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GEO vs. SEO — A Primer for Marketers

Welcome to the new world of marketing and public relations. Out with tradition and in with…machines?

We’ve had a few tongue-in-cheek posts here about using Artificial Intelligence for good and not evil. And we have also had some fun with it, at least when we decided to generate really absurd images.

But AI is everywhere AND it’s taking the jobs away from marketers and PR pros. Right?

Not…exactly.

Something New to Learn

Remember keyword stuffing? Trying to outfox the Google machines?

Search Engine Optimization, it seems, was the way to go for the longest time: you want to “rank highly in search engines” so you configure your pages in such a way that it’s easy to show up for certain terms. You write your blog posts in the same way: hoping to be seen as a thought leader by sounding smart, but not sounding like you’re obviously TRYING to sound smart. Art AND science.

SEO was both easy — Don’t overdo it. Act naturally. Write like you talk. But also understand what keywords you need to rank for and be able to talk about SERPs. — and hard — Why do the keywords always change? Why are these consultants so expensive? Why does Google always change the rules? What about Bing? — but it was something that you had to do. And often you had to put in a lot of effort to get tiny results.

Marketers could do it, though: smart and savvy PR people could either add SEO to their toolkit or outsource it to a firm that they trusted.

BUT…AI…changed the game. It’s not about search engines but generative engines. SEO now works side by side with GEO.

Generative Engine Optimization Defined

GEO is the process of maximizing your content so it is found by the AI-driven tools — like Gemini, ChatGPT, Claude, or Copilot — so that your service shows up AND helps to explain what people need to know about the subject.

The point now is that you don’t go to Google as much as Google sends its AI search capabilities straight to your computer or phone. And you don’t hit up Bing as much as Microsoft’s Copilot AI machine tells you what’s happening. And so on…

So…what’s a marketer to do? I have three ideas for you:

1. Start at the Finish Line

In a post last week on the blog — you can check it out here; scroll all the way down for the bullet points that would call a meeting a success — we talked about starting at the finish line when you have a meeting.

Same process here: if you start at the finish line, you have already accomplished what you set out to do. The question is, what are you setting out to do?

Let’s say you’re an insurance company and you want to get the prospect aware of your policies for D&O and E&O coverage. As opposed to just coming out and saying “Call XYZ Insurance for the Best D&O and E&O policies” you have to explain what they are. So, yes, that means you’ll probably have to spell out D&O (“Directors & Officers”) and E&O (“Errors and Omissions”) and showcase not necessarily why XYZ is the best but what these things do for a company.

That might even have to include boilerplate language that’s typical of each coverage; because, let’s face it, that’s already out there.

Which brings us to point two:

2. It’s About Thought Leadership…NOT Keyword Leadership

Let’s continue with our insurance example…A “keyword leader” isn’t a thing.

A “thought leader,” however, is a thing. So considering the fact that your company has this particular expertise, you’re going to want to do a lot more than just keyword-stuffing.

Think about it this way: you’re an insurance leader and you’re asked to talk about D&O and E&O insurance at a conference. You have a set amount of time and you have key messages you want to get out there. Put those to paper and that’s your thought leadership.

More conversational — of course you have to have the boilerplate language in point one above — and make it like you’re trying to answer the question on the mind of the audience.

3. Write Better Content

Here’s the “DUH” moment that a lot of people miss. This particular post was created entirely by hand. It looks like it was written by a person because it was…get this…written by a person.

AI is getting better at creating content that sounds natural, but it’s not there yet. It has to rely on the content that’s out there so that the large language models can learn what sounds sensible and what sounds stilted and computer-generated.

Sure, it’s easy to go to any of the AI platforms and just ask for content about a subject, but, if it’s a subject your business cares about, it’s going to be better long-term for you to create the content you want to see.

The Oversimplified Bottom Line

SEO: Keywords. Lots of keywords. Lots of work. World is changing, though.

GEO: Write longer form content that sounds like it’s from a human. Take your time and make it good, and write like the thought leader you are on the subject you understand.

Create Against The Machines

Editor’s Note: This post originally appeared on my Substack in February 2025

To say that I have a favorite poem might be a bit of a stretch; I loved my lone college poetry class at Syracuse, but wouldn’t call myself a devotee of the genre. Alas, if pressed while at whatever passes for an Algonquin Round Table these days, I would offer perhaps the poem I remember best: “The Red Wheelbarrow”, by William Carlos Williams. Originally titled “XXII” — those Roman numerals add up to 22! — and from the book Spring and All, the Wikipedia entry for the poem itself devotes hundreds of words discussing the poem; the poem itself is sixteen (XVI) words.

