Discussion Skills Career

What skills do you actually need for AI search optimization?

SK
SkillBuilder · SEO Lead
· · 148 upvotes · 11 comments
S
SkillBuilder
SEO Lead · January 10, 2026

Looking to upskill from SEO to GEO. Not sure what skills matter.

My current skills:

  • 5 years SEO experience
  • Technical SEO (schema, site architecture)
  • Content strategy
  • Data analysis

What I think I need:

  • Understanding how AI systems work
  • New content optimization approaches
  • Different measurement frameworks
  • Platform-specific knowledge

Questions:

  • What skills transfer from SEO?
  • What’s completely new?
  • How do you learn GEO skills?
  • What will matter most in 2-3 years?
11 comments

11 Comments

SE
Skill_Expert Expert GEO Consultant · January 10, 2026

I’ve helped 50+ SEOs transition to GEO. Here’s the skill map.

Skills That Transfer (70%):

SEO SkillGEO Application
Content strategyStill fundamental
Technical SEOSchema, crawlability
Data analysisNew metrics, same process
Competitive researchDifferent platforms
Site architectureInformation structure

New Skills Needed (30%):

New SkillWhy Important
AI system understandingHow RAG works
Content structure for AIExtractable content
Multi-platform thinkingChatGPT ≠ Perplexity
Entity optimizationKnowledge graph
AI-specific measurementCitation tracking

The good news:

Your SEO foundation is 70% of the battle. You’re learning 30% new stuff, not starting from scratch.

TD
Technical_Deep · January 10, 2026
Replying to Skill_Expert

The technical understanding you need.

RAG (Retrieval Augmented Generation):

ConceptWhat to Know
Query fan-outAI expands queries to find content
Vector embeddingsMathematical representations
Semantic similarityHow AI matches content to queries
Passage retrievalAI extracts content chunks

You don’t need to be an AI engineer. But you need to understand:

  • How AI finds content
  • What makes content extractable
  • Why structure matters
  • How citation decisions work

Learning resources:

  1. Google’s AI Overview documentation
  2. Anthropic’s Claude guidelines
  3. Perplexity’s source methodology
  4. Academic papers on RAG

Minimum understanding:

Be able to explain to a colleague why a well-structured FAQ section is more likely to be cited than a wall of text.

CS
Content_Skills Content Strategist · January 10, 2026

Content skills specific to GEO.

Traditional SEO content:

FocusApproach
KeywordsMatch search terms
LengthWord count targets
LinksBuild authority
HeadersSEO structure

GEO content:

FocusApproach
AnswersDirect, extractable
StructureAI-parseable chunks
CitationsAuthority signals
FreshnessRegular updates

New content skills needed:

SkillWhy
Writing for extractionSelf-contained statements
FAQ structureMatches AI query patterns
Data presentationTables, statistics
Source attributionCredibility signals

The mindset shift:

SEO: “How do I rank for this keyword?” GEO: “How do I become the answer to this question?”

Practice exercise:

Take any paragraph you’ve written. Can each sentence be extracted and make sense alone? If not, rewrite.

PK
Platform_Knowledge · January 9, 2026

Platform-specific skills matter.

Each platform has different preferences:

PlatformKey Understanding Needed
ChatGPTTraining data, Wikipedia signals
PerplexityReal-time retrieval, Reddit weight
Google AITraditional SEO correlation
ClaudeConstitutional AI, Brave backend

What to know about each:

ChatGPT:

  • Training data cutoff dates
  • Web browsing mode differences
  • Parametric vs retrieved answers

Perplexity:

  • Real-time crawling
  • Source diversity (8,000+ domains)
  • Reddit citation rate (6.6%)

Google AI Overviews:

  • Connection to rankings (93.67% from top 10)
  • YouTube integration
  • Local search behavior

Skill: Platform-specific optimization strategy

Not “optimize for AI” but “optimize for ChatGPT AND Perplexity AND Google AI”

MS
Measurement_Skills Expert · January 9, 2026

Measurement skills are different for GEO.

SEO measurement:

MetricSource
RankingsRank trackers
TrafficGA4
BacklinksAhrefs/Semrush

GEO measurement:

MetricSource
Citation rateAm I Cited
Share of voiceAI monitoring
Platform visibilityMulti-platform tracking
SentimentContext analysis

New measurement skills:

  1. Query panel management

    • Selecting representative prompts
    • Tracking over time
    • Competitive comparison

  2. AI response analysis

    • Understanding variability
    • Context interpretation
    • Citation quality assessment

  3. Attribution modeling

    • AI-influenced journeys
    • Brand search correlation
    • Self-reported discovery

The challenge:

AI responses vary 40-60% normally. Learning to interpret trends vs noise is a key skill.

LP
Learning_Path Learning & Development · January 9, 2026

How to actually learn GEO skills.

Phase 1: Foundation (Week 1-2)

ActivityOutcome
Read industry guidesConceptual understanding
Test AI platforms manuallyHands-on experience
Set up monitoringMeasurement baseline

Phase 2: Application (Week 3-6)

ActivityOutcome
Optimize 5 existing pagesPractical experience
Track resultsData interpretation
Create comparison contentNew content skills

Phase 3: Mastery (Month 2-3)

ActivityOutcome
Run full GEO projectEnd-to-end execution
Experiment and iterateDevelop intuition
Document learningsBuild expertise

Resources:

ResourceValue
Industry newslettersStaying current
GEO communitiesPeer learning
Case studiesReal examples
ExperimentationPersonal learning

The reality:

GEO is evolving fast. 50% of what you learn today might change in 6 months. Continuous learning is the skill.

S
SkillBuilder OP SEO Lead · January 7, 2026

This is incredibly helpful. Here’s my skill development plan.

Skills I Already Have (Leverage):

SkillGEO Application
Content strategyFoundation for AI content
Technical SEOSchema, crawlability
Data analysisApply to new metrics
Competitive researchNew platforms

Skills to Develop:

SkillPriorityLearning Plan
AI system understandingHighWeek 1-2: Study RAG, embeddings
AI content structureHighWeek 2-4: Practice extractable writing
Platform knowledgeHighWeek 3-6: Deep dive each platform
GEO measurementMediumWeek 4-6: Set up tracking
Entity optimizationMediumWeek 6-8: Implement strategies

30-Day Learning Plan:

Week 1: Foundation

  • Read GEO guides and documentation
  • Set up Am I Cited monitoring
  • Test all platforms manually

Week 2: Technical understanding

  • Study RAG and retrieval systems
  • Review AI platform source preferences
  • Analyze competitor AI visibility

Week 3-4: Content skills

  • Rewrite 5 pages for AI extraction
  • Create FAQ sections
  • Add comparison tables

Week 5-6: Measurement

  • Establish query panel
  • Track and interpret results
  • Build reporting framework

The mindset shift:

From “ranking for keywords” to “becoming the answer.”

Thanks everyone for the roadmap!

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Frequently Asked Questions

What skills are needed for AI search optimization?
Key skills include understanding AI retrieval systems (RAG, vector search), content structure for AI extraction, data analysis for AI metrics, platform-specific optimization knowledge, and cross-functional collaboration. SEO foundation is valuable but not sufficient alone.
Should SEO professionals learn GEO skills?
Yes, 34% of SEO roles now require AI search skills. GEO builds on SEO foundations but adds new technical understanding (RAG, embeddings), content approaches (AI-optimized structure), and measurement systems. Upskilling is essential for career relevance.
How do you learn GEO skills?
Learn through hands-on practice with AI platforms, industry resources and courses, community engagement, and experimentation on real projects. The field is evolving quickly, so continuous learning and adaptation are essential.

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