The Best SEO Strategies for 2025: Embracing Generative Engine Optimization

As the SEO landscape evolves, businesses must adapt to keep pace with new technologies and user behavior.
This means that merely crafting great content and securing traditional backlinks may no longer suffice to achieve desired results.

"SEO is changing fast, and we're looking at the dawn of a new era."

SEO is Getting a Makeover

SEO isn't what it used to be—gone are the days when optimizing for Google was the only strategy you needed. Today, generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity are emerging as serious contenders in the search arena, forcing businesses to rethink their entire approach. It’s no longer just about playing the Google game; it’s about ensuring your products and services are discoverable across a variety of AI platforms and search environments.

The Age of Generative Engine Optimization

If there’s one approach set to dominate in the coming years, it’s Generative Engine Optimization (Geo). This term captures the techniques required to get your business featured by generative AI tools such as ChatGPT and Google’s AI overviews. It feels akin to the gold rushes of yesteryear: with over a billion people expected to interact with Google’s AI features by the end of 2024, neglecting Geo could leave your brand sidelined in the next wave of ai-driven search results.

What Are the Key Steps to Implement Geo?

Most generative search tools perform background web searches to compile answers. Geo focuses on being visible and relevant in those underlying queries:

1. Optimize for Traditional Search
   Rank well in standard organic results. Visibility in Google’s search results is a prerequisite for appearing in AI overviews and generative snippets.

2. Create Specific, Long-Tail Content
   AI-driven searches encourage longer-tail, niche queries. Developing content that addresses very specific questions gives you a better chance of ranking for those searches and influencing the ai’s sub-queries.

3. Match AI Answer Structures
   Structure your content with concise answers first, followed by deeper sections that expand on the topic. Mirroring the format that AI tools use helps corroborate your content when they source summaries.

4. Showcase Experience and Authority
   Generative AI tools favor content from individuals and brands with demonstrated expertise. Use author bios, case studies, and firsthand insights to signal authority and earn higher placement in both traditional and AI-driven results.

Rethinking Your Funnel Strategy

Previously, marketing teams relied on a single SEO funnel to move users from awareness to conversion. In the age of AI, research often happens directly in generative search results—bypassing your site altogether. To adapt, split your SEO into two distinct strategies:

1. Top of Funnel
   Aim for your brand and products to be cited in AI-generated overviews. Focus on educational, awareness-stage content that the AI can quote or summarize.

2. Bottom of Funnel
   Guide ready-to-buy consumers to your website. Use targeted product and comparison pages optimized for purchase-intent keywords.

With customers researching via AI tools, securing mentions in those answers is critical to capture top-of-funnel attention before directing users to your purchase pages.

Maximizing Visibility Through Digital PR

Generative AI sources answers by pulling from reputable, authoritative websites. Digital PR and content marketing are essential to increase the likelihood of your brand being recommended:

• Engage with media outlets and industry publications to generate exposure.
• Collaborate on articles, whitepapers, and case studies that highlight your expertise.
• Ensure consistent brand messaging across all third-party platforms.

If your company offers banking services, for example, you should optimize your own site and work with financial news sites so that AI tools will find and recommend coherent, positive content about your brand.

Building Trust and Authority

Search engines—both traditional and AI-driven—lean heavily on E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) signals. Reinforce your brand’s credibility:

• Link to detailed author bios that list credentials and relevant experience.
• Display reviews, testimonials, and client logos to validate your offerings.
• Regularly update content to maintain accuracy and timeliness.

When potential customers seek reliable answers, they trust content that demonstrates genuine expertise and authority. Align your pages with these expectations to boost both SEO and generative AI visibility.

Embracing Local SEO

For local businesses, search evolution brings both challenges and opportunities. Adopt dedicated local SEO tactics to capture nearby customers:

• Identify and target community-specific keywords.
• Engage in local events and sponsorships to build backlinks and brand mentions.
• Ensure your name, address, and phone number (NAP) are accurate in all maps, directories, and review sites.

If you’re keen to learn more about local SEO in 2025, check out our guide on Local SEO strategies.

The Takeaway

Adapting your seo and content marketing to include generative optimization is no longer optional—it’s essential for modern search success.

• Bold actionable takeaway: Develop a dual-funnel strategy and invest in generative AI–focused content to secure both traditional rankings and top placement in AI-driven answers.

What steps are you taking to future-proof your SEO strategy?