We’ve got good news: You’ve made it to the end of the G.E.O.D.A.T.A. framework. We’re now at step 7, the final step. You’ve learned a lot of information on how to get your brand’s content strategy to align with Generative Engine Optimization (GEO).
It’s not an easy process, but since you’re already here, you might as well learn the last step. At this point, you’ll know that G.E.O.D.A.T.A. is all about providing a structured approach to help brands line up their content strategies with the demands of GEO.
This last step, “Answer Accurately,” focuses on the need to provide precise, fact-based answers that AI models can trust and use in their responses.
Why Accuracy Matters in Generative Search
Sometimes, content can miss the mark. While it may seem like no big deal, accuracy is key in generative search.
AI search engines like Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE), ChatGPT, and Gemini prioritize accuracy when pulling data and displaying information.
Unlike traditional keyword-based search, these systems go a step further by analyzing context, verifying credibility, and cross-checking sources before presenting an answer. Any content that’s misleading, vague, or filled with fluff will be ignored. Instead, AI will be in favor of sources that provide definitive and well-supported answers.
In other words, you’ll be picked last for dodgeball, and that’s just traumatic for most of us.
It’s important to understand accuracy isn’t just about avoiding misinformation. What it’s really about is establishing authority and making sure your brand is referenced as a reliable source. You need to consistently deliver correct, well-researched content if you want to increase your chances of being featured in AI-generated search results.
Key Strategies for Answering Accurately
To make sure your content meets the standards of AI-driven search engines, you need a strategy focused on precision, reliability, and user intent.
If it sounds like a lot, SEO Rank Media is always here to help you out.
Here are the key strategies you can use to answer accurately.
1. Use Verified Data and Credible Sources
AI models prioritize content that comes from authoritative sources. You need to:
Cite government websites, academic research, and reputable industry reports.
Regularly fact-check content to avoid outdated or incorrect information.
Link to original sources whenever you can to improve transparency.
2. Provide Direct and Clear Answers
Search engines favor content that delivers answers concisely without unnecessary filler. In other words, no fluff.
Use a clear structure with headings, bullet points, and lists.
Answer common questions straightforwardly and factually.
Make sure any claims you make are backed by evidence or expert opinions.
Use examples and case studies to highlight key points.
3. Implement Schema Markup for Enhanced Understanding
Structured data helps AI understand and categorize your content more effectively, which means you’re more likely to show up in generated search results.
Use FAQ schema to highlight direct answers to key questions.
Implement schema markup correctly on high-priority pages.
Use structured metadata to signal content relevance to search engines.
4. Optimize for AI-Friendly Formatting
Well-structured content is easier for AI to process and pull information from.
Use short paragraphs, bolded keywords, and clear subheadings.
Summarize key points at the beginning of your content to improve clarity.
Use numbered lists and step-by-step instructions when you can.
Optimize for voice search by using natural language queries in your content.
5. Keep Up with Industry Trends and Changes
Generative AI models continuously evolve, requiring brands to stay informed.
Monitor industry updates and revise content as needed.
Keep up with algorithm changes that impact how AI retrieves and ranks information.
Subscribe to SEO and AI newsletters for insights.
6. Create Evergreen Content
Timeless, informative content ranks better in AI-driven search.
Focus on fundamental industry concepts that remain relevant.
Update content periodically to reflect any new developments.
Include evergreen topics alongside trending discussions to maintain traffic over time.
Optimize older content with new insights to extend its relevance.
8. Avoid Clickbait and Sensationalism
Exaggerated claims or misleading headlines harm credibility and search rankings. Creating low-quality content won’t get you far in the long run.
Use accurate, descriptive titles that reflect the content’s core message.
Avoid over-promising results or making unverifiable claims.
Provide balanced insights that acknowledge different viewpoints.
Craft content that is genuinely helpful and not designed solely for engagement.
Case Study: AncestryDNA
Let’s get a better idea of what we’re talking about. If you look at Ancestry.com’s FAQ page, they answered a few questions about their service. One of the questions was, “What do the results tell me?”
Now, when you go onto ChatGPT and ask the very same question, “What do my ancestry.com results tell me?” you get a completely different answer. And this is why it’s important to make sure your content is clear and consistent.
It could be that you and the audience think two different things when looking for the answer to “What do my ancestry results tell me?”. What this means is that you may need to do a bit more audience research to understand what they’re looking for. That way, you can rephrase the question or change the answer to adjust to your audience’s needs.
Why the G.E.O.D.A.T.A Framework Is the Way to Go
That’s it; you’ve gone through the entire G.E.O.D.A.T.A. framework. Step seven of the G.E.O.D.A.T.A. framework, “Answer Accurately,” is the final, most important step to get right. Delivering precise, fact-based content that AI pulls from will give your audience the information they need.
As AI-driven search engines continue to reshape digital marketing, brands focusing on accuracy will stay ahead of the game.
With SEO Rank Media and the G.E.O.D.A.T.A. framework, you won’t need to relearn SEO all over again. Instead, you’ll have a reliable roadmap and the support you need to get your brand in the spotlight. This is your chance to analyze and gain insight from your competitors, using the information to prepare your business for the next shift in content. Is your brand ready?
You’re almost there. You’ve made it to step 6 (out of 7) in the G.E.O.D.A.T.A. framework. By now you get how AI is shaping brand visibility and that your content strategy needs to meet the new standards of Generative Engine Optimization (GEO).
Using this framework in your content strategy will help your brand align with AI-driven search algorithms. In other words, this framework will help get eyes on your business while keeping both human users and AI happy.
Let’s talk about the next step in the G.E.O.D.A.T.A. framework—“Target Data Source.” This phase focuses on placing your content where AI systems are pulling information from, giving you the best odds of being featured in an AI-generated search result.
