AI search (GEO) is just SEO with higher stakes

When you run a search today, you’re not just triggering a keyword match. You’re activating a layered AI system that predicts what you mean, where you are, and who you trust.

This is GEO - AI search optimization. If you’ve been treating it as a separate strategy from SEO, you’re missing the point. GEO uses the same signals, just evaluated by large language models instead of crawlers.

GEO isn’t SEO, but it uses the same signals

GEO (short for Generative Engine Optimization) is about visibility inside LLM-based search engines like ChatGPT, Bing Copilot, and Perplexity. They don’t show search results. They generate a single, consolidated answer based on content they trust.

The signals that influence AI visibility are familiar:

• Backlinks
• Topical authority
• Structured content
• Source credibility

But instead of ranking higher, you’re either referenced or ignored.

Authority signals are now core infrastructure

Google’s algorithm updates in 2023–2024 shifted classic SEO closer to GEO:

• Content with no expertise or relevance got downgraded
• Link schemes and recycled SEO filler lost visibility
• Google now surfaces fewer sources and focuses on entities with proven trust and expertise

AI engines follow the same logic. If your site or name appears in high-authority content - news, official sources, whitepapers, recognized thought leaders - you’re more likely to be quoted or pulled into a synthesized answer.

Authority is no longer one metric. It’s a sum of:

• Who mentions you
• What context they mention you in
• How often your name or company appears across trusted sources

LinkedIn keeps showing up for a reason

LinkedIn is difficult to scrape. But it keeps surfacing in AI-generated responses.

I'm sure it's not accidental. Microsoft owns LinkedIn, and AI models like ChatGPT and Bing use Microsoft’s infrastructure. This gives them visibility into LinkedIn’s structured data without needing to scrape.

LinkedIn posts, bios, and public comments are now showing up in:

• Startup ecosystem answers
• Leadership summaries
• Reputation queries
• Market validation prompts

That makes LinkedIn a content layer that quietly influences GEO outcomes. Not because of its keyword volume, but because of the embedded trust and graph-level connections it holds.

What to do to build GEO visibility

1. Get referenced by trusted sources
   Aim for citations in regional media, respected blogs, conference speaker lists, and public-sector partner pages. LinkedIn Top Voices seems to work for ChatGPT.
2. Use structured metadata
   Schema.org markup, consistent naming, and content tied to your industry or city improve both classic SEO and GEO visibility.
3. Treat LinkedIn like a public trust node
   Don’t just post for engagement. Post the kind of insights that someone researching your space might want to cite.
4. Think in terms of data layers, not just content pieces
   If your brand or name is mentioned across sites with high trust - especially with consistent context - you build enough signal strength to surface across AI platforms.

Bottom line

Search is now about who gets included when the engine has space for one answer. GEO makes traditional SEO tactics less relevant if you’re not already part of a trusted web of sources.

If your content doesn’t get cited, it doesn’t exist in the output. Visibility is being replaced by credibility.