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From product pages to third-party publications, learn how to create content that helps AI systems understand your brand and who it serves. #
One topic that’s come up frequently in SEO circles is the difference between creating content for information retrieval and creating content that earns citations from large language models (LLMs) such as Claude, ChatGPT, and Google AI Overviews.
As AI search evolves, that distinction is reshaping content strategy. Content that delivers the best user experience and meets people where they are is more likely to earn citations and be recognized as a trusted source.
More importantly, we need to think beyond our own websites and consider third-party platforms as well. As algorithmic marketers, our goal is to keep our brand and messaging consistent so machines clearly understand what we do, who we serve, and when to surface our company and information.
The change from SEO to experience-based GEO #
For LLMs in particular, it’s important to stop thinking about interactive search as SEO. Instead, focus on the users you want to attract through citations, or those for whom you want information about your brand to surface. Some SEO fundamentals apply, but LLMs and AI Overviews are looking to provide customized experiences based on users’ preferences. Your content marketing, both on your website and externally, should keep this in mind rather than focusing on creating content for citations and retrieval.
I’ll start with an example of this customization to show the difference between SEO and generative engine optimization (GEO) or AI Overview approaches, then jump into actionable items you can take.
LLMs know consumers better than you think
On a team call this week, I pointed out that the client’s CEO and I are very similar. We’re both around the same age, in the same geographic region, have executive job titles, are very similar demographically, and both like to drink red wine.
However, if we both asked an LLM to make recommendations for a new wine to try, and both said we were looking for a wine with dark fruit notes that was dry and had a big, bold mouth splash, it’s almost certain that we wouldn’t get the same recommendation, even if we were using the same LLM. Why? Because he likes Italian wines, and I prefer Napa Valley wineries.
Google, functioning as a search engine, may know what a big red wine is, but LLM systems know more about our buyer personas because of how we engage with them. They remember who we are, while Google does not. From LLMs, I’ll likely get a recommendation for a Cabernet from California, while he may get an Amarone from Italy.
The LLM and Google AI Overview may both source products to recommend from retailers like Total Wine & More or Binny’s, and use publications like Food & Wine, Wine Spectator, and Vivino for knowledge, but that’s where the similarities end.
LLMs know what we like in a result and what we engage with, so they show us different varietals that better match our preferences when we ask more in-depth questions. Google and traditional search engines, meanwhile, will show more general options for big, bold, red wines.
Google search seems to be changing
That said, Google appears to be moving toward more personalized results, so expect a more LLM-style approach in the future. Apply this approach to content on your own platforms and anywhere you can influence the narrative on third-party sites.
Shifting your content from retrieval-based to citation-based starts with understanding how LLM and AI Overview results are generated, how personalized those results are becoming, and how retrieval methods combine with trust signals from traditional SEO results.
Extending your content strategy beyond your website #
Retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) information sourcing requires trusted websites and resources to compile a reasonably factual result. When combined with a personal preference, it may favor one source over another while still using both.
An example of talking points in action
If the wine suggestions above were to apply here and two retailers (say, one big-box store and one niche winery) were trying to get featured in the output, they’d need to approach the same publications differently. Let’s look at an example of getting wines placed in listicle-style articles. The big-box retailer that carries both Italian and Napa wines will want to be featured under Italian reds with talking points that address the things that interest my colleague, my client’s CEO, while the Napa winery wouldn’t need to worry about making that list since it doesn’t produce Italian wines. However, both will want to be featured under Napa Cabernets since they both sell them, and both will want talking points that matter to my buyer persona.
Tip: Listicle placements are easiest to get through a media buy or advertorial, an affiliate program, or good old PR work for an earned placement.
For articles about varietals, the big-box retailer would want to focus on multiple articles and use talking points that matter to the CEO. For example, mentioning that the wine is produced on old vines, as these are more common in Europe than in the U.S. For the Napa wines I prefer, the winery would want to talk about how its wines feature a strong mouthfeel, have legs, and feature softer tannins. Big-brand stores will want mass coverage and to have their products featured under many or most wine descriptions and types to help build relevance and be seen as experts on the topic of wine across the website since they carry wines from all countries and varietals.
The Napa Valley winery, on the other hand, wouldn’t need to worry about being cited across the entire site. Instead, it would want to focus on being featured in the Napa and California wine sections, in articles about grapes that are more common in California wines like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot, and anything else directly related to the products and services it offers, like California wine tours and tastings.