Why Targeting Data Sources Matters
Generative search engines like Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) and AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Gemini don’t just index and rank traditional web pages like older search engines. Oh no, the times have changed, and you’re in the process of changing with them.
What these generative search engines and AI bots do instead is pull data from a wide range of sources, including high-quality content repositories, authoritative publications, and structured databases.
If your content isn’t in these key locations, the odds of your content being referenced or cited by AI-generated search results is low. It’s about going beyond traditional SEO techniques and showing up where AI is looking.
Identifying the Right Data Sources
You know you need to be where AI looks, but…where is it looking?
Each AI service builds its models off of different data sources, some of which they heavily favor. By taking the insights from competitive ranking reports, you can create content and share it in a way that boosts your brand’s ranking.
For example, if you’re looking to gain more exposure in Bing AI searches, you’ve got to do more than just make your site accessible. To get noticed, you might put your content on LinkedIn since they are owned by Microsoft (who also owns Bing), or if it’s technical content, share it on GitHub (also owned by Microsoft). Don’t worry, we’ll explain more about this later on.
For now, we’re going to dive in and show you the most influential data sources that AI and search algorithms rely on.
Structured Databases
AI models will pull information from structured datasets that serve as knowledge bases for search engines. Here’s how to make sure your brand’s information is available on them:
Make sure your business is represented accurately on OpenStreetMap, Google’s Knowledge Graph, and Wikidata.
Keep your data up-to-date to improve search engine visibility.
High-Authority Websites & Publications
AI prioritized information coming from trusted sources and industry leaders.
Get featured in authoritative industry publications and government websites.
Secure guest posts or citations from reputable websites to boost credibility.
Social Media & Community Platforms
You’ll be surprised at how deep AI goes to find the information it needs. It’ll even go through social media platforms and forums for relevant and trending info. Keeping track of which services pull from which data sources can help you out-distribute and outrank your competitors.
For example, since Claude and ChatGPT have signed agreements to access data on Reddit, you’ll want your information to be accessible there to boost your presence.
Stay active on LinkedIn, Quora, and Reddit to establish thought leadership in your industry.
Share insights and interact with your audience in industry-specific communities.
Schema Markup & Metadata Optimization
Structured data helps AI understand and categorize your website’s content. That said, you’ll want to:
Implement schema makeup for products, reviews, FAQs, and events.
Optimize meta descriptions and title tags with relevant keywords.
Company Listings & Directories
Search engines and AI assistants rely on business directories for accurate company information.
List your business on Google Business Profile, Yelp, and other industry-specific directories.
Maintain consistency in your details (name, address, phone number) across all platforms.
Content Aggregators & News Platforms
AI models use content aggregators and content hubs as sources of real-time and evergreen content.
Publish articles on Google News, Flipboard, and Medium to expand brand visibility.
Make sure press releases and industry updates are distributed on trusted platforms.
Identifying the right data sources is one thing, but knowing what to do is the next step. If the process feels overwhelming, don’t worry; SEO Rank Media can alleviate the pressure and help you out.
Implementing a Targeted Approach
Once you’ve got your sources down, the next step is to develop a targeted strategy that’ll boost your presence in these areas.
Optimize Your Website for AI Readability
Structured content that’s clear and informative is exactly what search engines rely on. That means your website needs to:
Use concise, well-organized content that aligns with AI preferences.
Implements schema markup to give AI algorithms contextual signals.
Answers commonly asked questions factually and directly.
Build Authority with Thought Leadership Content
Your brand needs to bring high-value content to the table. The content should be referenced by authoritative sources to improve credibility. You can:
Publish research-backed articles.
Contribute guest posts to industry-leading websites.
Engage in expert interviews and podcasts to gain backlinks from reputable sources.
Actively Engage in AI-Friendly Platforms
It’s more than just having a social media profile. Your brand needs to be active on platforms AI models pull information from. Focus on:
Answering relevant questions on Quora and Reddit (don’t overlook this).
Share expert opinions and insights on LinkedIn.
Make sure your Google Business Profile is updated and that you reply to all reviews.
Keep Your Data Fresh and Consistent
AI models prioritize content that’s not only accurate but updated. Regularly:
Audit and update company listings.
Make sure schema markup reflects current offerings.
Monitor and refresh outdated content on your website.
Once you go through the implementation process and target data sources, your brand will be on its way to being fully optimized for generative search.
Why the G.E.O.D.A.T.A Framework Is the Way to Go
Step six of the G.E.O.D.A.T.A. framework, “Target Data Sources,” is your secret weapon to ensuring your brand is discoverable in the AI world. The trick is to place your content exactly where AI models pull data so that when people make searches, you show up.
As AI-driven search engines continue to change digital marketing, keeping up doesn’t mean abandoning your SEO.
With SEO Rank Media and the G.E.O.D.A.T.A. framework, you won’t need to relearn SEO all over again. Instead, you’ll have a reliable roadmap and the support you need to get your brand in the spotlight. This is your chance to analyze and gain insight from your competitors, using the information to prepare your business for the next shift in content. Is your brand ready?
You’ve gone through steps one through three, and now you’re on a roll to keep the party going. Adopting G.E.O.D.A.T.A isn’t easy work, is it? But Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is becoming a must-have for every content strategy, thanks to the shift towards AI-driven search.
GEO is a framework that helps brands create content that strikes a balance between pleasing both human users and AI-driven search algorithms. So, without further ado, let’s check out the next step in the G.E.O.D.A.T.A. framework—“Analyze Competitors.”
Analyzing competitors will help you gain insights about your rivals and strategies that are working within your industry. The good thing is you don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Instead, All you need to do is understand what works. From there, you can refine the approach, which is what you’re going to learn in this article.
