AI has a huge impact on how you and your organization will create content, share information, and reach your stakeholders. In 2022, ChatGPT broke all user growth records by getting 1 million users in just 5 days after launch. Today, ChatGPT alone receives 5.4 billion monthly visits and only 20% of people report not using AI at all, with 35.4% of AI users using the tools daily. And they’re using it not just to generate content or to solve problems; they’re increasingly using it for researching answers to questions and for recommendations.
According to SEMRush, zero-click searches are now used by 80% of users for at least 40% of their searches globally. Additionally, almost 90% of queries that triggered an AI summary are informational. However, a recent study showed that the presence of an AI overview in search resulted in 34.5% lower clickthrough rate (CTR) for the top-ranking pages in those results. Another study from Brightedge confirmed this trend showing that year-over-year, search impressions were up by 49%, but CTRs fell by 30%. Simply stated: If users are now relying on AI summaries, they’re no longer clicking to your website, the earned media you’ve secured, your owned content, or your social content – at least not directly.
It’s not all doom and gloom; with all changes there are winners and losers, but there’s always opportunity.
What is GEO (and why should PR teams care)?
Before we go further, here’s a quick breakdown of the differences in the acronyms you’re likely seeing out there today:
- Generative Engine Optimization (GEO): Ensuring generative AI systems (ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, etc.) reference, summarize, and attribute your brand correctly in answers to user questions.
- Answer Engine Optimization (AEO): Helping engines like Google and Bing surface your content in direct answers and featured snippets — no clicks required.
- AI Optimization (AIO): The umbrella strategy that includes GEO + AEO, along with measurement, data orchestration, and content structuring to protect your brand’s accuracy and authority across AI interfaces.
Together, these represent a shift from ranking in search results pages to being a trusted source in AI-generated answers.
Why PR is More Valuable Than Ever
So, what does that mean for you as a communicator? It means your work is valuable and potentially gaining in value over time. Why? Generative AI favors:
- Neutral, credible content
- Authoritative sources
- Community-validated information
- Fresh, structured context
AI pulls from trusted neutral sources. It avoids overly promotional and paid content. Platforms like Reddit, Linkedin Wikipedia, YouTube, and Medium dominate mentions and citations in LLMs. But go down the list a little further and you start to see media publications, like Forbes and Techradar – and even press release distribution sites. In other words, when you get outside of social and community sites, communications media sources show up frequently in citations. Earned media is finally getting the visibility and weight it deserves.
This probably isn’t news for you, though. GEO is hot right now. And yes — the hype has invited a flood of quick-fix vendors and vague promises. But communicators need real clarity on what actually works — and what needs to change.
This blog is the first in a series that will break down what PR teams must know to influence AI search, track results, and build a future-proof strategy to build credibility and mindshare in AI generated responses (I’ll keep the AI-buzzwords to a minimum to save your sanity — I promise).
How AI Search Actually Works (The simple version)
Traditional search engines match keywords, links, and ranking signals. AI systems do something different:
- They use semantic search (vector search) — finding content based on meaning, not exact phrasing.
- They combine retrieval + generation (RAG) — pulling from multiple sources to construct an answer that is factual and grounded.
- They weigh freshness, expert authority, and completeness more heavily than backlinks or keyword density.
So instead of sending users to the “best link,” generative search synthesizes the most relevant, trustworthy, and current information it can find and references trusted credible sources to base it’s response.
And that’s where PR-driven credibility becomes essential.
Structuring Content for Inclusion:
To be part of the results, though, it’s important that you write and target organic mentions that will match the intent of the query. For communicators like you, this means writing with clarity on what question the audience might ask—and making sure your content answers the intent with clear and organized structures that are technically sound and easy for AI to reference.
To surface in AI-generated answers, your content — and the mentions you earn — must:
- Clearly answer the questions your audience is asking
- Use simple, direct language
- Be structured for easy parsing (headlines, bullets, definitions, FAQs)
- Cite credible sources
- Live on technically sound pages (clean URLs, alt text, metadata, schema)
The goal: make your insights easy to extract and confidently cite.
If your content meets the intent of a user query, generative search can feature your brand — even if you’re not winning traditional SEO rankings.
Community Matters:
In the world of GEO, community content, social signals and organic references still play a role like they did in traditional SEO.
That means community engagement is still a powerful lever: Generative systems still look at source authority, trust and linkage. So, PR-driven mentions and engagement on sites like Reddit, Quora, Instagram, X, and TikTok help. PR teams, like you, can lean into this by building forums, community FAQ content, interviews, podcasts and guest posts that lend credible context and help build your brand as an authority.
Why is GEO a Long Game for PR and Comms?
Simply stated: the signals to AI matter here, and that trust, relevance and credibility can’t be built over night. To win in generative search, PR must:
- Keep content fresh and accurate
- Build consistent authority across sources
- Target citations and mentions that add credibility
- Think beyond one-time press hits and toward accumulated influence
In other words, AI is basically Sting, now: every article you make, every expert quote you place, every trusted source you chase — AI will be watching you (hopefully).
How do you build the strategy and plan for this long game? Our next blog will share some concrete recommendations and strategies to focus your efforts, collaborate with your larger teams, and build toward long term success with some near-term wins.
By Brendon O’Donovan, SVP of Product Solutions and Innovation, PublicRelay
