13 KiB
Blog GEO Optimization
Create GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) content brief based on completed research using the GEO Specialist agent.
Usage
/blog-geo "topic-name"
Example:
/blog-geo "nodejs-tracing"
Note: Provide the sanitized topic name (same as used in research filename).
What is GEO?
GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) is the academic and industry-standard term for optimizing content for AI-powered search engines. Formally introduced in November 2023 by researchers from Princeton University, Georgia Tech, Allen Institute for AI, and IIT Delhi.
Target Platforms:
- ChatGPT (with web search)
- Perplexity AI
- Google AI Overviews
- Gemini
- Claude (with web access)
- Bing Copilot
Proven Results:
- 30-40% visibility improvement in AI responses
- 1,200% growth in AI-sourced traffic (July 2024 - February 2025)
- 27% conversion rate from AI traffic vs 2.1% from standard search
- 3.2x more citations for content updated within 30 days
Source: Princeton Study + 29 industry research papers (2023-2025)
GEO vs SEO
| Aspect | SEO | GEO |
|---|---|---|
| Target | Search crawlers | Large Language Models |
| Goal | SERP ranking | AI citation & source attribution |
| Focus | Keywords, backlinks | E-E-A-T, citations, quotations |
| Optimization | Meta tags, H1 | Quotable facts, statistics, sources |
| Success Metric | Click-through rate | Citation frequency |
| Freshness | Domain-dependent | Critical (3.2x impact) |
Why Both Matter: Traditional SEO gets you found via Google/Bing. GEO gets you cited by AI assistants.
Top 3 GEO Methods (Princeton Study):
- Cite Sources: 115% visibility increase for lower-ranked sites
- Add Quotations: Especially effective for People & Society topics
- Include Statistics: Most beneficial for Law/Government content
Prerequisites
Required: Research report must exist at .specify/research/[topic]-research.md
If research doesn't exist, run /blog-research first.
What This Command Does
Delegates to the geo-specialist subagent to create comprehensive GEO content brief:
- Applies Princeton Top 3 methods (cite sources, add quotations, include statistics)
- Assesses source authority and E-E-A-T signals
- Optimizes content structure for AI parsing
- Identifies quotable statements for AI citations
- Ensures comprehensive topic coverage
- Provides AI-readable formatting recommendations
- Recommends schema markup for discoverability (near-essential)
Time: 10-15 minutes
Output: .specify/geo/[topic]-geo-brief.md
Instructions
Create a new subagent conversation with the geo-specialist agent.
Provide the following prompt:
You are creating a GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) content brief based on completed research.
**Research Report Path**: .specify/research/$ARGUMENTS-research.md
Read the research report and follow your Four-Phase GEO Process:
1. **Source Authority Analysis + Princeton Methods** (5-7 min):
- **Apply Top 3 Princeton Methods** (30-40% visibility improvement):
* Cite Sources (115% increase for lower-ranked sites)
* Add Quotations (best for People & Society domains)
* Include Statistics (best for Law/Government topics)
- Assess E-E-A-T signals (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness)
- Check content freshness (3.2x more citations for 30-day updates)
- Score overall authority potential (X/10)
2. **Structured Content Optimization** (7-10 min):
- Create AI-parseable H1/H2/H3 outline
- Extract key facts as quotable statements
- Structure sections as questions where appropriate
- Recommend schema.org markup (Article, HowTo, FAQPage) - near-essential
3. **Context and Depth Assessment** (7-10 min):
- Verify comprehensive topic coverage
- Identify gaps to fill
- Ensure technical terms are defined
- Recommend multi-perspective coverage (pros/cons, use cases)
4. **AI Citation Optimization** (5-7 min):
- Identify 5-7 quotable key statements
- Ensure facts are clear and self-contained
- Highlight unique value propositions
- Add date/version indicators for freshness
**Output Location**: Save your GEO brief to `.specify/geo/$ARGUMENTS-geo-brief.md`
**Important**: If research quality is insufficient (< 3 credible sources) or topic structure is ambiguous, use the User Decision Cycle to involve the user.