Why Competitor Analysis is Essential for Your Content Strategy
There are many brands fighting and competing for visibility, and you’re one of them. With the competition stiffer than ever, AI-driven search engines are reshaping how content is being ranked and delivered.
Keeping an eye on your competitors can bring in several advantages, such as:
Identifying tactics that work: Examining and understanding what works for others means you can adopt and adapt strategies that have been proven effective.
Recognizing gaps: No brand is perfect, and you’ll be able to spot the areas where competitors are lacking. Those missing puzzle pieces give your brand an opportunity to fill them.
Staying informed: Staying up-to-date on competitors keeps you aware of industry trends and shifts.
Enhancing your content strategy: Understanding your competitors’ content strategy will help you refine your approach and improve your search visibility.
Many brands skip out on competitor analysis, but it’ll only isolate your business and prevent you from gaining valuable insights that could improve your online presence.
Steps to Effectively Analyze Competitors
Scoping out your competitors will give you insight into how AI algorithms rank and sort content. With this information, you can tailor your content strategy to keep up with the progressive demands of AI-driven search.
Identify Key Competitors
First things first, you’ll need to analyze your competitors. But don’t waste your precious time. There’s a process, and it starts by pinpointing who you’re actually going up against.
As a rule of thumb, direct competitors offer similar products or services, and indirect competitors may rank for the same keyword.
How to Find Your Competitors:
Search for your primary keywords on Google and AI-powered search engines like ChatGPT to see which brands rank at the top. Here’s an example using ChatGPT:
SEO tools like SEMrush, Ahrefs, and Moz can help you discover your competitors.
Take a look at industry reports and online discussions for emerging competitors.
Assess Their Online Presence
You’ve identified your competitors, which is the most important step. Now it’s time to start digging into their online presence. You’ll want to look over some key areas to evaluate user engagement, content quality, and website structure.
Key Areas to Look At:
Website Design & User Experience: How does their website look? Is it easy to navigate? Is it mobile-friendly?
Content Strategy: What type of content do they publish (blog posts, videos, infographics, etc.)?
Social Media Activity: How do their social media profiles look? Do they engage with their audience? Which platforms do they use?
Brand Messaging: What’s the unique value proposition, and how do they communicate it to their audience?
Explore SEO Strategies
We all know that SEO helps you get seen online, which means it’s definitely worth paying attention to. Check out your competitors’ SEO strategies, and you’ll be able to identify tactics that work and capitalize on them.
Factors to Analyze:
Keyword Usage: What keywords are they ranking for? Are they targeting high-intent keywords?
Backlink Profile: Where are their backlinks coming from? Can you target a similar source?
Meta Descriptions & Title Tags: How are they optimizing on-page SEO elements?
Technical SEO: Are their pages fast-loading and optimized for Core Web Vitals?
If this sounds like a lot—we get it. The process can be overwhelming, but using services like SEO Rank Media can help take the load off.
Analyze Content Performance
Content reigns supreme in the digital world, and it’s here to stay. Your competitors are bound to be creating content left, right, and center, so this means you’ll need to understand the type of content that’s performing well for them. That’s because it’ll give you real insight into what your audience wants.
How to Analyze Content Performance:
Identify articles, videos, or guides that receive high engagement.
Check for recurring content themes or formats.
Assess content length, readability, and tone to see what works best.
Look at AI-generated responses to see which competitor content is frequently referenced.
Monitor Social Media & Engagement
Social media plays a big hand in modern SEO strategies and shapes how content is shared and ranked. Paying attention to competitors’ social media strategies offers handy insights into audience engagement and brand perception.
Key Social Media Metrics to Track:
Post Frequency & Timing: How often do your competitors post, and when?
Engagement Levels: Likes, shares, and comments show content effectiveness.
Influencer Partnerships: Are they collaborating with industry influencers?
User Interaction: How do they respond to customer feedback and questions?
Why the G.E.O.D.A.T.A Framework Is the Way to Go
The G.E.O.D.A.T.A. framework represents a journey of adapting to new AI advancements. But remember, it takes time to understand your audience on a deeper level. Once you do, you’ll be able to create content that strikes a balance between AI-driven search optimization and real human engagement. And this is priceless information when you’re developing your brand.
With SEO Rank Media and the G.E.O.D.A.T.A. framework, you won’t need to relearn SEO all over again. Instead, you’ll have a reliable roadmap and the support you need to get your brand in the spotlight. This is your chance to analyze and gain insight from your competitors, using the information to prepare your business for the next shift in content. Is your brand ready?
We hate to break it to you: your old SEO efforts aren’t going to do the trick anymore. We’re not saying you should ditch SEO, as it is still fundamental, but it may just be time to advance your SEO strategy; add Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) into the mix.
GEO is a framework that helps brands curate their content with AI-driven search algorithms in mind. Now, to get your brand in sync with AI, we’ll turn our attention to one of the most important parts of G.E.O.D.A.T.A.—“Develop Sentiment.”
Develop Sentiment focuses on getting your brand’s content to resonate with AI-driven search engines and human audiences. There’s a balance you’ll need to strike, and in this article, you’re going to learn how.
Why Sentiment Matters in AI Search
AI-powered search engines aren’t the traditional “robots” you picture in your head. They’re far more advanced, using sophistication that connects user experience, engagement, and sentiment analysis.
At this point, you may be scratching your head and feeling a bit overwhelmed. But don’t click off this article just yet! What we’re saying is that AI algorithms can understand the emotional tone of your content. Interpreting emotional tone lets them push content that creates meaningful experiences for users.
So, what does this mean for your business? It’s essentially now up to you to create content that provides your audience with all the factual, accurate information, but also forms that emotional connection.
