Elaine Pasini

GEO is the latest buzzword in digital marketing, and it’s all about making your content sparkle (well, be found) in the realm of AI-driven search engines like Open AI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini (nee Bard), and of course Microsoft’s Bing CoPilot.

Whether you want more clients, need to look into your law firm’s marketing strategy in a more strategic way, or are simply fascinated by how online searches work now Generative Artificial Intelligence is weaving its way through our online lives, this blog should impart some informative knowledge and help.

GEO stands for Generative Engine Optimisation and, although not superseding SEO (search engine optimisation), it’s wholly worth noting the differences and how to make more strategies, including GEO or SEO, work for you and your brand, especially in the context of modern digital marketing.

Imagine your law firm’s content being the go-to source for AI-generated responses? You don’t really think that AI is that clever that it knows all that information itself? Well, kind of, because it’s able to pick up the most authoritative and trustworthy sources to cite for an answer. Ie, without ongoing SEO your content won’t get cited as a reputable source for a response to a prompt.

So, what’s the deal with GEO?

Like anything online, digital marketing moves at a fast pace and now we have AI at our finger tips, it’s become our way in which we find answers to our searches and queries. AI has dramatically changed from a search engine giving you a snippet and then a couple of website URLs to read more on.

Yes, SEO and website optimisation are still vital, and I’ll explain that a little more later, but understanding GEO or SEO in conjunction is something we need to get our marketing heads firmly wrapped around. The synergy between GEO and SEO strategies is crucial for effective digital marketing. Here are my initial thoughts on why:

1. Adaptability: GEO is about crafting content that’s ready for those conversational and question-based queries. Think of it as having a chat with a potential client, where your content is the friendly expert providing the answers they need. Caveat please, for your sake and that of your reputation, check the facts it gives.
2. Enhanced Visibility: Being featured in AI-generated responses can elevate your law firm’s reputation as a trusted authority, boosting your visibility among prospective clients.
3. Increased Engagement: With conversational AI, you can create personalised and interactive experiences that keep potential clients engaged and coming back for more. Be careful not to spew out reams of AI generated content that has no substantial or trustworthy information. It has to contain your vibe for your potential clients to engage with.
4. Future-Proofing: As generative AI reshapes digital search, GEO ensures your law firm stays ahead of the curve, ready to meet the evolving needs of your target audience.
5. Content Quality and Relevance: Just like traditional SEO, GEO emphasises high-quality, relevant content that resonates with users and adheres to the E-E-A-T principles (experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness). I have written a comprehensive guide on how to write to get found by following the principles HERE.

For law firms and suppliers to the legal profession in England and Wales (for my SRA regulated friends) embracing GEO can help you connect more deeply with your audience and stand out in AI-driven search results. In my opinion it’s a savvy way to stay ahead in the digital marketing playing field. Do your competitors know about how to leverage their content in this way? The quicker you’ve invested in E-E-A-T quality content the more you’re giving your company a competitive edge.

SEO v GEO

When you see search engine optimisation (SEO) or generative engine optimisation (GEO) what you want to know is that they are both focusing on organic reach. By this I mean you’re not paying for ads.

SEO has been a staple of the big search engine, Google, and the majority of us marketers adhere to Google’s guidelines as let’s face it, they have the monopoly.

There’s a great online tool you can use that shows data that a marketing strategist would utilise. It’s called StatCounter and it is a live counter of what search engines we use across the globe. There are different data searches you can do too, but for now we’ll focus on search engines.

Stay with me, there’s a reason I’m showing you the following about Google.

In January 2025 I can see that WORLDWIDE, Google is in the lead at 89.79%.

Whereas in the United Kingdom, Google is used even more (93.22%). 

In the US, Google’s percentage of use drops to 87.34%.

And to finish up with big areas I know my clients work in, here’s Australian website search engines most used. You can see that these numbers are very similar to us in the UK.

All the above is interesting of course, but why have I seen Google’s percentage drop from a higher figure in the past year? Yes, GEO and our prompts.

Now, one might think that GEO is completely crushing SEO but that’s simply not so, it’s just looking at engine optimisation and organic content marketing a little differently.

You’ll do a search in your default search bar (whether you’re set for Microsoft, Mac or Google for example). Pre AI your search would usually show up looking like:

1. Two or three ads
2. The Map Pack (a map + the top 3 local results pages) which is the Google Business Profile (formerly known as Google My Business).
3. The organic list (everyone wanted to be in the top 3 at least because previously no-one bothered scrolling down).

NOW it’s changed. If you do a search in the search bar you will more than likely get the following.

