LLM SEO (or… GEO?). What Are We Even Calling It?
LLMs are changing how people discover information - but the real question I keep hearing is: “How do I get an AI model to actually pick my content?” At the end of the day, it’s not magic. It’s math. Models rely on embeddings, vector similarity, and probability weights to decide which facts, brands, and sources rise to the top of an answer.
So is this LLM SEO, AI SEO, or GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)? Call it whatever you want - the goal is the same: improving how your content is represented inside an AI model’s internal “knowledge space.” In this article, I unpack how that works, why some brands get quoted while others vanish, and the practical steps you can take to increase your “weight” in AI-driven answers.
If you’ve spent any time in marketing circles, you’ve probably seen people debating what to call this whole thing - but honestly, the label isn’t the interesting part. What matters is what’s actually happening under the hood. Traditional SEO was about signalling relevance to a search engine crawler. Today, you’re shaping how your content appears in embedding space - the model’s internal map of concepts, entities, and relationships.
Instead of optimising for rankings on a results page, you’re optimising for inclusion in an AI-generated answer. Whether people call it AI SEO, LLM SEO, or GEO is secondary. The real shift is that you’re no longer competing for clicks - you’re competing for model-level representation.
1. Write Like a Human (Because AI Reads Like One).
LLMs are trained on natural language, so content that sounds like a real conversation is easier for them to use. Write around the kinds of questions people actually ask:
- “What’s the best laptop for video editing under $1,000?”
- “Why does my sourdough keep collapsing?”
- “What are the best running shoes for wide feet?”
If your content already mirrors real questions, AI models can cite, summarise or surface it much more accurately.
2. Structure Matters More Than You Think.
LLMs love tidy content. You don’t need any magic tricks, just clean structure that makes it easy to parse:
- Clear, descriptive headings
- Short paragraphs instead of walls of text
- Bullet points for lists and steps
- Quick summaries or “TL;DR” sections
- Key takeaways at the end
This not only helps humans skim, it reduces the chance that an AI misreads your content or hallucinates when it paraphrases you.
3. Schema Markup: Still Underrated, Now Even More Important.
Search engines use schema markup to understand context-and many AI-driven systems lean on the same signals. Adding structured data is like putting labels on every drawer in your content kitchen.
Useful schema types include:
- FAQ - for question/answer content
- Organization - for your company details
- LocalBusiness - if you have a physical presence
- Product - for things you sell or review
This makes it easier for both classic search and AI models to harvest your content correctly and understand what each page is really about.
4. Bring Facts, Not Fluff.
LLMs prefer authoritative, factual content because it lowers the risk of them making things up. So whenever you can:
- Add specific numbers or data points
- Provide context (the why, not just the what)
- Explain trade-offs and edge cases
- Link out to reputable sources where it makes sense
The more grounded and useful your content is, the more likely it is to be seen as a trusted source in AI-generated answers.
5. Turn Your Brand into a Recognisable Entity.
This is the part that doesn’t look like traditional SEO, but matters a lot for LLMs. Models rely heavily on entity recognition-they don’t just index words, they build graphs of people, brands, products and places.
Your brand should appear consistently across:
- Your website and blog
- Social profiles and company pages
- Industry directories and event listings
- Media mentions, podcasts, and guest posts
When an LLM “knows” who you are, it’s more likely to quote you, summarise your content, or recommend your products.
6. Think in Entities, Not Just Keywords.
Classic SEO was obsessed with keywords. LLM SEO is more about concepts and entities. Make sure your content clearly references the important building blocks around your topic:
- People (experts, authors, founders)
- Places (regions, cities, markets)
- Products and categories
- Processes, frameworks, and industry terms
This helps AI models connect you to broader conversations and include you when they generate overviews of a space.
7. Keep Things Fresh and Relevant.
Many modern AI systems use some form of retrieval or periodic web snapshots. Fresh, relevant content sends a simple signal: this source is still alive and paying attention.
Review your key pages regularly, update outdated examples, and keep your most important guides aligned with current realities in your industry.
8. Backlinks Still Matter (Especially for RAG).
When LLMs have access to live web search or Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), classic signals like backlinks still help. Not because there’s a special “AI ranking,” but because:
- Strong domains get crawled and surfaced more often
- Backlinks act as social proof of trust and authority
- Good citations can drive referral traffic even beyond AI answers
We’re in a hybrid era where traditional SEO and LLM SEO overlap-and you can absolutely benefit from both.
Final Thoughts: Yes, LLM SEO Is Already a Thing.
People now ask LLMs about everything: health, travel, shopping, strategy, and sometimes even life decisions they probably should sleep on. If your content isn’t optimised for this new behaviour, you’re basically invisible in a channel that’s about to be as important as Google.
The good news: you don’t need a new religion, just a slightly updated playbook-natural language, clean structure, strong entity signals, schema markup, real facts and regular updates.
Start doing that today and you’ll be ahead of most of the internet, long before the rest of the industry agrees on whether we’re calling it LLM SEO, AI SEO, or GEO.