The Step-by-Step to Developing Sentiment
There’s no doubt that you’ll want to nail this process, so we’re going to show you how to tweak your brand’s content strategy to speak to AI-powered search engines.
Understand Your Audience’s Emotional Triggers
If you want your content to fully resonate with your audience, you’ll need to understand what motivates them.
To understand your audience, you’ll need to get down to basics. In other words, research pain points, motivations, and behavioral triggers. Knowing what makes your audience tick will help you create content that creates engagement.
Here are some ways to undergo audience research:
Conduct surveys or monitor social media discussions to learn pain points and other emotional trends.
Focus on problem-solving and providing value in your content.
Understand and use sentiment analysis tools to learn your audience deeply.
Craft Emotionally Intelligent Content
Now you know your audience, which is the most important step in building a foundation. Next, you need to create content that reflects your audience’s emotions. It could be happiness, excitement, or curiosity—the point is that you want your message to align with these sentiments to enhance your content in AI-driven rankings.
Storytelling is key to creating a deeper connection with your audience.
Use language that mirrors how your audience communicates.
Use calls to action that evoke emotion and encourage engagement.
Optimize for Sentiment-Driven Search Queries
AI models process content differently than keyword-based search engines. Rather than focusing on high-volume keywords, AI search focuses on relevance and emotional depth.
Check that metadata and headers are engaging and positive.
Use long-tail, conversational keywords that match how people talk and search.
Answer common questions in a way that highlights emotions and intent for visibility.
Focus on Content Authenticity
AI-search values content that is consistent across all platforms and is credible. Your brand needs to have a clear, authentic voice to help build trust and authority in your industry.
Use real-life case studies, user-generated content, and testimonials.
Avoid overly promotional language.
Make sure your tone is consistent across social media, landing pages, and blog posts.
Use AI and Machine Learning for Sentiment Analysis
Your goal isn’t just to understand how AI works, although that certainly helps—it’s more about learning how to use AI tools to tweak and improve your content strategy. Using AI-powered sentiment analysis to the fullest, you can use these tools to make your content more effective.
Adapt your content to user feedback, engagement metrics, and AI-driven insights.
Use real-time data tracking to adjust your content strategy.
Use tools like Google’s Natural Language API to analyze content sentiment.
Monitor Your Progress and Adapt
This isn’t a one-time job sort of task. Developing sentiment is an ongoing process that needs continuous updates and tweaks. If this is something you feel you need assistance with, SEO Rank Media can help you out. Remember, AI is constantly evolving, and that means your content strategy should be doing the same.
Track your content performance through AI-driven analytics.
Identify shifts in audience sentiment and update your content. You can start by testing how platforms portray your brand. Spot the negatives and create corrective content.
Stay on top of industry trends and AI advancements.
Case Study: AT&T
To give a quick example of sentiment analysis, we asked ChatGPT “Is AT&T a reliable service provider?”
ChatGPT isn’t magic. When asking a question, AI bots crawl through the internet, collecting information to provide you. While there is some positive feedback, ChatGPT gave more negative feedback about AT&T.
This is what happens when your content strategy lacks sentiment management. Ideally, their content strategy should include flooding the internet with positive content and reviews that overshadow any negative press.
It’s not about creating more positive feedback about different aspects of your business. Rather, it’s about identifying the negatives and then tackling them head-on with corrective content.
Why the G.E.O.D.A.T.A Framework Is the Way to Go
The G.E.O.D.A.T.A. framework represents a journey of adapting to new AI advancements. It encourages taking the time to understand what your audience is feeling, craft meaningful content, and use AI insights to adjust your strategy. It’s a process that mimics a marathon and not a 100-meter dash.
Once you get your content and search strategies in tune with the AI-driven online world, you’ll be more likely to set yourself up for success.
With SEO Rank Media and the G.E.O.D.A.T.A. framework, you won’t need to relearn SEO all over again. Instead, you’ll have a reliable roadmap and the support you need to get your brand in the spotlight. This is your chance to jump ahead of your competitors and prepare your business for the next shift in content. Is your brand ready?
You didn’t create a brand website just for fun (unless that’s your thing). You did it for a purpose. It’s not just about looking good or showing off the fact you have a website—it’s deeper than that.
If you have a website, you likely want more eyes on your business. But while many think that simply having a website is enough, it’s not. With AI in the picture now, your brand needs to be relevant, authoritative, and easily discoverable. And that’s why you need to create a brand presence.
Say hello to the third step of the G.E.O.D.A.T.A. framework: Optimize Brand Presence. It’s a step you do not want to skip if you want your content strategy to align with new AI practices. And trust us, you want them to.
Brand Presence in the AI-World
Traditional SEO is all about keywords and link-building, which, you still need. But now, the attention is shifting towards building trustworthiness and structured content that AI can easily understand.
This shift comes from Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) and AI-powered engines like ChatGPT and Gemini. As they’re reshaping how users interact with content, this means your brand needs to be optimized to get the most out of this evolution.
How to Optimize Brand Presence With GEO
Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is all about making your brand’s content AI-compatible. There are a few things that AI looks for when ranking content and you want to make sure those boxes are ticked.
Here’s how you can enhance your brand presence:
Help AI Understand Your Brand
All search engines and AI models rely on structured data for decision-making. Bots crawl through your website to understand the information presented and how to represent it when a user searches for it.
Your messaging throughout your website should be well-structured, clear and straightforward on all high-priority pages. For example, you might want to implement schema markup to help AI understand your brand. By doing so, it’ll be able to give users an accurate representation of your business.
For example, on your “About Us” page, you should answer the following questions clearly:
Who you are
What you do
Why you’re different
Go through your website and social media profiles and make sure this information is everywhere that AI will be looking.
