Building a GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) strategy from scratch - where do I even start?

I’ve helped 20+ companies build GEO strategies. Here’s the framework I use:

The GEO Strategy Pyramid:

Level 1: Foundation (Weeks 1-4)
├── AI visibility audit
├── Technical implementation (schema, llms.txt)
└── Baseline metrics established

Level 2: Content Optimization (Months 2-4)
├── Content restructuring for AI extraction
├── Information gain improvements
└── Expert positioning

Level 3: Authority Building (Months 4-8)
├── Strategic presence on AI-referenced platforms
├── Original research and data
└── Community and expert engagement

Level 4: Continuous Optimization (Ongoing)
├── Monitoring and iteration
├── Competitive intelligence
└── Emerging platform adaptation

Quick wins (first 30 days):

Start with foundation. Don’t jump to authority building without the basics in place.

Content team perspective on GEO strategy:

The biggest mindset shift:

SEO: “Create content that ranks for keywords” GEO: “Create content AI wants to cite as the answer”

What changes for content teams:

1. Structure - Every piece needs extractable answers (TL;DR, bullet summaries)
2. Depth - AI cites comprehensive resources over thin content
3. Originality - Information gain is essential (unique data, perspectives, research)
4. Expertise - Named authors with credentials on everything
5. Format - Tables, lists, FAQ sections that AI can easily parse

Content audit questions:

For each piece, ask:

• If AI read this, what specific fact/answer could it cite?
• Is that citable unit clearly structured and extractable?
• What makes this better than what already exists?

Most existing content fails these questions. That’s the gap to address.

Technical foundation checklist:

Must-have for GEO:

1. Schema markup

   • Organization schema
   • Article schema with author
   • Person schema for authors
   • FAQ schema where relevant
   • Product/Service schema

2. AI crawler access

   • llms.txt file configured
   • Robots.txt allows AI crawlers (GPTBot, etc.)
   • XML sitemap current and accessible
   • Fast loading (<3s)

3. Content structure

   • Proper heading hierarchy
   • Clear section breaks
   • Tables and lists formatted correctly
   • Consistent metadata

4. Entity optimization

   • Google Business Profile optimized
   • Knowledge Panel claimed (if applicable)
   • Consistent entity naming everywhere

This technical foundation is non-negotiable. Without it, content optimization is handicapped.

Resource-constrained perspective:

What we prioritized with limited resources:

Month 1: Technical foundation

• Cost: Team time only
• Impact: Foundation for everything else

Month 2: Content restructuring

• Retrofitted our top 20 articles for AI extraction
• Added TL;DR, better structure, expert bylines
• Cost: ~40 hours content work

Month 3: Strategic presence

• Active participation in 3 relevant subreddits
• Completed all business listing profiles
• Started podcast guesting for authority
• Cost: ~10 hours/week ongoing

Month 4+: Original research

• Small survey of our customers
• Published findings as cornerstone content
• Cost: ~$500 for survey tool + time

Results after 4 months:

• ChatGPT mention rate: 0% → 18%
• Perplexity citations: 0% → 12%
• Zero budget beyond tools we already had

Small teams can do GEO. It’s about prioritization, not budget.

Common mistakes I see companies make:

Mistake 1: Treating GEO as separate from SEO

• Reality: GEO builds on SEO. Don’t abandon what’s working.
• Right approach: Integrate GEO into existing SEO efforts

Mistake 2: Chasing all AI platforms equally

• Reality: Different platforms, different priorities
• Right approach: Identify where YOUR audience uses AI, focus there

Mistake 3: Ignoring the authority timeline

• Reality: Authority takes time, can’t be rushed
• Right approach: Quick wins first, authority building in parallel

Mistake 4: No measurement infrastructure

• Reality: Can’t improve what you can’t measure
• Right approach: Set up tracking before optimization

Mistake 5: Creating “AI content” instead of “AI-friendly content”

• Reality: AI can detect low-quality AI-generated content
• Right approach: Human expertise, AI-friendly formatting

GEO isn’t a replacement for good marketing. It’s an evolution of it.

Measurement framework for GEO strategy:

KPIs to track:

How to track:

1. Monthly automated monitoring - Am I Cited or similar
2. Quarterly deep audit - Manual testing + competitive analysis
3. Weekly spot checks - Quick pulse on priority queries

Reporting to leadership:

• Lead with business impact when possible
• Track leading indicators (citations) and lagging indicators (traffic, conversions)
• Compare to competitors to show relative progress

CEO wants ROI? Connect GEO metrics to business outcomes over time.

Integrating GEO into existing SEO workflow:

What stays the same:

• Keyword research (but add AI query variations)
• Content quality standards
• Technical SEO fundamentals
• Link building efforts

What’s added:

• AI visibility tracking as a metric
• Content structure requirements for AI extraction
• Author/expertise documentation
• Platform-specific optimization considerations

Workflow integration:

1. Content briefs: Add “AI extraction” section with structure requirements
2. QA checklist: Include schema verification and structure review
3. Reporting: Add AI visibility metrics alongside traditional SEO metrics
4. Competitive analysis: Include AI share of voice

GEO doesn’t replace SEO workflow. It augments it.

This thread has given me exactly what I needed to present to my CEO. Here’s the plan:

Phase 1: Foundation (Weeks 1-4)

• AI visibility audit (DIY to start)
• Technical implementation (schema, llms.txt)
• Baseline metrics established
• Quick wins: bylines, TL;DR sections, FAQ schema

Phase 2: Content Optimization (Months 2-3)

• Retrofit top 20 content pieces
• Add information gain requirements to briefs
• Expert positioning for authors

Phase 3: Authority Building (Months 4-6)

• Community presence program
• Original research project
• Strategic platform presence

Success metrics:

• AI citation rate: baseline → +50% in 6 months
• Share of voice vs top 3 competitors
• Content citation depth

Investment ask:

• Monitoring tool subscription
• ~20 hours/week team time reallocation
• $2-3K for original research project

Thanks everyone for the incredible insights. This is exactly the framework I needed.