Generative engine optimization is quickly changing the rules of visibility for brands that rely on search, content and credibility to compete. AI-generated answers now shape how companies are described, compared and recommended—often before a prospective client ever reaches a website. For agencies, that shift raises the stakes: Strategy, structure and authority matter more than ever, while shortcuts and legacy tactics fade fast.
The agencies leaning in earliest are treating GEO not as a trend but as a strategic reset that affects everything from reputation management to revenue. Here, members of Forbes Agency Council share insights into how their agencies are evolving models and strategies to help clients stay visible, credible and competitive as generative AI becomes the engine driving search.
1. Refocusing Strategy Around Authority And Amplification
GEO is accelerating the shift to answer-driven search, where keywords matter less and brand authority, audience accuracy and omnichannel amplification matter more. That’s why we focus on delivering audience data that enables clients to identify the right decision-makers, understand their buyer journey and reach them through the most effective channels—ultimately driving measurable outcomes. - Paula Chiocchi, Outward Media, Inc.
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2. Treating GEO As A Reputation Architecture
GEO exposes a greater risk of misrepresentation. Brands now appear in AI answers they didn’t write, based on sources they don’t control. Sparkpr treats GEO as a reputation architecture, structuring content, authority and technical clarity so that generative engines accurately represent our clients. - Amy Packard Berry, Sparkpr
3. Optimizing To Win The AI Answer, Not The Click
GEO isn’t “SEO 2.0”—it’s a different game. SEO fights for the click; GEO fights for the answer. The fundamentals still matter—structure, authority, technical hygiene—but now AI summarizes brands before a visit. We build clear, consistent signals and proof points so AI describes, compares and cites clients accurately. Being the default recommendation is the new KPI. - Robert Burko, Elite Digital Inc.
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4. Building Operationally Consistent Content Systems
We help clients build content systems that stay stable as AI tools change how people find information. The real challenge isn’t optimizing for AI. It’s creating workflows that let teams publish clear, structured content consistently. Strategy shifts from keyword targeting to reliable operations. Brands that can’t publish consistently can’t compete when AI pulls their answers. - Meeky Hwang, Ndevr, Inc
5. Designing Experiences Humans And Machines Trust
We frame it as SXO, or search experience optimization. It blends SEO with how LLMs interpret, rank and recommend information. That impacts thought leadership, content structure, owned channels and measurement. We design experiences that answer real questions clearly, so humans and machines trust them. The biggest shift is upstream. If authority is not built early, distribution cannot save it. - Lars Voedisch, PRecious Communications
6. Expanding Placement Beyond Traditional Channels
There are two aspects to our strategy: Partner and pivot. We have partnered with a great GEO tool provider to get the data for each client, and we are pivoting to ensure we’re placing content where it has the biggest GEO impact. Frequently, GEO is impacted by sources that weren’t previously a priority for our clients (such as Reddit for B2B tech products). - Mike Maynard, Napier Partnership Limited
7. Engineering Content For Machine Readability And Indexing
GEO forces agencies to optimize for bots as much as humans. LLMs ingest structured, chunked, text-first content. Agencies must help clients design campaigns and platforms that are indexed, tagged and machine-readable, not just visually compelling or emotionally resonant. - Andrew Mitchell, Brandmovers Inc.
8. Blending Classic SEO With GEO For The Next Search Era
Old-school traditional SEO is based on blogs, keywords and backlinks. The new SEO is a combination of SEO plus GEO, where you still focus on quality content, Q&A information and expert authority. Understand how AI scans websites for answers and authority signals to select your client’s content to provide the answers it will post, and you will win the new SEO frontier. - Terry Zelen, Zelen Communications
9. Strengthening Structure And Technical Authority Signals
At Digital Silk, we’re evolving client strategies to ensure content is discoverable and trusted within generative AI ecosystems. The biggest shifts are occurring in content structure, technical SEO and authority building. We’re creating clearer, fact-rich content, strengthening site architecture and reinforcing brand expertise so generative engines can confidently surface clients as definitive sources. - Gabriel Shaoolian, Digital Silk
10. Stress-Testing Brand Narratives Found In AI Results
GEO is now the primary battleground for reputation, trust and market acceptance. The content we create and the way we place it directly shapes AI outputs. Stress-testing how AI systems describe, compare and critique a company, especially under hostile or skeptical prompts, is now a baseline smart business communication practice. - Elizabeth Edwards, Volume Public Relations
11. Using Behavioral Insight To Align GEO With Real Needs
We ethnographically observe how patients turn to AI to fill care gaps. This reveals the unmet needs chatbots now serve and informs GEO strategies that ensure credible evidence is visible at the exact moment patients seek answers. - Abigail Stuart, Day One Strategy
12. Leading With ‘Authority-First’ Content To Drive Visibility
We’re shifting clients toward an “authority-first” content strategy that supports GEO. That means strengthening off-site branded mentions, PR, thought leadership and partnerships with high-authority publications. On-site content is also key: Structured, expert-driven content improves how generative engines interpret a brand and meaningfully shapes visibility across the entire funnel. - Anthony Chiaravallo, Vallo Media
13. Clarifying To Win Both Search And AI Recommendations
We’ve built AI visibility into our core offering. The shift from “page one” to “answer one” means clients need to win twice—in search and in AI recommendations. We focus on structural clarity (schema, answer-first formatting) and Web-wide consensus (consistent signals across directories, reviews and trade media). If AI can’t parse you, it won’t cite you. - Dennis Kirwan, Dymic Digital
14. Positioning Brands As Quotable, Trusted AI Sources
To meet clients’ needs in GEO, we’re helping brands become trusted, quotable sources for generative platforms. We prioritize thought leadership, clear positioning and earned media that AI can reference. This includes tightening executive messaging; creating high-signal content like bylines, data-backed insights and FAQs; and securing coverage in outlets generative engines frequently surface. - Marilyn Cowley, PREM - PR & Social
15. Tailoring Content To Turn GEO Into A Sales System
We treat GEO as a sales system, not a content tweak. We map the exact questions AI agents ask before recommending a brand, then build answer-ready assets, spokesperson content and AI-readable proof that adapts by audience. GEO impacts content, sales enablement and conversion because AI now decides who gets shortlisted. - Fernando Beltran, Identika LLC
16. Structuring For Human And Machine Discoverability
We’re helping clients structure content for discoverability by both humans and machines, using clear POVs, authoritative language and consistent expertise signals. GEO most impacts content strategy, thought leadership and brand clarity because generative engines reward trust and coherence over volume. - Jacquelyn LaMar Berney, VI Marketing and Branding
17. Reverse Engineering How Engines Assemble Answers
Our GEO work starts with the questions clients want to own, then reverse engineers how engines stitch answers together. We map each answer to a simple knowledge graph of pages, assets and other spokes like reviews or talks. The biggest shifts are in how we structure sites and briefs so that every new asset reinforces those key answers. Product teams share briefs, so examples match key answers. - Vaibhav Kakkar, Digital Web Solutions
18. Rebuilding Information Architecture For Clarity And Scale
We started improving how content is structured, written and connected across client websites two years ago. Generative engines need clarity, context and authority, so the biggest shifts happen in information architecture and content modeling. At ArtVersion, we ensure source material is clean, consistent and supported with structured data so AI surfaces it more accurately and more often. - Goran Paun, ArtVersion