Another strategy for citation-ready content
If you’re an individual brand or a small business that sells women’s clothing, for example, you could use a similar, yet modified, version of the strategy above. You’d also want to focus on getting featured in listicles, and when they mention you as one of the best retailers for women’s T-shirts, ensure your brand is present with some of the reasons why, then look for other lists about women’s fashion and clothing to be added to.
Whenever possible, especially once you’ve developed a relationship with the editor or contributor, have your differentiators present, whether it’s moisture-wicking materials, a patent you own, plus-size or petite sizing, signature colors, or being on trend. This builds the topical relevance of your brand mention and feature.
Most importantly, don’t stress over being included in every article across each media company. Focus on having your brand featured as a place to shop within the specific content that addresses the common issues your brand solves. After all, this is why your customers shop with you and how LLMs may learn who to show your brand and products to.
Non-shopping content that’s on topic, like a guide to materials or seasonal fashion trends that feature your brand and someone from it as a thought leader, may help as these systems become more advanced.
Where LLMs are sourcing their materials
Right now, LLMs are using shopping lists as sources, but they’re looking for expertise as well. Being cited as an expert in niche themes and selling points across the sources LLMs already trust, and as a place where someone can purchase X, Y, and Z products, can help LLMs make the connection and build their knowledge bases about you. You’re not just a name anymore, but a trusted brand that sells X, Y, and Z to A, B, and C demographics.
When you keep getting mentioned more often in new content and are cited by a trusted resource, it may add credibility to your company as a retailer, service provider, or publication. That’s what we’re focusing on now with many of our content optimizations.
The goal here is to let LLMs and SEO algorithms know what you do and sell, and who the specific buyer persona is that shops your brand. Once they have a clear understanding of this, and if they trust your brand and your website or app enough, you may be able to show up in citations and recommendations more frequently and for the long run. And that bleeds into your website experience.
Helping users and AI find the right fit #
You’ll find out pretty fast that practices that have been considered bad in SEO for years still don’t work for GEO and AI Overviews. By this, I mean things like creating satellite pages, pages just for AI to index and find, hidden copy, content in schema, and similar tactics. They don’t work, and in the long run, they’re likely to tank your SEO, too.
The silver bullets and “strategies” we’re seeing now, and consider my tongue firmly in my cheek here, are the same things sold as SEO marketing years ago. The LLMs will catch up, your domain and brand will get penalized, and you’ll need to recover the losses while spending money you may not have on consultants and new team members.
Instead, focus your website experience on the actual customers and buyers who shop with you. This will naturally communicate what your products and services are to search engines and LLMs, your website visitors will know they’re in the right place, and you should see conversions increase if you’re better at meeting your visitors’ needs. How do you do this?
- Survey your customers to find out what’s important to them about what you do and why they chose your products or brand.
- Read through customer returns and chat histories in your customer support database to find out why consumers are returning products or what questions they have.
- Add these talking points to product and category pages (where appropriate) so users know:
- If this is the right product for their needs.
- Which product is the best match for them from a collection.
- If there’s a better option, via a keyword-rich internal link, for a product that’s a better fit.
Each of the items above helps users on your website know what to buy, how to engage, and what meets their needs. This also helps define for LLMs what’s the best fit for your customer and the solutions your products and services naturally provide. That’s information search engines and AI can use to know when to surface your products and who to show your brand to.
The standard SEO elements to keep in your content #
That’s not to say SEO is going away. Traditional SEO practices still help LLMs understand what your website, products, services, content, and company offer and who they’re for. For example:
- Properly applied schema can help define your products, the theme of your content, your services, and the areas where they’re provided, helping paint a clearer picture of who your brand is.
- Content that doesn’t require JavaScript to view and is visible is one of the best ways to be featured in chatbots and AI-powered search engines. Try server-side rendering for your content. LLMs.txtcan be one option, but there’s no guarantee it’ll take off or be adopted.- Use proper structure on your pages with H1s, H2s, H3s, article, header, and related tags.
- Create direct, easy-to-understand content that answers users’ questions, provides correct information, and solves users’ problems without fluff or over-the-top adjective usage.
- Ensure the talking points that matter to your ideal customers are mixed throughout your site’s pages, both on your website and on external websites, as this signals who your products, services, or content are for.
Creating content for citations and information retrieval isn’t just about technical optimization or the content on your page. It’s also about how third parties experience your brand and talk about it, which helps LLMs determine which users are the best fit for your company and content.
Focus on maintaining a consistent voice across every channel you control, make sure your pages are crawlable and easy to understand, and keep testing. LLMs are still new, and we all have an opportunity to learn and adapt as the technology evolves.
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