EXAMPLE ONE: “Divorce lawyers near me” CLOSED QUESTION

1. Ads (PPC = “sponsored”)
2. MapPack (Google Business Profile)
3. Organic results (good old great content – SEO)

EXAMPLE TWO: “What do I need to do if thinking of divorce” OPEN ENDED QUESTION

1. AI answers citing some firms that Google views as E-E-A-T (see above)
2. Ads (PPC = “sponsored”)
3. Forums & discussions with one or two organic results
4. Organic results

From the above images you can see that a simple search asking for a simple answer (a little of a closed question / query) gives me paid ads, then my local (organic) results, and then all the rest of the organic search results (ie great content that includes the right keywords, the right information and the right formatting behind the scenes, together its whole SEO strategy).

The second question is OPEN and I needed help. This is where AI kicks in with relish. The ads are below AI’s findings but remember, it is citing from the sources it views as E-E-A-T.

Then it’s a mixture between organic results (in this case, AdviceNow and GOV.uk) mixed in with forum discussions.

Come on divorce lawyers and psychotherapists near me 😉 you’re missing a marketing opportunity!

SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)

• Focus: Optimising websites to rank higher in traditional search engine results pages (SERPs) like Google, Bing, and Yahoo.  
• Target: Traditional search engines that provide a list of website links in response to a user’s query.
• Methods: Keyword research, content optimisation, link building, technical SEO, and on-page optimisation.
• Goal: Improve organic (non-paid) visibility in search results, drive traffic to a website, and increase brand awareness.  

GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation)

• Focus: Optimising content to be included in the responses generated by AI-driven search engines like Google’s Gemini or Bing’s Copilot (worth noting that Open AI’s ChatGPT is not a search engine).
• Target: AI-powered search engines that provide direct answers and summaries to user queries, rather than just a list of links.  
• Methods: Creating high-quality, authoritative content that directly answers user questions, using structured data and schema markup, and optimising for natural language processing.
• Goal: Increase visibility in AI-generated responses, establish content as a trusted source of information, and reach users who are seeking quick and concise answers.

In essence:

• SEO helps your website get found in traditional search results.  
• GEO helps your content get used by AI to answer user questions.

Both SEO and GEO are important for a comprehensive online visibility strategy. SEO remains crucial for driving traffic to your website, while GEO is becoming increasingly important as AI-powered search engines become more popular.  

For law firm marketing and my legal clients, which I tend to focus on, to complement their business development, I have to look at the legal services they are offering, research their target customers, dig into their existing network so that I can put together my best marketing efforts for an effective strategy.

Local SEO is still a huge part of a business’s brand, but in the past year us marketers have also seen a big shift in firms requiring a healthy advertising budget where the use of creative landing pages to reach their ideal clients. You can see why from the above examples and images.

Search engines make money through their ads, e.g. Google ads. Search engines know that their target market will be willing to invest in digital ads in their marketing activities to gain new business.

PPC is short for pay-per-click. An online marketing and advertising model where you (the advertiser) pays against your budget each time a user clicks on one of their ads. If you have a Google Partner agency helping you, they will research effectively your competitors, do keyword research, and look at geographical reach when they bid on the value of these clicks.

Sometimes known as cost-per-click (CPC), this ad model is a core of advertising on major search engines like Google Ads. As I well know, it’s used as a particularly valuable platform for reaching clients in the UK legal sector. The hard work is all the preparation and research before the ad goes live. This involves carefully selecting keywords and targeting parameters, whilst creating engaging landing pages so that legal professionals can connect with potential clients actively searching for their services, solutions and advice. 

Once the leads come through of course, it’s up to you to convert those potential clients via methods such as getting on the blower, utilising email marketing that incorporate great CTAs, and using your social network.

A well established firm will want to build relationships on those leads and give online users and potential customers the social proof they are leaders in their field.

Which leads me to what is happening with organic results versus PPC results.

GEO v PPC

You know now what GEO means and offers us as online searchers.

We also know that we are given a whole host of content to decide upon.

PPC has never been so aggressive when it comes to results in search engines. Google and Bing et al know that and if you, as a leader in your industry, want to prove your expertise with sourced content then SEO and GEO is crucial (let’s face it without content there’s no “product” or “service”) to complement any ads you might want or need to take out.

Social media plays its part in all your GEO and SEO marketing of course. You write an evergreen, informative and helpful blog on your website that is optimised and formatted and then that blog post can be linked via your email marketing, your newsletters, your LinkedIn profile (and any social media posts you want really). You have complete control in this way and I’d say never forget to track and measure all that work via your Google Analytics.

Now, PPC, to invest or not to invest? You can see from what I have talked about above that paid ads are being used by search engines more and more. To be found quickly it’s worth thinking about PPC.

My next blog will be on the benefits of investing in Google Ads to complement a digital marketing and business development strategy for new customers and a better client experience, whilst using valuable content.

Remember most of us want you to answer questions and find solutions for us.

Message me privately if you want to know how I can help you.

Elaine

And whilst I still have you (well done if you’ve read this far!), don’t forget your content that you write for your website and third party guest blogs etc MUST adhere to Page Quality rating standards YMYL more than ever.

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