Is it memorable because it’s so short? Is it great because it’s merely memorable? Is it too glib and flip and quick and quirky that it really counts more as an ad slogan than a poem?

Do you care?

Good poetry is a little like former U.S. Attorney General Edwin Meese talking about pornography: “I know it when I see it.” “The Red Wheelbarrow” is not an excerpt from The Iliad, nor is it a Shakespearean sonnet. Nor was it composed by committee or focus-grouped like an ad campaign for a soft drink with Seal as a seal.

It reminds me of another memorable quip (attribution unknown): “Perfect is good, done is better.”

‘I’m Something of a Writer Myself’

For the Creative Class, writing these days is limited to a well-composed email, or a really clever tweet; calling the tweet a tweet is way more creative, IMHO, than calling it a “post on X,” but we are where we are.

But that email was great! My tweet should have gone viral!

Enter the world of AI. Why write a blog post when you can ask ChatGPT or Grok or another machine to write a blog post for you. You just need to know how to correctly ask it to write a blog post for you. Logic be darned, as you don’t need to think your way through a blog post, you just need to think your way through the one question — “Write me a 400-word blog post about someone with writer’s block and how they got through it” — and let the machine do the rest.

When Creativity Gets Replaced By Prompts

When AI started getting interesting and I had to conduct team meetings, I tried to start them off with art. Not just any art, mind you, but AI-generated art that was, sometimes, rather out there.

Not just Trump-playing-keyboards out there…stuff like this:

I could go on — and attendees at those meetings were probably asking me to stop — but the point here is that the quality was fine, the messages were weird, and the “art” wasn’t really art.

‘I’m Something of an Artist Myself’

Back when NFTs were first a thing — they’re coming back, I just know it! — I created a bunch of art. Like tons of it. Hundreds of images. First, playing around with sketching programs on my phone, then using other programs to manipulate shapes, add colors and effects, and aim for some sort of aesthetic. First, the early work:

Then, a later piece:

Is the art any good? Would you put it on a wall? Is it gallery-worthy?

None of this really matters, actually. Which brings us to the point of the article.

Without a Creative Outlet, What Are We?

I could pound away at a keyboard — this article has taken me the better part of an afternoon; it’s actually an article I started probably a month ago by writing the headline — or I could outsource the creativity to a machine. I prefer the former.

I could challenge myself to remember things without going to Wikipedia, or I could just take the lazy way out. Again, memorizing new facts and figures or asking myself what details I remember from the first baseball game I attended (August 1978, Cubs 2, Reds 0, Dave Kingman homered!) exercises parts of the brain that don’t get used as much (or ever, in the case of most phone numbers, which exist solely in your contacts, I gather).

I could play around with art — maybe leaning into the fact that 99% of it is pretty bad — or I could just ask Bing to whip up something that looks like a modern art NFT.

I don’t have the answers, but I much prefer the future with some sort of human creativity to a code-driven, cyborg-fueled AI Franken-novel.

Lean Into the Absurd with AI

We continue our Month-long content festival with a talk about AI and absurdity.

The genie is out of the bottle when it comes to Artificial Intelligence. AI will change the world! AI will take our jobs! AI will cure cancer!

All those things could eventually be true.

But, starting a couple years ago, when I first started playing around with AI tools, I took a different approach.

How Absurd Can You Get?

Now, is there a method to the madness? Yes: Akin to playing MadLibs, I was trying to spur creativity. And sometimes, I failed spectacularly. In any event, here’s a smattering of some wins and losses from my journey into AI absurdity.

How Absurd Can You Make It?

Here’s a for instance: say you want to encourage people to get a colonoscopy — and you know that the recommendations have changed, suggesting that you get one starting at age 45 — but you can’t really use a picture of a diseased colon to get people to make the appointment.

Enter: The Vintage Colonoscopy Travel Poster!

Well, it was close.

Enough of that, let’s try another topic.

What About The Four-Panel Cartoon?

Sure, you can type that into your favorite machine and maybe it’ll spit back something that makes sense. Like, how bout two dogs discussing the song “Last Resort” by the band Papa Roach?

Maybe a little too dark. Here’s another attempt: A dog named Clyde introducing himself.

Sigh. Not sure which one is Clyde.

What Would Huff Do?

