A generative AI search engine optimization agency helps you show up in LLM-based search tools and chatbots
It used to be that marketers would only have to think about showing up in Google searches. Ah, simpler times. Now your audiences are finding information in new ways. ChatGPT, anyone? Even Google has evolved, showing its AI Overviews at the top of its search results pages.
This is where a generative AI search engine optimization agency can really help you out. These agencies help your brand and content show up in Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Perplexity, and other LLM-based search tools and chatbots.
Understanding generative AI and SEO
Generative AI is AI that generates. Get it? Basically, it autonomously creates content across text, images, audio, and even video.
AI SEO can mean two different things, and the marketing industry hasn’t settled on which one it means more yet. So when you see the term “AI SEO,” it’s good to question which of these definitions are being used.
- AI SEO can mean using generative AI tools to improve your SEO practices. You might call this AI for SEO. For example, AI can help you come up with the best keywords to improve your search results. This can make your keyword research go way faster and be more effective, which is a good thing.
- AI SEO can also mean optimizing for AI-powered search engines and chatbots. These include Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Copilot, and Perplexity. You might also see this referred to as generative engine optimization (GEO), AI search optimization, or LLM optimization.
What is search engine optimization (SEO)?
Wait, maybe we need to take a step back. SEO is anything you do to make your website more visible on search engine results pages (SERPs) like Google and Bing. By improving your site’s ranking, SEO attracts more organic traffic, and who doesn’t love organic traffic? Some common SEO strategies are keyword optimization, content creation, and link building.
Using generative AI to improve SEO practices
Let’s go back to that first definition of AI SEO. Generative AI can automate repetitive tasks (like looking up keywords) and find opportunities that regular old humans might miss. It can also create content that’s better optimized for search engines, for example by integrating keywords.
Integrating generative AI into SEO practices can give you faster content production and more precise keyword targeting. You can also gain a deeper understanding of your audience’s behavior and what they’re looking for.
AI search optimization, GEO, and LLM optimization
Now let’s talk about that second definition of AI SEO, which refers to optimizing for AI-powered search engines. The goal is to get your brand or content to show up in answers from ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews (which is powered by Gemini), Microsoft Copilot, Perplexity, DeepSeek, or any other LLM-powered chatbot that goes mainstream.
- AI search optimization means that you’re optimizing for AI search engines and chatbots.
- Generative engine optimization (GEO) is the fun, quirky term the marketing world has given to this “next generation” of SEO.
- LLM optimization means that you’re optimizing for the large language models (LLMs) that power AI chatbots and search tools.
While there might be slight nuances in these terms, they’re so similar that you can consider them equal.
Services offered by a generative AI SEO agency
A generative AI search engine optimization agency offers services to boost your website’s search engine ranking by using AI. Some will do everything that falls under definition #1 above. Many of these are traditional SEO agencies that are now using AI to do what they’ve always done, just better and faster.
A true AI search optimization agency will focus on definition #2. While SEO fundamentals do play a role in a good AI search optimization strategy, there are some differences in GEO or LLM optimization. GEO goes beyond keywords to craft content that’s easy for LLMs to understand. It also focuses on building authority and trust in a topic.
The list of services below is not comprehensive, but it should give you an idea of how a generative AI SEO agency can help you.
Advanced data-driven keyword analysis (AI for SEO)
You just can’t have a good SEO strategy without the right keywords. Generative SEO services find the most effective keywords for your brand through special AI algorithms that analyze search trends. It’s not foolproof, but it sure beats guessing.
Automated (or semi-automated) content creation (AI for SEO)
A generative AI SEO agency can create SEO-optimized content in record timing. Think blog posts, articles, and product descriptions. Now, will this content be good? It depends. These tools are really good at incorporating keywords in all the right places. But LLMs aren’t quite there yet when it comes to copywriting that your audiences will actually want to read.
LLM-generated content leans toward generic statements that don’t say much because they’re designed to be derivative. For great content, you’ll want an agency that combines some automation with a real, thinking human who can differentiate your copy instead of just filling space.
Comprehensive on-page optimization (AI for SEO)
On-page optimization involves tweaking elements of a webpage to boost its search engine ranking. This includes optimizing meta tags, headings, images, and internal links. A generative AI agency can automate these processes, so you don’t have to do long, boring audits.
In-depth competitor analysis (AI for SEO)
Know thy enemy, right? Learning about your competitors’ strategies can give your own SEO efforts an edge. Pretty sneaky. Your agency can use AI to analyze competitor websites, identify their strengths and weaknesses, and help you capitalize on opportunities.
Visibility reporting in AI-powered search engines (GEO)
Now we’re getting to the fun stuff. An AI SEO agency that focuses on GEO and LLM optimization can tell you whether your brand or content is coming up in AI-powered searches.
For example, if you make software for vending machines, you’ll want to know what comes up when someone askes ChatGPT, “What’s the best software for vending machines?” The newest tools in AI SEO can tell you whether your brand was mentioned in ChatGPT’s answer and how it ranked. Bonus! It can also tell you which of your competitors were mentioned and how they ranked.
Chatbot citation analysis and strategy (GEO)
If you’ve ever wondered where ChatGPT gets its information from, wonder no more! An LLM optimization agency can give you a list of the sources ChatGPT (or Google AI Overviews, or Perplexity, etc.) used for its answer.
How does this help you? Let’s say that ChatGPT keeps mentioning your main competitor as the top choice in your product category. You might check the citations and learn that a popular blog is being treated as a trusted source by the LLM. Now you can get in touch with the blog publisher and see if they’ll accept a contributed article.
Authority and trustworthiness analysis and strategy (GEO)
One of the differences between SEO and GEO is that GEO focuses on building authority and trustworthiness. Why? Because LLMs like those things.
Testimonials, affiliations, and your social media presence can all affect how an LLM judges your authority. A good AI SEO agency can analyze your current performance and recommend how to improve it.
How to choose the right generative AI SEO agency
Because AI SEO and GEO are so new, it can be hard to evaluate which agency can provide the services you need. Here are a few questions to ask:
- Do you use industry-leading tools for SEO? As SEO best practices evolve, your agency should use tools like Semrush or Ahrefs that use AI to improve traditional SEO tasks and offer visibility into search results for AI-powered chatbots like ChatGPT.
- Do you use tools specifically designed for GEO? In addition to SEO tools, agencies should use GEO-native tools like Rankscale.ai or Profound to dive deep into visibility, citation, and authority analysis.
- Do you offer regular reporting? AI SEO and GEO is not one and done. It’s critical to monitor your progress so you can see what’s working. Your agency should be able to give you weekly or monthly reports showing how your visibility has improved.
- Can you help me identify longtail keywords? Optimizing for very specific (longtail) keywords that match your target audience with your brand is a crucial part of any SEO or GEO strategy. Your agency should balance between finding a niche set of search terms that are relevant to you, but have enough volume that people are actually searching for it.
The future of SEO with generative AI
Eventually, AI SEO will become mainstream. For now, partnering with a generative AI search engine optimization agency can give you a competitive edge as you adopt new strategies that only a few marketers are starting to think about. It’s your chance to get there first!