1 week Ago By Roi Sorezki, CommunityVoice
Roi Sorezki is Founder and CEO of Twik with over 25 years of experience in MarTech and web optimization. There was a time when search engines were like diligent librarians, fetching, indexing and presenting results with impartial efficiency. But those days are gone.
Today, AI-driven search isn’t just finding information; it’s curating, synthesizing and—let’s be honest—editorializing. Your carefully optimized SEO masterpiece? It’s now a polite suggestion in a world where AI is busy holding its own press conference. The real question isn’t whether your content ranks anymore—it’s whether AI even remembers you exist.
Gartner predicts that by 2026, 25% fewer users will visit websites because AI will simply answer their questions directly. Perplexity AI alone fielded 250 million queries in just one month, and AI-generated responses are eating into Google’s traffic faster than ad blockers did in 2012. People love the convenience of instant answers: spoon-fed, pre-digested and occasionally wrong.
Clicking links? Too much effort. Scrolling? A relic of the past. This leaves us with a delightful conundrum: How do you remain the information source when AI is bypassing traditional search altogether? For years, Chegg built a profitable business offering step-by-step solutions for students who didn’t want to struggle through their calculus homework.
Then generative AI showed up, offering the same answers instantly, for free, without a paywall. The impact? • Chegg’s stock dropped 48% in a single day . • Its CEO claimed that Google's AI Overview feature has "materially impact[ed] [their] acquisitions, revenue, and employees.
" Google’s AI-generated overviews are already cannibalizing organic traffic. A study of 10,000 keywords found that whenever AI Overviews appeared, click-through rates (CTR) dropped significantly for both organic and paid search results. Enter generative engine optimization (GEO).
If SEO is about ranking, GEO is about being referenced. It’s not about gaming the system; it’s about making the system want to quote you. AI doesn’t just pull any information; it typically picks sources that are structured, credible and readable.
In other words, AI-generated search isn’t just about who ranks. It’s about who gets remembered. Here’s how to make AI’s shortlist: 1.
Structuring Your Data: AI models thrive on structured data. Implementing formats like JSON-LD not only makes your content more accessible but also increases the likelihood of it being referenced by AI. Think of it as providing a well-organized library where AI can easily find and cite your work.
2. Prioritizing User Intent: Understanding and addressing user intent is crucial. By creating content that anticipates and answers user queries comprehensively, you position yourself as a valuable resource for AI to reference.
3. Creating High-Quality, Comprehensive Content: AI models prefer content that is thorough and authoritative. Developing in-depth articles that cover topics extensively not only benefits users but also makes your content more likely to be cited by AI.
4. Implementing llms.txt: Adopting the llms.
txt protocol allows you to specify how AI models should interact with your content, ensuring proper usage and attribution. 5. Monitoring AI Citations: Regularly checking where and how your content is being cited by AI can provide insights into its reach and influence, allowing you to adjust your strategies accordingly.
Implement these strategies to enhance your content's visibility and ensure it becomes a trusted source for AI-generated responses. In the realm of GEO, being quotable is the new ranking. In a world where AI algorithms curate content faster than you can say "clickbait," traditional content strategies are about as effective as a dial-up modem in a fiber-optic world.
Adapting to this change is not about hacking AI models—it’s about understanding how they think and adjusting accordingly to stay relevant. AI isn't here to replace human creativity; it's here to enhance it. Think of AI as that quirky intern who never sleeps and has an uncanny ability to predict trends.
By leveraging AI tools, you can analyze vast amounts of data to understand what your audience craves, allowing you to craft content that's both timely and relevant. According to Forbes Communications Council member Alan Akilkhanov , AI's ability to analyze data and patterns enables it to produce hyper-personalized advertisements. While SEO once reigned supreme, today's audience can spot inauthenticity from a mile away.
Focus on creating genuine, valuable content that resonates with your readers. After all, even the most sophisticated AI can't replicate the nuances of human experience. Gone are the days when a simple blog post would suffice.
Today's consumers engage with myriad content formats, from podcasts and videos to interactive AI-driven experiences. Experimenting with different mediums not only keeps your audience engaged but also showcases your brand's versatility. Integrate AI into your content strategy with intent, embracing technology while preserving the originality and human insight that make your content resonate, not just be repackaged by an algorithm.
Relevance isn’t measured by rankings anymore. It’s measured by the frequency and accuracy of citations. You’re either the source that AI trusts, quotes and references, or you’re just another forgotten page in the ever-growing ocean of digital noise.
In the era of generative search, your visibility isn’t about where you show up on Google—it’s about where you show up in AI-generated answers. If you’re not optimizing for AI-driven search now, you may soon find yourself in a world where search engines don’t even remember you were here. Generative engines' traffic isn’t slowing down, and neither should you.
Start structuring your data, and make sure your content is readable by both humans and AI. SEO got you on the map—GEO makes sure AI doesn’t erase you from it. Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives.
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