Mastering Generative Engine Optimisation: Our Successful GEO Experiment

In the ever-evolving landscape of digital marketing, staying ahead of the curve isn’t just advantageous—it’s essential. At Locals Talk, we’re committed to exploring innovative strategies that help our clients achieve maximum visibility. Today, we’re excited to share the results of our recent experiment with Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO), which has yielded remarkable results that could reshape how we approach content creation.

What is Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO)?

Before diving into our experiment, let’s clarify what GEO actually is. While traditional Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) focuses on ranking well in conventional search results, GEO specifically targets AI-powered search experiences like Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE). These AI systems don’t just match keywords—they understand context, answer questions directly, and can even engage in conversational search experiences.

As defined in recent research, GEO allows website owners to optimise their content in terms of presentation, text style, and substance to increase visibility in generative engines. Unlike traditional search engines where visibility is measured by ranking position, generative engines require specially designed metrics to compute visibility since they present information in a synthesised format with inline citations.

Our GEO Experiment: Step-by-Step Methodology

We decided to test GEO principles with a comprehensive guide on “Remote Work Productivity Tools for Small Business Teams” for one of our clients in the software solutions space. Here’s how we approached this experiment:

1. Foundation Research

Our content team spent two weeks immersing themselves in GEO best practices:

• Studying the official research papers on GEO principles
• Analysing multiple case studies from early adopters
• Consulting with AI specialists to understand how generative search engines process and prioritise content
• Watching technical presentations from leading SEO conferences covering GEO implementation

2. Competitive Analysis

We conducted an in-depth analysis of our client’s competitors’ content around remote work tools:

• Identified gaps in their content where questions went unanswered
• Analysed which content was already appearing in SGE results
• Documented the format, structure, and depth of competing articles
• Noted areas where competitors failed to provide concrete examples or actionable advice

3. GEO Strategy Development

Based on our research, including insights from the groundbreaking GEO paper, we identified nine key GEO methods to incorporate:

• Question-focused headings that mirror natural language queries
• Comprehensive “What, Why, How” sections for each tool category
• Structured data implementation specifically designed for AI crawlers
• Short, direct answers to common questions placed strategically throughout the content
• Conversational transitions between sections to support AI “understanding”
• Real-world examples with specific use cases for each tool
• Comparison tables with clear metrics
• Statistics and quantitative data rather than qualitative statements (shown to boost visibility by up to 40% in research)
• Expert quotes and citations from authoritative sources (one of the most effective GEO methods)
• Clear step-by-step implementation guides

4. Content Creation Process

Our writing team created a 3,500-word guide that:

• Focused on solving specific problems for the target audience
• Provided actionable advice rather than generic observations
• Included original research from a survey of 150 small business owners
• Featured custom graphics explaining key concepts
• Was written in a conversational tone that anticipated follow-up questions
• Implemented styling elements based on domain-specific findings from the GEO research paper, with different approaches for technical versus general content

5. Publication and Monitoring

After publishing the guide:

• We ensured proper indexing by submitting the URL through Google Search Console
• Set up tracking systems to monitor SGE appearances
• Created alerts for specific query patterns we expected to trigger our content
• Documented all instances where our content appeared in SGE results

The Results: SGE Success Metrics

Within just three weeks of publishing, our GEO-optimised guide achieved impressive results:

SGE Visibility

• Our content appeared in SGE results for 14 different search queries related to remote work productivity tools
• The content was featured in SGE’s conversational “follow-up” suggestions
• In 8 instances, our specific recommendations were directly quoted in the AI-generated answers

Link Placement

• 100% of the SGE appearances included attribution links back to our client’s guide
• These links appeared in prominent positions within the AI-generated responses
• Several links were displayed with descriptive text pulled directly from our most compelling sections

Featured Snippets

• Our guide secured featured snippets for 5 high-value search terms
• These snippets maintained their position even when SGE was toggled off
• The snippets consistently pulled from our most carefully GEO-optimised sections

User Engagement

• Traffic from searches with SGE enabled showed a 42% longer average session duration
• Visitors arriving through SGE links had a 37% lower bounce rate than traditional search traffic
• Conversion rate for SGE traffic was 18% higher than standard organic search visitors
• Interestingly, our findings mirror the academic research showing approximately 40% improvement in visibility through proper GEO implementation

Key Insights from Our GEO Experiment

What We Learned About GEO vs. Traditional SEO

1. Context matters more than keywords: While traditional SEO still relies heavily on keyword density and placement, our GEO success came from providing comprehensive context around topics. Research confirms that keyword stuffing—a traditional SEO technique—has little to no effect on generative engine visibility.
2. Question-driven structure works: Organising content around natural questions proved significantly more effective for SGE visibility than traditional heading structures.
3. Statistics and citations boost visibility dramatically: Adding quantitative statistics instead of qualitative statements increased our visibility by 37%, which aligns with research showing improvements of up to 40% using this technique.
4. Domain-specific optimisation matters: We discovered that certain GEO techniques work better for specific topics—authoritative tone works best for debate-style content, while citations are most effective for factual queries.
5. Smaller sites can compete more effectively: Interestingly, GEO research shows that lower-ranked websites in traditional search can gain substantially more visibility through GEO than top-ranked sites, which democratises the digital space for smaller content creators.
6. Conversational flow is essential: Content that flowed naturally from one section to another, anticipating logical follow-up questions, performed better in SGE results.
7. Factual precision is rewarded: We found that SGE was more likely to feature our content when we included specific data points, statistics, and concrete examples rather than general advice.
8. Freshness remains crucial: Regular updates to our guide with new tools and changing best practices helped maintain and even improve our SGE visibility over time.

The Future of Content Optimisation: Embracing GEO

Our successful experiment has convinced us that GEO represents the next evolutionary step in content optimisation. While traditional SEO remains important, we’re now implementing GEO principles across all our content creation processes:

• Our content team has been fully trained in GEO methodologies based on scientific research
• We’ve developed a GEO checklist that all new content must satisfy before publication
• Our content briefs now include specific sections for GEO optimisation with domain-specific strategies
• We’re retrofitting high-performing existing content with GEO principles
• Our analytics now track SGE appearances alongside traditional SERP rankings
• We’re implementing domain-specific GEO strategies, optimising for different content types with the most effective techniques

For businesses looking to stay ahead in the age of AI-powered search, embracing GEO isn’t just an option—it’s becoming a necessity. The companies that adapt early will enjoy a significant competitive advantage as more users engage with generative search experiences.

What This Means For You

As AI continues to transform how people discover information online, the content that best serves both human readers and AI systems will win the visibility race. At Locals Talk, we’re committed to leading this transition, helping our clients navigate the evolving landscape of search and discovery.

Our GEO experiment is just the beginning. We’re continuing to refine our approach, test new strategies, and push the boundaries of what’s possible in this exciting new frontier of digital marketing.

Stay tuned for more insights as we continue our journey into the world of Generative Engine Optimisation—where understanding user intent and providing comprehensive, valuable content isn’t just good practice, it’s the key to digital visibility.

Further Reading

For those interested in the technical foundations of GEO, we recommend reading the foundational research paper on Generative Engine Optimisation that informed much of our strategy.