SEO, AI & GEO: How Businesses Get Found in Search Today

The way people search for information has changed fundamentally. It is no longer just about typing a few words into Google and clicking the first blue link. Today, businesses are discovered through AI summaries, conversational search, and sophisticated recommendation engines like ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Gemini, and Perplexity. The era of SEO AI and GEO for businesses is now upon us.

This shift means Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) has evolved from a simple ranking discipline into a broader visibility and understanding discipline. It isn't enough to just "be on page one" anymore. You need to be the answer.

SEO still matters deeply—but it now works alongside AI search optimisation and a new concept called Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO). Together, these three elements determine whether your business is simply indexed in a database or actively recommended to a potential customer.

Read our short article on the basics of SEO and AI marketing here.

What SEO Really Means in the Era of SEO AI and GEO for Businesses

For years, SEO was treated as a checklist of technical tricks to outsmart an algorithm. Today, it is the process of helping search engines—and now AI engines—understand the core identity of your business.

Modern SEO is about clarifying four key pillars:

• Who you help: Defining your specific audience.

• What you offer: Clearly stating your products or services without ambiguity.

• Where you operate: Establishing local or digital boundaries.

• Why your content is trustworthy: Proving your expertise and reliability.

Traditional SEO focuses on keywords, technical health, content quality, and authority signals (like backlinks). These remain the essential foundations. Without a technically sound website, AI systems will struggle to trust or even reference your site. You cannot build a new house on shaky foundations; similarly, you cannot optimise for AI if your basic SEO is broken.

However, ranking alone is no longer enough. Increasingly, search engines answer questions directly on the results page, often without sending users to websites at all. This is "zero-click" searching, and it requires a different strategy.

How AI Is Changing Search Behaviour

We are moving from a "search and click" model to a "ask and answer" model. AI-driven search tools summarise information rather than just listing results. They read multiple sources, synthesise the data, and present a coherent answer to the user.

To be included in these AI summaries, your content must be:

• Clearly structured: Using logical headings and bullet points.

• Written in natural language: Avoiding robotic keyword stuffing.

• Authoritative: Backed by expertise and clear facts.

This shift means vague, over-optimised, or jargon-heavy content often gets ignored by AI models. They prefer clear explanations, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), and well-linked articles that provide direct value.

For businesses, the goal is no longer “page one at all costs” but being part of the answer. If a user asks ChatGPT, "Who is the best graphic designer in London for sustainable brands?", you want the AI to mention your name, not just show a link to your homepage.

What Is GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation)?

Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) is the new frontier of search. While SEO focuses on the search engine's crawler, GEO focuses on the generative AI model that synthesises answers.

GEO is about formatting and structuring your content so it is easily "digestible" for Large Language Models (LLMs). This includes:

• Explicit definitions: Starting articles with clear "What is..." statements.

• Direct answers: Answering common questions immediately, then expanding on them.

• Structured data: Using schema markup to tell machines exactly what a page is about.

• Consistent messaging: Ensuring your brand facts are the same across your site, social media, and third-party directories.

Where SEO helps your content get indexed and trusted, GEO helps it get quoted, referenced, and recommended. Think of SEO as getting your book into the library, and GEO as getting the librarian to recommend it to a reader.

Why SEO and GEO Work Best Together

Treating SEO and GEO as separate silos is a mistake. They are two sides of the same coin.

• SEO ensures accessibility: It makes sure your website is crawlable, fast, and technically sound so machines can find it.

• GEO ensures utility: It makes sure your content is understandable, extractable, and ready to be used in an AI answer.

Businesses that combine both approaches gain significant advantages. You achieve better long-term visibility because you aren't relying on a single traffic source. You build stronger brand authority because you are seen as the definitive answer across platforms. Most importantly, you build resilience against algorithm updates. Whether Google changes its ranking factors or a new AI tool launches, high-quality, structured, and helpful content will always win.

This combined approach is now the most sustainable way to invest in search marketing.

How to Optimise Your Content for the AI Age

If you want to improve your business visibility in this new landscape, you need to adjust your content strategy. Here are practical steps to get started.

1. Focus on "Information Gain"

AI models are trained on existing content. To stand out, you need to add something new to the conversation—known as "information gain." Do not just rewrite what is already on the first page of Google. Add unique data, personal experience, or a fresh perspective.

2. Answer Questions Directly

When writing a blog post, look at the common questions users ask about that topic. Use those questions as H2 or H3 subheadings, and provide a concise answer in the first paragraph following the heading. This makes it incredibly easy for AI to extract that snippet for a summary.

3. Build Authority (E-E-A-T)

Google uses a framework called E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness). AI models also look for these signals. Ensure your content is written by experts, cite your sources, and keep your "About Us" page updated with credible information about your business.

4. Use Natural Language

Keywords still matter, but context matters more. Write like a human speaking to another human. AI is getting very good at detecting "SEO fluff." If your content sounds robotic, it is less likely to be cited as a trusted source.

How Puzzle Creative Approaches SEO

At Puzzle Creative, we treat SEO as a strategic system, not a checklist of tricks. We understand that the landscape is shifting, and we help our clients navigate it with confidence.

Our focus is on:

• Clarity over cleverness: We prioritise clear communication that users (and machines) can understand instantly.

• Structured content: We build content architectures that answer real questions.

• Realistic expectations: We focus on sustainable growth for small businesses, not vanity metrics.

• Total visibility: We optimise for visibility across both traditional search engines and emerging AI tools.

By combining foundational SEO with forward-thinking GEO strategies, we support sustainable growth rather than chasing short-term spikes. The future of search is here, and it is conversational, intelligent, and helpful. Is your business ready to be found?

Need help? Reach out to our team and we'll explore your needs and how to improve visibility of your brand.