Build Your Brand as an Authority
AI-powered searches will always prioritize brands that are authorities in their domain. Now, becoming an authority is no easy task, but it’s doable.
You’ll need to build a content hub with interlinked articles that show AI bots that you’re an expert in your domain. If this sounds a bit overwhelming, working with SEO Rank Media can help take this pressure off.
Entity-Based Search
Traditional SEO focuses on keyword-based indexing, but AI search is about entity recognition. It may feel like we’re speaking Chinese, but we’ll explain. Search engines are now focusing on understanding topics and relationships rather than just keywords. You’ll want your brand to link to important industry topics via reliable sources, connecting related concepts and structuring content in a way AI can understand.
Multimodal Content
AI isn’t just focused on text. Oh no, AI search goes way beyond that. But that isn’t something you should be afraid of. Instead, embrace it. Use videos, podcasts, and infographics to increase visibility. If you tag them properly with metadata, transcripts, and alt text, search engines will be able to easily find and index them.
Strengthen E-E-A-T Signals
Google is increasingly focused on the E-E-A-T principle, which stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness.
So how do you demonstrate this? Showcase your credentials, publish case studies, and highlight expert authorship that will show AI your brand is credible.
Don’t Forget About AI-Assisted Search
While you have AI-driven search, there are also AI assistants.
AI assistants also pull data from various sources, which means your brand presence extends across multiple digital touchpoints. To up your visibility, here’s what you want to do:
Optimize Knowledge Panels: Update your Google Knowledge Panel with structured information via Google My Business and Wikipedia.
Increase Authority on Social Media: Stay active on social media platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter. AI gauges authoritativeness based on social interactions.
Make Content AI-Friendly: Answer common industry questions in a clear and straightforward way.
The Future of Brand Presence in an AI-First World
This may sound like a lot (and it is), but it’s not something you’re going to get done in one day. Optimizing brand presence is an ongoing process that you’ll always need to work on. As AI search continues to evolve, your brand needs to focus on aligning its content strategy with GEO principles.
That means you’ll want to prioritize structured data, authority, entity recognition, multimedia content, and E-E-A-T.
Step three of the G.E.O.D.A.T.A. framework is not just about being seen; it’s about being recognized as a leading voice in your industry. If you manage to adapt to this change and flow with it and use resources like SEO Rank Media to help you build your brand presence, it’ll be able to take your business to places you’ve never thought possible.
We’re in this weird phase of AI where no one really knows where it’s headed, so some want to protect themselves from those “what if” scenarios. Because of that, you’ll notice websites blocking AI chatbots from using their content, including companies like Amazon, Shutterstock, Forbes, BBC, Reddit, and The Wall Street Journal.
Big names.
While being cautious may seem like a good idea, on the one hand, it only creates new problems. AI tools are increasingly driving website traffic, and they need access to your information to do this. So, if you want AI to work seamlessly with your website and provide users with the right information, building this relationship is key.
The G.E.O.D.A.T.A. framework is designed to give you a clear path to follow. We’ve already covered the first step, “Gather Intelligence,” (pause and come back if you haven’t read it!). So now it’s time for the next step, “Evaluate Accessibility.”
The Role of Accessibility
With AI taking over search engine algorithms, accessibility focuses on how AI can crawl, interpret, and index your content.
Shifting your attention to accessibility means you aim to enhance both the human and machine experience. In other words, it’s about making sure your strategy is fully aligned with AI.
Accessibility guarantees that search engines, including AI-powered ones, can navigate through your content and that you’ll gain visibility in searches.
Sounds good, right? But here’s the question, how do you ensure your content is accessible? We’re going to answer that.
How to Start Evaluating Accessibility
The G.E.O.D.A.T.A. framework is broken down into steps because, to put it lightly, there’s a lot to tackle. For now, we’re zeroing in on one thing: how to evaluate your website’s accessibility.
Understand What You’re Working With
There’s no real need to block AI from crawling your website. You’re not some mysterious, underground website harboring government secrets…unless…
In all seriousness, you need to know what you’re working with before you get started.
You’ll want to start by checking your robots.txt file. This is the file that tells crawlers what they can and cannot see. It’s like the gatekeeper for bots.
It’s possible to block some bots, such as if you want to secure sensitive areas or save resources. What’s important is you make sure you’re not blocking AI crawlers as well.
To make sure your site is accessible for AI bots, you should:
Check for any blocked URLs: Look for pages or sections in your website that may be accidentally blocked from crawlers. Make sure your high-priority pages like product pages, about us, or blog content aren’t being blocked.
Make sure the essentials aren’t blocked: Check to see if resources like CSS, JavaScript files, and images are blocked or not. These elements help bots interpret your content.
Tools for Testing Bot Accessibility
If you haven’t checked your robot.txt file before (the odds are you haven’t), here’s how you can do it:
Manually Check robots.txt: Append /robots.txt to your domain (e.g., yourdomain.com/robots.txt) to see what’s blocked and allowed.
Known User Agents: Look for these examples to make sure your website is letting in the right bots:
GPTBot: Mozilla/5.0 AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko); compatible; GPTBot/1.1
ClaudeBot: Mozilla/5.0 AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko); compatible; ClaudeBot/1.0
Anthropic AI Bot: Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; anthropic-ai/1.0)
Use XML Sitemaps for Improved Navigation
AI bots need to know where to go, and you need to lead them.
Your XML sitemap is a blueprint of your website. It shows all your important pages and helps bots crawl through your site quickly.
Now, if you don’t have an XML sitemap (don’t freak out…yet), it’s going to be hard for bots to discover your content, which will reflect in search results.
You’ll want to:
Submit an updated XML sitemap: Give your sitemap to Google Search Console or Bing Webmaster Tools.
