GEO to help you move from uncertainty to a sharp, confident strategy built for the AI-driven search era.

What is Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)?

Generative Engine Optimization is the practice of shaping your content so it performs well inside AI-powered search experiences like Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Perplexity, and any platform that produces answers instead of listing links.

The key difference from traditional SEO is the outcome you’re aiming for. SEO tries to rank your webpage on a results page and drive clicks. GEO focuses on getting your content included or cited directly inside the AI-generated answer. It’s a shift from link-based discovery to context-based search, where users get immediate, click-free responses.

This shift is happening because generative search is far better at understanding context and intent. It goes beyond keyword matching and handles conversational prompts with much higher accuracy. As Eli Schwartz notes:

“Conversion rates are higher from ChatGPT because the LLM does a far better job of understanding the user’s query and matching them to exactly what they needed than a traditional search result which was limited to string matching and likely had over-SEO’ed garbage in the results.”

A 5-step action plan for GEO

Step 1. Conduct “prompt research”, not just keyword research

The old keyword-first approach no longer covers the full picture. Instead of targeting terms like “best running shoes,” you now need to compete for broader, more conversational prompts – questions such as “What are the best running shoes for a marathon runner with flat feet who tends to overpronate?”

These prompts reflect real user intent. They assume the searcher wants a clear, synthesized answer tailored to their situation.

Here’s how to approach prompt research:

• Mine conversational sources. Start with Google’s “People Also Ask,” then move to Reddit, Quora, and niche forums where people describe real problems in their own words. Look for phrases like “I’m struggling with…” or “Does anyone know how to…” These reveal intent that keyword tools fail to capture.

  

• Reverse-engineer AI citations. Enter your target prompts into ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews. See which sources they cite and why. Study the tone, structure, and clarity of those cited sources to understand what qualifies as trustworthy and quotable.

  

• Document the full context. Prompts sit inside scenarios, not in isolation. Map the related concerns around each prompt: side questions, pain points, and follow-ups. This cluster of context becomes the backbone of your content strategy.

Step 2. Create citation-worthy content

AI models are built to look for reliable, authoritative material. When ChatGPT produces an answer, it needs to support claims with credible sources to build user trust.

To strengthen your authority signals:

• Use expert quotes and recent statistics. Studies show a 30–40% visibility lift when content includes citations, quotes, and data. Always credit the original source and include the publication year, as AI gives preference to up-to-date information.
• Link to credible, original sources. Point to peer-reviewed studies, government datasets, and primary research. This shows you’re backing your statements with evidence. Prioritize trusted domains such as .edu, .gov, and established publications.
• Highlight proprietary data and original research. Case studies, unique datasets, and first-hand findings give you an edge because competitors can’t duplicate them. Even modest original research noticeably boosts citation potential.

Strong on-page GEO is a levelling factor that can help pages with weaker backlink profiles compete with (and sometimes outperform) higher-authority sites in generative answers. Backlinks still matter, but high-quality authority signals on the page can offset a lighter link profile.

Keep the tone conversational yet authoritative. GEO rewards clarity rather than keyword repetition. Tests on Perplexity.ai showed keyword stuffing underperformed baseline content (with no optimisation applied) by 10%. Because AI models are trained on natural language, they detect and penalize clumsy phrasing caused by forced keywords.

Many good pages fail at this stage. If AI can’t easily parse and surface the information, the content becomes invisible in generative results.

AI models scan for clear, extractable answers. They rely on obvious cues that point to what each section contains and how it addresses specific queries.

Use this AI-friendly structure:

Apply the inverted pyramid. Lead each key section with a direct, concise answer before expanding.

📌 Example: “Most sites see initial GEO traction within 8–12 weeks, with notable citation growth after 4–6 months of consistent optimization.” Give AI the core point first, then the detail.

• Write descriptive, question-based headings. Avoid broad labels like “Getting Started.” Instead, use headings such as “What tools do you need for prompt research?” These signals tell AI exactly what’s being addressed.
• Break steps and lists into structured formats. Numbered steps, bullet points, and tables make information easy to extract. When ChatGPT encounters a numbered list, it can confidently quote “Step 3” without trying to interpret long paragraphs.
• Keep paragraphs short. Aim for 2–4 sentences covering one clear idea. Long, dense blocks limit extractability.
• Add a dedicated FAQ section. Group common queries under a clearly marked FAQ block. Use real questions as H3s, and keep answers concise but complete. This creates dependable extraction targets for generative models.