Begin your analysis now.
Expected Output
After completion, verify that .specify/geo/[topic]-geo-brief.md exists and contains:
Authority Assessment: Credibility score + improvement recommendations AI-Optimized Outline: Clear H1/H2/H3 structure with question-format headings Quotable Statements: 5-7 key facts that AI can cite Context Analysis: Topic coverage assessment + gaps identified Schema Recommendations: Article, HowTo, FAQPage, etc. Metadata Guidance: Title, description, tags optimized for AI understanding Citation Strategy: Unique value propositions + formatting recommendations GEO Checklist: 20+ criteria for AI discoverability
Review Checklist
Before proceeding to content creation, review:
- Authority: Are sources credible enough for AI citation?
- Structure: Is the outline clear and AI-parseable?
- Quotables: Are key statements citation-worthy?
- Depth: Does coverage satisfy comprehensive AI queries?
- Unique Value: What makes this content worth citing?
How GEO Brief Guides Content
The marketing agent will use your GEO brief to:
- Structure Content: Follow AI-optimized H2/H3 outline
- Embed Quotables: Place key statements prominently
- Add Context: Define terms, provide examples
- Apply Schema: Implement recommended markup
- Cite Sources: Properly attribute external research
- Format for AI: Use lists, tables, clear statements
Result: Content optimized for BOTH human readers AND AI citation.
Next Steps
After GEO brief is approved:
- Proceed to writing: Run
/blog-marketingto create final article - Or continue full workflow: If this was part of
/blog-generate, the orchestrator will proceed automatically
Note: For complete AI optimization, consider running BOTH /blog-seo (traditional search) AND /blog-geo (AI search).
When to Use This Command
Use /blog-geo when you need to:
- Optimize content for AI-powered search engines
- Maximize likelihood of AI citation
- Ensure content is authoritative and comprehensive
- Structure content for easy AI parsing
- Create AI-discoverable content brief only (without writing article)
For full workflow: Use /blog-generate (which can include GEO phase).
Comparison: SEO vs GEO Briefs
| Feature | SEO Brief | GEO Brief |
|---|---|---|
| Keywords | Primary + secondary + LSI | Natural language topics |
| Structure | H2/H3 for readability | H2/H3 as questions for AI |
| Focus | SERP ranking factors | Citation worthiness |
| Meta | Title tags, descriptions | Schema markup, structured data |
| Success | Click-through rate | AI citation frequency |
| Length | Word count targets | Comprehensiveness targets |
| Links | Backlink strategy | Source attribution strategy |
Recommendation: Create BOTH briefs for comprehensive discoverability.
Tips for Maximum GEO Impact
1. Authority Signals
- Cite 5-7 credible sources in research
- Include expert quotes
- Add author bio with credentials
- Link to authoritative external sources
2. AI-Friendly Structure
- Use questions as H2 headings ("What is X?", "How to Y?")
- Place key facts in bulleted lists
- Add tables for comparisons
- Include FAQ section
3. Quotable Statements
- Make claims clear and self-contained
- Provide context so quotes make sense alone
- Use precise language (avoid ambiguity)
- Bold or highlight key data points
4. Comprehensive Coverage
- Answer related questions
- Address common misconceptions
- Provide examples for abstract concepts
- Include pros/cons and alternatives
5. Freshness Indicators
- Date published/updated
- Version numbers (if applicable)
- "As of [date]" for time-sensitive info
- Indicate currency of information
Requesting Changes
If GEO brief needs adjustments, you can:
- Request deeper coverage on specific topics
- Ask for additional quotable statements
- Adjust authority recommendations
- Modify content structure
- Request different schema markup
Just provide feedback and re-run the command with clarifications.