Check your sitemap includes only high-priority pages: Delete any duplicates and remove low-priority pages from your sitemap.
These may seem like small steps, but they’re going to have a big impact on how AI bots crawl your website. If this sounds overwhelming (and we get it), SEO Rank Media can help you out.
Evaluate Website Load Time
A slow website is a sad website. When crawling, AI bots also look at website speed and performance. In other words, if your site takes too long to load, the AI bots take note and may not rank your content as high.
To improve this, do the following:
Optimize website speed: We’ve got a need for speed—at least the bots do. Compress images, reduce CSS and JavaScript files, and use cache to reduce load times.
Add lazy loading: For any images and videos, implement lazy loading so that it only loads when it’s visible to the user or bot. That’ll help with performance.
Check for Mobile-Friendliness
AI bots love mobile (who would have thought?). What you need to know is that they analyze mobile content first. So making sure your website is mobile-friendly is a high priority. Not doing this will affect your search engine rankings.
To improve this, do the following:
Test mobile usability: Check out Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test tool to see what’s going on.
Is your site responsive?: Your website should automatically adjust to different screen sizes without any problems. This makes both the user and bot happy.
Structured Data for Improved Understanding
You want the bots to crawl your website and push pages to the top of search results. Structured data, known as schema markup, gives AI bots more information about your content. This helps search engines better understand the information on your pages.
Here’s what you should do:
Use schema markup: Defines and interprets the type of content on the page.
Use JSON-LD: It’s a popular method for adding schema markup.
Why the G.E.O.D.A.T.A Framework Is the Way to Go
The G.E.O.D.A.T.A. framework isn’t about smoke and mirrors in an attempt to trick AI bots. This framework outlines a process to help you align your content and search strategies with the AI-driven online world. Each step builds on the last to ensure your brand is positioned for success.
With SEO Rank Media and the G.E.O.D.A.T.A. framework, you won’t need to relearn SEO all over again. You’ll have a clear game plan and the support you need to get your brand in the spotlight. Here’s your chance to build and future-proof your website to keep you ahead of your competitors.
If you want to take G.E.O.D.A.T.A. by the horns and really use it to your advantage, then you need to truly understand each step. And like with everything, the most foundational step is the first one.
AI-driven search is entering the search engine world like a bulldozer, which means you’ll want to jump on the Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) train as quickly as possible.
To do that, you’ll be using the G.E.O.D.A.T.A. framework, with the first step being “Gather Intelligence.”
A Match Made in Heaven: AI & Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)
There’s been a big shift in how search engines function, and you’re probably noticing it without really understanding what’s happening behind the scenes.
Google still dominates traditional search, but AI search is excelling at providing direct, zero-click answers. To adjust to these changes, search engines are no longer just indexing keywords. They’re also looking at context, interpreting intent, and considering opinions.
This is all thanks to platforms like ChatGPT and Gemini that are reshaping how users engage with content. These AI models are trained on large datasets, including Common Crawl. These datasets are a huge collection of web pages that help AI understand language, trends, and user behavior.
In other words, old-school SEO isn’t enough anymore.
By gathering intelligence on how AI search engines operate, brands can:
Create AI-friendly content: Sure, content’s made for users, but we can’t forget AI. Creating AI-friendly content that ticks all the boxes means you’re more likely to be seen.
Leverage semantic search: AI prioritizes contextually relevant and comprehensive answers. Intent-based and topic clustering is essential.
Optimize for multimodal search: Text isn’t the only thing AI cares about. AI-driven search also looks at images, video, and voice search. Knowing these different formats can help improve your visibility.
Why Gathering Intelligence Matters
When we say the first step of the G.E.O.D.A.T.A. framework is gathering intelligence, there’s a good reason behind it. Gathering intelligence on AI search will help you:
Identify what AI-search deems as a priority: Learning how AI ranks content will help you develop an AI-aligned content strategy.
Understand algorithm updates: AI is changing quickly. Keeping pace with all the updates can help keep your content relevant.
Optimize your content: Understand how to tailor content to appease both AI and users.
So, in other words, don’t skip this step. No one likes spending hours researching, but gathering intelligence is a foundational step in this framework. If you overlook this step, it’ll catch up with you later down the road.
How to Start Gathering Intelligence
Think of yourself as a spy…like James Bond. Okay, you don’t have to be that intense (only if you want to), but you certainly want your marketing efforts to actually pay off.
If you’re feeling lost, it’s time to rethink your content strategy and cozy up to AI-powered search engines. Here’s how to start gathering intelligence.
Keep an eye on AI search updates
You may have heard people talking about ChatGPT and Gemini, but have you tested them out? Do you understand how these platforms work? Or know how they’re evolving?
It’s not about becoming a guru in AI; no one’s asking that of you. But you should refresh your knowledge on the basics and stay informed of upcoming changes. There’s tons of content available on YouTube, and you can also follow blogs and thought leaders.
Consider how AI sees your brand
Do you know what AI is saying about you? It may sound like a strange question, but in 2023 alone, 13 million adults in the United States used platforms like ChatGPT and Gemini for search queries. It’s predicted that by 2027, this number will reach 90 million online users.
AI isn’t magic. It gets its information from somewhere. These AI platforms take information from your website, forums, blogs, social media, and search engine results to generate answers. So, it’s extremely important you understand how AI sees your brand and the areas you need to improve on.
But how do you do this? Simple. Ask AI questions about your brand. Go onto ChatGPT or Gemini and ask questions like:
What is [Your Brand]?
What does [Your Brand] offer?
Is [Your Brand] trustworthy?
What do people have to say about [Your Brand]?
Read the answers and take notes. Look at how AI summarizes your business. Is what AI says about your brand true? What information is inaccurate? Where does this information come from? This will help you identify areas of improvement in your messaging and content. Because once AI starts perpetuating incorrect information, it’s hard to stop the cycle.
