Why SEO and GEO Strategies Should Always Put Users First
Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) closely aligns with traditional SEO, and effective strategies must prioritise user-first content to improve brand discoverability and visibility. This applies across both paid and organic search. We can see this in studies and opinions from experts on how AI overviews are impacting paid and organic results.
The way users are discovering brands is changing. In traditional SEO, the goal is often to earn clicks from search results pages. In GEO, the focus shifts towards whether content is referenced in AI-generated responses. Because AI models are retrained and updated over time, content that performs well today may not be cited tomorrow unless it is genuinely valuable and well structured.
As Danny Sullivan, Director at Google Search, has noted, content that is genuinely useful to people should be rewarded, rather than content created to “game” AI systems.
Why GEO Matters for Search and Brand Strategy
Business Insider recently spoke with representatives from Google, Microsoft and Perplexity, and they all agreed that GEO represents a long-term shift in how search operates. Their perspectives highlight several key points:
Sullivan of Google emphasises that structured data hygiene, strong site architecture and useful content remain essential.
Krishna Madhavan, Principal Product Manager at Microsoft Bing, encourages creators to consider user intent, question-and-answer formats and machine-readable cues, such as schema and sitemaps. These help AI systems easily understand, interpret and cite content effectively.
Jesse Dwyer, Head of Communications at Perplexity, notes that not all GEO guidance is useful and that some repeats older SEO tactics. A balanced approach that strengthens brand presence and publishes thoughtful content improves the chances of being cited by AI.
What This Means for Irish Brands
As generative AI grows in influence for how people in Ireland and globally search and make decisions, GEO should be a central part of content strategy.
Emerging Opportunity for First Movers: Many Irish SMEs and local brands have not yet optimised for AI visibility. Early investment in GEO offers an opportunity to shape how AI systems reference these brands.
Discoverability: Optimising for users and AI systems enhances overall visibility across channels.
User-First Content: Both traditional and AI driven search engines aim to surface the most relevant information. Prioritising helpful, user-focused content strengthens both SEO and GEO performance.
Technical Foundations Pay Off: Structured data, such as schema markup, clean site architecture and updated content support both traditional SEO and AI readability.
Measurement and Adaptation: Traditional SEO tools may not measure GEO performance. Irish brands may need new methods for tracking AI citations, prompt-based visibility and GEO-specific KPIs to understand and improv