Error Handling
If GEO analysis fails:
- Verify research report exists
- Check research has 3+ credible sources
- Ensure research contains sufficient content
- Try providing more specific guidance about target audience
Common Issues
"Insufficient source authority"
- Research needs more credible sources
- Add academic papers, official docs, or expert blogs
- Re-run
/blog-researchwith better sources
"Topic structure ambiguous"
- Agent will ask for user decision
- Clarify whether to focus on depth or breadth
- Specify target audience technical level
"Missing context for AI understanding"
- Research may be too technical without explanations
- Add definitions and examples
- Ensure prerequisites are stated
Integration with Full Workflow
Option 1: GEO Only
# Research → GEO → Write
/blog-research "topic"
/blog-geo "topic"
/blog-marketing "topic" # Marketing agent uses GEO brief
Option 2: SEO + GEO (Recommended)
# Research → SEO → GEO → Write
/blog-research "topic"
/blog-seo "topic" # Traditional search optimization
/blog-geo "topic" # AI search optimization
/blog-marketing "topic" # Marketing agent uses BOTH briefs
Option 3: Full Automated
# Generate command can include GEO
/blog-generate "topic" # Optionally include GEO phase
Note: Marketing agent is smart enough to merge SEO and GEO briefs when both exist.
Real-World GEO Examples
What Works Well for AI Citation
Clear Definitions
"Distributed tracing is a method of tracking requests across microservices to identify performance bottlenecks and failures."
Data Points with Context
"According to a 2024 study by Datadog, applications with tracing experience 40% faster incident resolution compared to those relying solely on logs."
Structured Comparisons
| Feature | Logging | Tracing |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Single service | Cross-service |
| Use case | Debugging | Performance |
Question-Format Headings
How Does OpenTelemetry Compare to Proprietary Solutions?
Actionable Recommendations
"Start with 10% sampling in production environments to minimize overhead while maintaining visibility into application behavior."
What Doesn't Work
Vague Claims
"Tracing is important for modern applications."
Keyword Stuffing
"Node.js tracing nodejs tracing best practices nodejs application tracing guide..."
Buried Facts
Long paragraphs with key information not highlighted
Outdated Information
Content without publication/update dates
Unsourced Statistics
"Most developers prefer X" (without citation)
Success Metrics
Track these indicators after publication:
- AI Citation Rate: Monitor if content is cited by ChatGPT, Perplexity, etc.
- Source Attribution: Frequency of being named as source in AI responses
- Query Coverage: Number of related queries your content answers
- Freshness: How recently updated (AI systems prefer recent)
- Authority Signals: Backlinks from other authoritative sites
Tools: No established GEO tracking tools yet. Manual testing:
- Ask ChatGPT about your topic → check if you're cited
- Search in Perplexity → verify source attribution
- Use Claude with web access → monitor citations
Future-Proofing
GEO best practices are evolving. Focus on fundamentals:
- Accuracy: Factual correctness is paramount
- Authority: Build credibility gradually
- Structure: Clear, organized content
- Comprehensiveness: Thorough topic coverage
- Freshness: Regular updates
These principles will remain valuable regardless of how AI search evolves.
Ready to optimize for AI search? Provide the topic name (from research filename) and execute this command.
Additional Resources
- GEO Research: Check latest posts on AI search optimization
- Schema.org: Reference for structured data markup
- OpenAI/Anthropic: Monitor changes to citation behavior
- Perplexity Blog: Insights on source selection algorithms
Research Foundation
This GEO command is based on comprehensive research from:
Academic Foundation:
- Princeton University, Georgia Tech, Allen Institute for AI, IIT Delhi (November 2023)
- Presented at ACM SIGKDD Conference (August 2024)
- GEO-bench benchmark study (10,000 queries across diverse domains)
Key Research Findings:
- 30-40% visibility improvement through Princeton's Top 3 methods
- 1,200% growth in AI-sourced traffic (July 2024 - February 2025)
- 27% conversion rate from AI traffic vs 2.1% from standard search
- 3.2x more citations for content updated within 30 days
- 115% visibility increase for lower-ranked sites using citations
Industry Analysis:
- Analysis of 17 million AI citations (Ahrefs study)
- Platform-specific citation patterns (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews)
- 29 cited research studies (2023-2025)
- Case studies: 800-2,300% traffic increases, real conversion data
For full research report, see: .specify/research/gso-geo-comprehensive-research.md