This is why gathering intelligence is so important. You need to know what you’re working with. Once you have the foundation, you’ll be able to move on to the next steps and make data-driven decisions that improve your business.
AI Platforms Are Saying Inaccurate Things About My Brand –
Where’s It Coming From?
If you notice that ChatGPT or Gemini are saying inaccurate things about your brand, first things first, look at your brand’s content.
This means going through your website and reading through your content with a fine-tooth comb. Look at your ‘About Us’ page or FAQs, go through your blog and social media profiles, and see if the information is up-to-date.
Most people also forget to look at forums like Reddit, LinkedIn, Medium, Quora, and Google Answers, even though AI also relies on user-generated information as well. It could be that there is some unfavorable content on Reddit about your brand that’s causing the issue.
Why the G.E.O.D.A.T.A Framework Is the Way to Go
The G.E.O.D.A.T.A. framework isn’t full of cheap tricks. This framework is based on a process to help you align your content and search strategies with the AI-driven online world. Each step builds on the last to ensure your brand is positioned for success.
With SEO Rank Media and the G.E.O.D.A.T.A. framework, you won’t need to relearn SEO all over again. Rather, you’ll have a reliable roadmap and the support you need to get your brand in the spotlight. This is your chance to jump ahead of your competitors and prepare your business for the next shift in content.
Remember the good days of SEO? Where you could cram in a few related keywords into your website content and Google would (maybe) reward you with top-ranking glory?
These were simpler times, and now we unfortunately find ourselves waving goodbye to the simplicity of it all. These days, AI-driven search tools like those found in ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity are re-writing the playbook (or just setting it on fire).
For businesses, the SEO game has changed.
It’s not just businesses pulling their collective hair out over this. Searching online as a regular human being has turned into an Olympic-level patience test. You type a question into Google and rather than getting a helpful answer, you’re bombarded with ads masquerading as advice. Those of us who have recently made use of AI-driven search have discovered a little secret: AI can sometimes answer our questions better than Google ever could.
Welcome to the Future of Search (or How We All Lost Our Minds)
So, how do we fix this? Well, we don’t. Instead, we adapt to this new wave of search technology that’s fast becoming a survival strategy for brands that need to stay relevant.
Say hello to Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) — a new lifeline for traditional SEO experts feeling the sting of AI-driven search. GEO offers more than merely surviving the noise but allows your brand to stand out where it matters the most, with visibility that actually counts.
The G.E.O.D.A.T.A Framework from SEO Rank Media is a seven-step strategy that covers everything from ensuring bots can crawl your content to dealing with those AI “hallucinations” where facts go to die.
Instead of fighting the system, make it work for you. If you’re ready to drop the SEO tricks of yesterday and learn more about GEO, let’s get started.
The G.E.O.D.A.T.A. Framework
AI search platforms like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity have opened up a whole new world for businesses to connect with audiences. Sounds great, right? But here’s the twist—this isn’t “business as usual” SEO anymore.
If your strategy is still clinging to Google SERPs like a security blanket, you’re already behind the curve.
That’s where the G.E.O.D.A.T.A. Framework comes in. Developed by SEO Rank Media, the framework gives your business a head start in the AI-driven search arena.
What makes the G.E.O.D.A.T.A. Framework different?
Practical from Day One: Each step is clear and actionable—you can actually do something with it.
Bigger Than AI Rankings: Sharpen your overall marketing game.
Team-Friendly: Easy enough to explain to your boss, clients, or that one coworker who still doesn’t “get” AI.
Why Bother with a Framework?
The field is no longer about simply “ranking in Google.” Today’s search environment demands leadership and strategy. Brands need guidance to navigate:
How to perform across multiple AI search platforms.
What kind of content to produce to engage these platforms.
Where and how to distribute content to maximize visibility.
The Steps of G.E.O.D.A.T.A.
The framework outlines a step-by-step process to align your content and search strategies with the AI-dominated world. Each step builds on the last to ensure your brand is positioned for success:
Gather Intelligence – Know what’s happening in the AI search world.
Evaluate Accessibility – Make sure bots can actually find your stuff (duh).
Optimize Brand Presence – Be unforgettable, or at least noticeable.
Develop Sentiment – Build a brand people (and AI) actually like.
Analyze Competitors – See what’s working for them and learn.
Target Data Sources – Be where the algorithms are pulling from.
Answer Accurately – Deliver real answers, not fluff.
1. Gather Intelligence
Tools like ChatGPT and Claude are shaping the way people perceive your business, whether you’re aware of it or not. So, understanding how these AI platforms view your brand is a big deal. If AI gets it wrong, like misrepresenting your brand or offering answers that aren’t very accurate, you’re left with customers who are judging your offerings based on bad info.
So, how do these AI platforms know what to say about you? It all comes down to the data they have been trained on. AI pulls from all sorts of sources, including:
Websites, blogs, and forums (including user-generated forums).
Ai synthesizes all this information and uses it to generate answers. The quality of those answers depends heavily on the data available. If your brand isn’t well-represented, or worse, represented inaccurately, the AI delivers those misleading results—with confidence.
So the first step is simple: start asking questions. Fire up an AI tool like ChatGPT and test the waters with queries like:
“What is [Your Brand]?
“What does [Your Brand] offer?
Is [Your Brand] trustworthy?”
Pay close attention. Does the AI accurately summarize your business? Are there outright inaccuracies?
Armed with these insights, you can identify where your messaging needs to improve and take steps to fix it. This isn’t guesswork, it’s actionable intelligence, and the very foundation of effective GEO.
