Content, SEO & GEO
A growing number of marketers are using Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) to enhance their presence online - and ensure their websites can be found by potential customers. We're also hearing more about GEO - Generative Engine Optimisation as organisations like Google and Microsoft harness the power of AI to deliver quality search results to users.
Optimising websites for SEO and GEO is a specialist technical function. Although Rocket Content doesn't offer those services, we do work with clients who have undertaken this analysis of their website and digital marketing content.
What does SEO involve?
A specialist SEO consultancy can offer a range of services, but generally they will start by analysing your website for factors that affect its ranking on search engines. This includes technical issues such as speed, mobile responsiveness, URL structure and use of SSL.
They will also evaluate elements on website pages such as title tags, meta descriptions, header tags, keyword usage and content quality.
This last point is very important as it can involve reviewing the existing content to assess its quality, relevance, engagement levels, and how well it aligns with the target audience's needs and search intent.
Is SEO still important?
There is some debate about the importance of SEO in today's digital landscape, but there are compelling reasons to suggest that it remains critically important for marketers.
* Search engines are primary gateways for your customers to reach you
* Organic search traffic (ie not paid-for ads) is the largest source of website traffic.
* User experience can be enhanced by good SEO, making websites faster and information easier to find on your site.
* Good rankings on search sites build credibility and trust with potential customers
* The way people search is constantly evolving, so continuous SEO can keep you ahead of those trends.
* SEO is highly cost-effective as it generates greater web traffic in the long-term.
* It makes your content more visible to more potential buyers.
What about GEO?
We are in the early stages of GEO adoption, however, there is no reason for marketers to ignore its rise.
The main difference between SEO and GEO is that the latter is specifically designed for AI-driven search engines that generate comprehensive responses - not simply lists of potentially useful websites. If you haven't seen GEO in action yet, try out CoPilot on Microsoft Edge to see the kind of answers it's producing.
GEO search engines reward authoritative content such as in-depth, well-researched articles and white papers. Including citations and references enhances their value as it shows a link to reputable sources.
Regular blogs and thought pieces are also great for GEO optimisation, as are FAQ sections on your website.
GEO is great news for technical, B2B marketing managers because it is better at understanding the context of information. Using technical language (which may be obscure at the SEO level) really helps these AI search engines know that your content is worth sharing in long-form answers.
The good news for marketers who understand the value of great content is that you're probably well on the way to covering the requirements of GEO too. If you're just staring on your content journey, then this is a good time to consider high-quality long-form content.
7 ways Rocket Content can boost your SEO & GEO