GenAI Optimization: Why I’m Betting on AI Over Traditional SEO

ByEric Strate
GenAI Optimization image made be AI

The Shift From SEO to GenAI Optimization—My First-Hand Take

If you’ve been around digital marketing as long as I have, you’ve probably got SEO best practices burned into your muscle memory: targeting keywords, polishing metadata, and chasing backlinks. For years, this was the entire game plan. I lived and breathed search engine optimization, watched Google updates scramble the rankings, and felt that little thrill when a client hit page one.

But now? The rules are getting thrown out. If you’re paying attention, you can feel it—traditional SEO is losing its grip, and the real action is moving toward something I call GenAI Optimization.

What Is GenAI Optimization? (And Why Should You Care?)

Here’s the quick version: GenAI Optimization isn’t about impressing Google’s bots anymore. It’s about making your content “click” with generative AI models—like ChatGPT Search, Google Gemini, or whatever next-gen LLM shows up tomorrow. The end goal is getting your stuff surfaced, summarized, or even quoted in AI-generated answers and AI Overviews, not just search listings.

A lot of people still ask me, “So, do I just keep doing SEO but sprinkle in some AI keywords?” Not even close. The whole mindset is different. When I write now, I’m basically talking to the AI, not just to a human who might find me in the search results.

Let me walk you through how I’m actually making this pivot in my own content strategy:

1. Writing for AI Search Engines, Not Just Humans

Instead of stuffing keywords or obsessing over exact-match phrases, I focus on writing in a way that’s naturally picked up by generative AI systems. That means using long-tail keywords related to GenAI Optimization, ChatGPT Search ranking factors, training LLMs for content discovery, and optimizing for AI-powered search engine results pages (SERPs).

I also make sure to cover topics in-depth and add insights you can’t find anywhere else. AI models—especially the latest ones—are hungry for real context, unique perspectives, and layered information.

2. Creating Multi-Modal Content Assets

AI search is moving way beyond plain text. If you’re not building out visuals, videos, or even audio snippets that can show up in AI summaries or voice answers, you’re missing a major opportunity. On some of my recent projects, I’ve noticed ChatGPT pulling in branded images or quoting FAQs from well-structured review pages. So now, I’m baking in all kinds of media, not just for human users, but for AI models to recognize and repackage.

3. Training AI to “Get” My Content

This is where it gets interesting: I’ve started thinking of every article, review page, and FAQ as a training set for the next wave of AI search. I’ll ask questions in the way users actually type them, answer with authority, and make sure my schema is dialed in. If you want your content to show up in AI Overviews, optimize for entities, provide direct answers, and use conversational, human-like language. Forget the old “just the facts” approach—context is king now.

4. Anticipating the Next Question

One of the biggest changes with GenAI Optimization is realizing that AI doesn’t just look for the right answer; it predicts what the next question might be. I try to layer my content with follow-up details, alternative perspectives, and even counterpoints—because the more nuanced and multi-dimensional your content, the more likely it is to be picked up and cited by AI.

Why Traditional SEO Just Isn’t Enough Anymore

Let’s be honest—ranking #1 on Google used to be the holy grail. Now, with ChatGPT Search, Google SGE, and other AI-powered search engines, users aren’t clicking through ten blue links. They’re getting answers directly, often never seeing your site at all unless you’ve optimized specifically for generative AI models.

If you want your content to show up in ChatGPT’s answers, AI Overviews, or Google’s AI snapshots, you can’t just do “SEO” as usual. You need to understand how to optimize for generative AI content ranking, leverage AI entity SEO strategies, and feed the models with high-quality, context-rich assets that LLMs want to surface.

Real Talk: What I’m Doing Right Now

  • I’m testing FAQ pages, review roundups, and “best of” lists that answer real, intent-driven questions—stuff that’s tailor-made for AI Overviews and ChatGPT-powered search features.
  • I’m experimenting with semantic SEO techniques that focus on topical authority and entity relationships, because AI models are obsessed with context and relationships.
  • I’m building dedicated accolades and review pages, optimizing review schema, and linking out to third-party award sites—anything that signals authority for AI content rankings.
  • And yes, I’m keeping an eye on all the latest GenAI Optimization case studies, ChatGPT Search algorithm leaks, and how Google Gemini ranks automotive SEO topics, because I want to stay ahead of the curve.

If You’re Still Doing SEO the Old Way, Here’s My Advice

Start thinking of your website as training data for AI, not just a landing page for Google. Use long-tail keywords that tie directly to GenAI Optimization, ChatGPT ranking strategies, and entity-based SEO for AI. Stop worrying about ranking #1 for vanity keywords—focus on becoming the source AI pulls from.

Experiment. Track what actually shows up in AI-generated search results. And if you want to future-proof your digital marketing, double down on content formats, schema, and assets that generative AI can actually use and understand.

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