2. Evaluate Accessibility
There’s been a lot of chatter lately about blocking AI from crawling websites—like letting bots read public information somehow equals grand theft data. Unless you’re sitting on government secrets (which shouldn’t really be public in the first place), blocking AI does more harm than good.
AI platforms use bots to crawl sites to get data for their models, the same way Google does. The difference is Google relies on structured indexing, and AI pulls data from a wider range of sources.
If you want to show up in AI search results, then you need to give these bots access to your page. It’s as simple as that.
Start by checking your robots.txt, the gatekeeper for bots. This file tells crawlers what they can and can’t access. Yes, it is smart to block some bots to save resources or secure sensitive areas, just make sure you’re not accidentally excluding AI too.
It’s likely you’re no stranger to how important brand presence is when it comes to SEO. AI platforms pull all of the information they find online and use it to understand and then represent your business when a user searches for it.
If your messaging is long-winded, vague, inconsistent, or missing, you’re risking misrepresentation, or worse, being completely ignored.
Your landing pages need a very frank and straightforward brand statement that answers the basics:
Who you are: “[Your brand] leads the way in sustainable home goods.”
What you do: “We create eco-friendly furniture for modern living.”
Why you’re different: “Our designs combine style, sustainability, and affordability.”
Make sure this messaging is everywhere AI platforms might be looking. Put it on your website, LinkedIn, and social media, and review responses as AI will draw answers from a multitude of sources.
Consistency is what gets your brand represented the way you want, and not as some random mashup of outdated info. Set the record straight before anyone can even get the wrong idea.
4. Develop Sentiment
AI platforms don’t just pull out the facts, they piece together a brand’s overall vibe from an array of sources: forums, reviews, and social media. The catch is that bad press tends to stick around like gum on a shoe.
Take AT&T, for example: ask ChatGPT about their reliability as a service provider and you’ll likely hear all about their 2024 outage alongside mentions of their reliability. Ouch.
Now, compare that to CrowdStrike. Despite their infamous broken Windows update causing probably the biggest global IT outage in history, you won’t see AI harping on it.
Why? They have absolutely mastered sentiment management, strategically flooding the digital space with positive content and well-managed review responses that overshadow their epic blunder.
If you want AI to focus on your wins, start by testing how platforms portray your brand. Ask questions like “Is [Your Brand] reliable?” Spot the negatives and tackle them head-on with corrective content.
Strong sentiment GEO means when people search for your brand, they see your strengths and not your stumbles.
5. Analyze Competitors
Keeping tabs on your competitors in the SEO world is a necessary evil, but with AI, it becomes a whole lot easier to see just where your business could sit in rankings.
AI rankings heavily influence user decisions, especially for the juicy middle-of-funnel searches like “Best in [location]” or “Top providers for [service].” Having an understanding of how your business stacks up against the competition reveals where you can step up your game, be more visible, and take your place in the share of the market.
Start by identifying the key competitive queries that are relevant to your industry. AI tools like ChatGPT make this quite easy, but for the best results, use a GEO service like SEO Rank Media to map out how competitors are ranking.
With this intel, it’s time to take action. Create content that answers these questions better than anyone else. Use clear, direct language, highlight your benefits, and make sure your expertise comes through in a specific way AI platforms recognize.
The goal here is to make sure your brand is the obvious choice for these searches.
AI platforms don’t just make things up (well, most of the time), they draw from trusted data sources like LinkedIn, GitHub, and even Reddit to create their responses. If you want your brand to show up in those results, you need to meet AI where it’s looking.
Here are a few ways you can improve your visibility:
Publish technical content on GitHub: This platform is a favorite for technical queries, so it’s perfect for showcasing your expertise in a concrete, credible way.
Share insights on LinkedIn: As a part of Microsoft’s ecosystem, LinkedIn is practically a VIP source for professional and industry-specific content.
Have some fun on Reddit: Claude and ChatGPT crawl Subreddits to gain community-driven perspectives. Join in on relevant discussions in an informational (not sales) way to boost your authenticity.
Get strategic in the way you place content and you’ll ensure your brand’s voice is part of the AI conversation.
7. Answer Accurately
AI “hallucinations” aren’t as fun as they sound. These occur when AI platforms respond with incorrect or misleading information that is so confident it would give ToastMasters a run for their money. Basically, they’re not something you want to happen when someone uses AI to look up your offerings.
The GEO fix for this issue is to create well-structured and relevant FAQ pages that answer critical questions like:
“Does [Brand] ship internationally?”
“How does [Brand] handle refunds?”
“What services does [Brand] Provide?”
Here’s some proof in the pudding. Taking a look at Ancestry.com’s FAQ page, you can see they have answered commonly asked questions about their service, with one being what do the results tell me?
Jumping onto ChatGPT and asking the question “What do my ancestry.com results tell me?” yields a result that was quite clearly taken from this FAQ page.
Understanding your audience helps here. You need to know what kind of questions they’re likely going to be typing into an AI search engine and give straightforward and simple answers to them on your website’s FAQ page.
The payoff will be fewer opportunities for hallucinations and a more accurate representation of your business in AI-generated results.
Why GEO is the Way Forward
Let’s be honest: AI search has turned SEO into a wild roller coaster. One minute, you’re impressed by ChatGPT’s ability to summarize complex topics; the next, it’s confidently claiming your brand sells banana-flavored widgets (which, of course, you don’t).
Staying ahead feels like having to learn SEO all over again, but it doesn’t have to.
With SEO Rank Media and the G.E.O.D.A.T.A. Framework, you’ve got a reliable roadmap to tame the chaos and put your brand back in the spotlight. It’s your chance to future-proof your digital strategy, outsmart AI’s quirks, and thrive in this unpredictable search landscape.
Ready to take charge? Let SEO Rank Media help you GEO your way to success.
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