Generative Engine Optimisation sounds like it should mean a major strategic overhaul. It doesn’t. The brands seeing early results from GEO didn’t rebuild their content strategy from scratch. They took a few targeted actions, tested where they stood, and made smart adjustments to the content they already had.
If you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed, don’t worry. You can start with the easy stuff! Here are five steps to get you going.
01. Test where your brand appears in AI search right now
This is the most important thing you can do today, and it takes almost no time. Open ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews, and search for the questions your customers typically ask about your category. Note who gets cited. If it isn’t you, that’s your starting point. Run ten searches across different question types, and the results will tell you more about your GEO position than any report or dashboard could.
Why it matters: Most marketing leaders have never done this. The moment they see a competitor cited for a question their brand should own, the conversation about GEO changes completely.
02. Audit your top pages for depth, not just keyword optimisation
Pick your five most important commercial pages. For each one, ask yourself honestly: does this page answer the question better than anything else out there? Or is it well optimised for keywords but thin on substance? AI tools reward the first and ignore the second. Your audit becomes your content priority list. Pages that score well on depth are assets, while keyword-heavy pages that are light on genuine insight need work.
Quick test: Paste your page into ChatGPT and ask it to summarise the key insights. If the summary is shallow or generic, the page isn’t doing enough to earn a citation.
03. Add direct Q&A sections to your most important pages
AI tools are built to surface direct answers to direct questions. One of the most effective GEO moves you can make is adding a structured FAQ or Q&A section to your key pages. Write in natural language and answer the question in the first sentence. Add FAQ schema markup at the same time. Most brands haven’t done this yet, so there’s a real opportunity to stand out. You don’t have to start your content again from scratch. You can simply restructure it so it’s easier for AI tools to read.
04. Create one genuinely authoritative piece of content
Pick the question your customers ask most. Before you write, look at what your competitors have published on the topic and find the gaps. Then write the definitive answer: longer, more specific, more useful and more honest than anything else out there. Include real data, genuine expertise and your actual point of view. One piece with real depth beats ten that are merely adequate.
On tone: The content that wins in both SEO and GEO reads like it was written by someone who really knows the subject. It’s a useful, opinionated, well-evidenced answer to a real question.
05. Build your brand into the sources AI models trust
AI systems work out who the authorities are by looking at where brands appear across the web: industry publications, editorial coverage, podcast appearances, association memberships and credible review platforms. Think of it as digital PR through a GEO lens. It takes time, but it compounds. Start with two or three publications relevant to your category and build a consistent presence there. Each mention is a signal that your brand is a credible source.
The bigger picture
These five actions aren’t a complete GEO strategy, but they’re the foundation. Done well, they’ll improve your visibility in AI-generated answers, strengthen your overall content quality, and put you ahead of most brands in your category who haven’t started yet.
From OMDIGI’s work with brands on GEO, one thing is clear: the gap between early movers and everyone else is already growing. The good news is that for most brands, the content and expertise needed to win in GEO already exists inside the business. It just needs to be surfaced, structured and published.
Want to know where your brand currently stands?
OMDIGI runs GEO visibility audits for brands that want to understand their position in AI search. We test your brand across ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews, map who’s being cited in your category, and give you a clear, prioritised view of where the gaps are and what to do about them.
Reach out at hello@omdigigroup.com
