Five SEO experts share their best GEO advice for AI search

Executive overview

Classic keyword research misses the conversational, intent-rich prompts people type into AI search. Brands need to show up in the sources AI models train on and cite — not just rank in SERPs.

Five active GEO practitioners each share one high-leverage tactic: mine real conversations for prompt-shaped content, build YouTube presence, target niche comparison listicles, earn organic mentions in the right places, and above all — deserve to appear.

The best GEO strategy is building a brand and product that AI systems would naturally trust and cite.

Mining conversations to match how people prompt

• Prompts average five times longer than traditional search keywords.
• Pull insights from sales call transcripts, support chats, Reddit threads, and Zoom recordings.
• Upload conversation transcripts to an LLM and ask standard market research questions: fears, objections, goals.
• This surfaces niche topics classic keyword tools miss.

Building YouTube visibility

• YouTube is the strongest correlating factor between branded signals and AI visibility.
• OpenAI trained on over one million hours of YouTube transcripts — it is a primary training input.
• YouTube is also the most cited domain in AI mode and AI overviews (per Ahrefs Brand Radar data).
• Prioritise: sponsorships, content collaborations, and ensuring your brand is mentioned in relevant videos.
• Frequency of mentions and total views on those videos both correlate with AI citation rates.

Targeting niche comparison pages and listicles

• Standard "Brand A vs Brand B" comparison pages already get strong LLM visibility.
• Go further: create comparisons segmented by user type (e.g. "QuickBooks alternative for graphic designers").
• LLMs personalise responses based on what they know about the user — niche comparisons align with that reasoning.
• If you're a smaller player, create three-way listicles that place your brand alongside two dominant competitors.
• Use Ahrefs' sponsored links filter to find where competitors buy placements and target the same spots.

Earning organic mentions and monitoring gaps

• Monitor Reddit threads ranking for your target keywords — find natural ways to participate.
• Use Brand Radar to identify topics where competitors are mentioned and you are not.
• Content gaps on those topics are direct opportunities to enter AI-generated answers.
• Freshness matters: AI citations skew 26% fresher than content ranking in standard SERPs — publish and update regularly.

Earning the right to appear

• Before any tactic, ask: would it be odd for an AI to cite my brand here?
• AI responses reflect the web's consensus — spam tactics offer short-term gains, not durable positioning.
• Long-term, GEO rewards the same things as good SEO: trustworthy brands, reliable products, useful content.
• Build a better business first. Everything else supports that signal.