For over two decades, search engine optimisation (SEO) was the playbook for all brands that wanted to stay visible online. Even through the rise of social media and hundreds of search algorithm updates, using the right keywords, building strong backlinks, and fixing your site’s technical issues would reliably bring in steady organic traffic over major search engines.
However, the rise of generative AI has thrown a huge wrench into the works. Globally, growing percentage of online discoveries are now being made through AI tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT. To compete, major search engines like Google have evolved to a point that they are no longer just a gateway to websites, but user-centric “answer engines.”
Traditional search and SEO still have a place, but they’re now showing their limits. In technologically advanced markets like Singapore, AI adoption is going at full steam. However, while Singaporeans are among the most tech-literate in the world, consumers are still vulnerable to AI manipulation, subverting their intent, with serious branding and revenue implications for local businesses.
So, how does one remain visible when clicks are no longer guaranteed? Generative engine optimisation (GEO), an emerging methodology designed to adapt to AI-powered discovery, may hold the answer.
GEO can be seen as the natural evolution of SEO. Rather than optimising solely for search engines, GEO prepares your content for large language models (LLMs) and new generative AI tools that produce customised answers to individual user queries.
In a real sense, generative search optimization is preparing your content for both humans and today’s “smarter” machines. Here’s how it’s changing the online visibility game:
1) Visibility Beyond the Click
Thanks to searches over AI tools and autogenerated search summaries, your business may not get the same clickthroughs from search results as it did before. Still, it’s worth remembering that if your brand is referenced in an AI answer that thousands of users read, that’s still visibility. The same is true with other mentions, both online and offline.
Digital marketers must refocus on brand recall, not just web traffic. Fewer clicks do not necessarily mean your reputation has taken a hit. However, to know the real score, we must now look beyond simplistic search engine results page (SERP) rankings.
2) Authority and Experience Come First
Google’s Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (EEAT) framework is more important than ever. Showcasing first-hand knowledge, citing credible sources, and featuring experts vastly ups the chances that Google will reference one’s business in AI-generated summaries and content. We can surmise that Open AI and other players in the generative AI space are using similar frameworks to inform their own search results.
3) Conversational Queries Dominate
People online are now framing questions in natural, conversational language, directly as a result of LLM tools and popular voice assistants. Focusing on keywords that directly answer these kinds of queries is now more important as the volume of semantically natural searches increases. Including question-style headers and giving clear, concise responses in your content is one thing you can do to improve your site’s GEO visibility in the short term.
4) Structured Content and Data Matters Even More
With GEO, structured data (including headers, schema markup, FAQs, bullet points, etc.) are more critical than ever, since it allows AI engines to parse and summarise your content accurately. For an e-commerce business, optimising content logically could mean more product information showing up in AI-powered shopping results.
5) You Must Look Beyond Your Own Website
AI engines now scan forums, YouTube transcripts, LinkedIn discussions, and even podcasts. Making your brand discoverable in places outside of your websites is now a non-negotiable. For Singapore SMEs, this could mean investing in shareable resources like video explainers or thought leadership articles. Stoking real-world connections should also be high on your priority list.
5) Hyperlocal Signals Drive Relevance
Generative AI generally gives local signals more weight. For Singaporean businesses, this means ensuring their brand has a footprint that extends beyond their website and into locally relevant online fora.
6) Content with True Value Wins
For the most part, search engines have always been about providing users with relevant content. The fact that next-generation AI and LLMs have been integrated into the discovery process has not changed that. So long as you focus on providing content that provides original insights or unique perspectives, you’re probably going to do OK. At the very least, you will set a firm foundation for your future GEO campaigns to build off on.
New Visibility Metrics for a New Web EraTraditional KPIs like clickthrough rates and bounce rates can only tell part of the story these days. Because your information is now more likely to be shown to users outside of your own domain, you’ll want to track metrics such as:
- AI Citation Rates – This is how often your content is referenced by AI tools. Brand mentions in AI summaries mean more online exposure for your business.
- Semantic Coverage – More and more users are conversing with AI tools as if they were humans. Knowing that, your content needs to align with natural-sounding long-tail queries.
- Cross-Channel Presence – This has always been important, but with more people accessing your information off-site, you need to gauge your brand presence differently. More mentions across reviews, directories, and social platforms likely mean a stronger GEO profile.
- Authority Signals – As always, indicators like author bios, third-party citations, and expert contributions are critical for creating trust.
These metrics may not be on Google Analytics dashboards, but they represent the true markers of online trust and visibility in this current era. Singaporean businesses must become adept at gauging their brand’s value outside of their usual site and social media analytics tools.
Building the Trust You Need in a Post-Click Era
Generative AI has, in a very literal way, rewritten the once unassailable rules of online discovery. Though traditional SEO still has value, including GEO principles in your digital marketing campaigns is the only way forward in an era where AI engines gatekeep what users see.
If your web traffic hasn’t been negatively affected by all of this, consider yourself lucky. Still, you shouldn’t wait for your web traffic to decline before you start embedding GEO practices into your digital marketing processes. From structuring content semantically to expanding your brand presence across platforms, the right agency can help you move forward in today’s machine-dominated marketing environments.