Huff is my friend on X; he has created some really interesting AI art as the technology has advanced. Some of it is a little more political, but a couple of his creations stand out. Like…

Also, he sent me one of his personal favorites: a recreation of Stewie and Brian from Family Guy, posing for a 1970s mall photo.

Round Three: Merger & Acquisition Division

The earliest days of AI imagery left spelling to the imagination.

And, remember when the USFL merged with the XFL and created the UFL? This guy remembers.

What’s The Point?

For me, the point is to sharpen creativity. To think about things in new and different ways.

It’s also a great way to learn the nuances of the various platforms: typing in a prompt, then realizing the prompt wasn’t quite right, then sharpening your focus — “create an image in the style of a 1970s mall photo session” — can lead you down various paths you may not have thought of. And you’ll compare and contrast ChatGPT with Gemini or with Grok or…well, whatever tool you’re using, you will learn its particularities, and THAT will help you think a little better about whatever problem you’re trying to solve.

A Holiday Blog Post About AI Strategy for Marketers

Your holiday season would not be complete without an obligatory blog post that tells you how artificial intelligence can make your holiday marketing and PR content better. That’s right, there’s no sense in doing everything yourself. Automate! Use AI!

For instance, you could go to Bard, like I just did, and type in a prompt like this:

Oh my, this is gonna be brilliant. Here’s suggestion 1 of 7 — SEVEN!!! — to help you along:

1. Embrace nostalgia and evoke emotions

Taylor Swift is known for her ability to tap into nostalgia, and her holiday campaigns are no exception. She often references holiday traditions and classic Christmas songs, which resonates with her fans and makes them feel connected to her.

For your own holiday content, consider using nostalgic imagery and language to evoke emotions in your audience. You can also use storytelling to create a sense of warmth and connection.

Disclaimer: The above was written by AI. I couldn’t come up with something so banal by myself. I need inspiration.

But wait, it gets better…here’s item number 5. Because you can always shoehorn SOCIAL MEDIA into your holiday content!

5. Leverage social media to reach a wider audience

Taylor Swift is a social media pro, and she uses her platforms effectively to promote her holiday campaigns. She often shares photos, videos, and exclusive content on her social media channels, which helps her reach a wider audience and generate buzz.

To maximize the reach of your holiday content, make sure you’re promoting it on your social media channels. Use relevant hashtags, share engaging content, and run contests and giveaways to attract attention.

Disclaimer: Okay, enough already. Seriously.

Another Tip: Become the Master of Absurdity

Yes, you should try to weave in as much absurdity in your Holiday Marketing. Is it absurd to consider the Bing AI Generator to…

Well, first you need to start with Thanksgiving, and Football, and the old phrase “Stick a Fork in [INSERT TEAM NAME], they’re done!].” Ask AI to create an image like this…

And the winner is…

Thanksgiving’s Over, Move on to Black Friday

Oh, this is gonna get good.

If you follow our Substack, you might have seen that we’ve played around enough with AI to figure out that the image maker thing can’t spell. In this case, you spot it “Black” and “Friday” and it somehow finds a way to fail.

Or it drops a couple letters.

But at least the ad looks sorta modern.

What’s The Point?

Everywhere you turn, you seem to see something or someone telling you that generative AI is going to change your life for the better, immediately. And sure, being able to run tons of options through a machine is great, or asking for a machine to create a bunch of words that you can then turn around and make mad bank from is also great.

Until it’s not great. Until you outsource the thinking. Until you just phone it in.

My Absurdity Playground of AI Imagery — I should consider trademarking the phrase “Absurdity Playground” — hasn’t been done for any other reason than amusement. I’m trying to push the limits of absurdity and using AI to do that and it’s semi-clever, but I never plan on “going pro” at it.

So there’s the point: if you want to really make things happen at work — especially as a professional marketer, PR person, or communicator — you need to focus on asking this question:

What Business Problem Are We Trying to Solve?

Are you trying to churn out better content? Great. What problem will that solve? Do you need to book more appointments, or 10x your sales?

Oh, it’s about “Thought Leadership!” That’s the business problem you’re trying to solve, right? Being “out there” as a “thought leader!” Great. Are your thoughts original? If not, are they researched? Do they have a point of view? Or are they just…banal, trying to leverage the next big thing?

Here’s the Advice: Blocking and Tackling

Table stakes for the communicator: there needs to be a reason to do what you do, or else you’re just an order taker, filling out forms, generating words and images to make the bosses happy.

Figure out why you’re doing what you’re doing and things will go a lot more smoothly.

Also, be sure to know how to spell and use punctuation.

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