Step 4. Build your technical GEO foundation

Your GEO results depend on the strength of your technical setup. If your site is slow, unstable, or hard for crawlers to parse, AI systems will treat your content with caution.

Part A: GEO-specific signals (schema and metadata)

• Implement Article schema using SEOPress PRO. Include clear author details, publication dates, and publisher information. These elements help AI systems judge freshness, authority, and reliability.
• Add FAQPage schema to any FAQ sections. This marks each question and answer as its own extractable unit, making it easier for AI models to cite your content directly.

Use SEOPress’s OpenAI integration to generate clean, accurate titles and meta descriptions. These summaries give AI readers a clear, structured understanding of what your page covers.

Part B: Foundational signals (core SEO)

• Improve site speed and mobile performance. A fast, stable, mobile-friendly site scores well on Core Web Vitals, which Google’s AI Overviews strongly prefer. Aim for a Lighthouse performance score above 90.
• Strengthen your internal linking. Use descriptive anchor text and link deeper into your content so AI models can map out your topical structure. Long-form guides should point to more specific, tactical posts.

Developing an understanding of how to set up your AI SEO in WordPress  is a competitive edge you’ll never regret.

Step 5. Monitor and adapt (how to measure GEO)

GEO performance shifts constantly. There’s no fixed “AI Rank,” and citations can change as models update or competitors improve. This means you need to focus on patterns and momentum over one-off results.

What to track:

Direct citations (manual monitoring): Check whether your site appears in AI Overviews, ChatGPT, or Perplexity for your target prompts. Keep a spreadsheet logging the prompt, platform, citation status, position, and date. Repeat these checks monthly and capture screenshots since outputs change frequently.

Leading indicators (GSC/analytics):

• Featured snippets: Track whether you’re winning more snippets in Google Search Console. Snippet-friendly content often performs well in AI citations.
• Long-tail conversational queries: Filter GSC for queries with 6+ words. Growth in these queries shows you’re aligning with how users phrase questions in AI tools.

Use the SEOPress GSC integration to automate monitoring and produce weekly reports on your priority metrics.

• Brand authority: Monitor branded search volume quarterly. Strong brand signals increase your chances of being cited, as AI systems tend to favor recognizable, trusted sources.
• The reality of GEO measurement: Progress accumulates slowly but steadily. Expect a 2–3 month delay between improvements and visible impact. Stay consistent, watch the overall direction of your metrics, and track more than one signal to get a true read on performance.

Start optimizing for AI answers today

GEO is the next stage of SEO. You’re shifting from keyword matching to clearer entities, stronger signals, and higher authority. The focus is no longer just on where your page appears in a list, but whether an LLM trusts you enough to cite your work.

But even with this shift, what matters now is the same foundation you’ve always relied on: understanding user intent, building E-E-A-T, and keeping your technical setup clean. Those skills carry even more weight in an AI-driven landscape. The fundamentals remain the same, but the way you apply them broadens.

You already have the 5-step strategy. What you need next is the tooling to put it into action at scale.

SEOPress PRO gives you the tools to create a citable foundation. It offers automatic Article and FAQ schema to strengthen your authority signals, plus built-in OpenAI integration to help you shape metadata that aligns with target prompts, without all the manual trial and error.

As @newbornyeti says:

“SEOPress packs a punch… the only SEO plugin that has bulk editing with AI features baked in… Plug in your OpenAI API key and you’re good to go.”

A 25% drop in traditional search traffic is on the horizon. The real question is whether you’ll move early enough to stay ahead. Start implementing your GEO strategy now, and position yourself as the source AI systems choose when your audience goes looking for answers with SEOPress PRO.

By Benjamin Denis

CEO of SEOPress. 15 years of experience with WordPress. Founder of WP Admin UI & WP Cloudy plugins. Co-organizer of WordCamp Biarritz 2023 & WP BootCamp. WordPress Core Contributor.