What is GEO and Why PR Must Lead this Strategy

The search landscape is evolving, and your content strategy must evolve with it. Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is becoming a critical focus for communications and marketing professionals, particularly in technical sectors like building and construction, where thought leadership and earned trade media already play a central role.

Unlike traditional SEO, which optimizes for Google’s web crawlers, GEO focuses on how AI platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity surface brand information. These platforms do not index the web the same way a search engine does. Instead, they generate answers based on structured, trusted, and well-cited information.

In this emerging space, PR has a central role to play.

What Is GEO?

GEO stands for Generative Engine Optimization. It is a visibility strategy centered on how your brand appears in AI-generated search results.

While GEO shares some concepts with SEO, such as structured content and metadata, it is fundamentally different. GEO is shaped by how large language models (LLMs) are trained and how they generate responses in real time. As a result:

• Citations in credible media sources are more influential than ever.
• Structured press rooms and schema-enhanced content help ensure discoverability.
• Brand mentions, even without backlinks, help LLMs identify your company as a relevant source.

This shift means visibility is no longer just about keywords. It’s about showing up clearly, consistently, and credibly across the digital landscape.

How AI Platforms Discover and Cite Brand Information

LLMs do not crawl websites like traditional search engines. Instead, they synthesize responses based on training data, licensed sources, APIs, and publicly available content. Some of the key signals include:

• Mentions in trusted media outlets
• Structured press rooms that use metadata such as schema and author information
• Owned content with clearly defines roles, topics, and authority
• Consistent brand mentions across third-party and social platforms.
• High authority domains, such as tier 1 media, trade associations and established industry publications

When your press releases, blogs, case studies, testimonials and media coverage are structured and authoritative, your brand has a stronger chance of appearing in AI-generated responses.

Why PR Must Lead the GEO Strategy

Public relations teams are already managing many of the elements that matter most for Generative Engine Optimization (GEO). Media coverage in trusted trade publications provides the kind of credible, third-party validation that AI platforms use as authoritative signals.

In addition to earned media, PR teams often oversee owned content that positions internal experts as thought leaders, creating a steady stream of subject matter authority that can be referenced by both human audiences and AI tools. They also maintain a consistent brand voice across press releases, blogs, byline features, social channels, and other communications, reinforcing the clarity and credibility needed for strong representation in generative search results.

Generative platforms reward authoritative, human-centered content. PR excels at establishing subject matter experts as credible voices through bylines, media interviews, podcasts, and speaking engagements. These high-trust signals are exactly what AI platforms surface in response to user queries.

While SEO focuses on keywords and technical structure, PR introduces the “why” behind the content, framing messages in ways that resonate with both algorithms and audiences. As generative platforms increasingly synthesize answers from multiple sources, this layered approach becomes essential. PR’s ability to shape narrative direction ensures that your brand’s point of view is both discoverable and compelling.

The sources AI tools rely on, press releases, reputable publications, expert quotes, and branded content, are often created or placed by PR. When managed strategically, this ecosystem becomes a network of high-authority mentions and content that feeds generative results.

Quick Starting Points

Getting started with GEO does not require an overhaul. Focus on improving the content you already control:

• Review LinkedIn bios and blog authors. Use clear language to define each contributor’s title, company, and area of expertise.
• Add concise summaries to blog posts. Bullet points or TL;DR sections help AI systems quickly identify the relevance of your content.
• Format your content to match how people search and ask questions, and include third-party validation, certifications, and measurable results.
• Use structured formats such as FAQs, lists, and tables. These improve readability for both people and AI platforms.
• Regularly test prompts in ChatGPT or Perplexity to see how your brand appears, or if it appears at all. Or contact GreenHouse to explore GEO for a comprehensive audit of your brand’s visibility in AI. 

Important clarifications

A few clarifications as you begin planning:

• No one has GEO fully figured out. This is an emerging space that is still taking shape.
• GEO is not solely a tech or SEO responsibility. It requires collaboration across PR, marketing, and digital teams.
• AI behaviors and content sources are shifting quickly. Active monitoring and ongoing adjustments are essential.
• Hallucinations and misattributions happen. If your brand is not shaping the narrative, AI will make it up for you.

Looking Ahead: AI and the Future of PR

As generative platforms continue to shape how people search for and consume information, the role of communications and PR professionals is expanding. Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is quickly moving from a niche concept to a core component of brand reputation management. It’s no longer enough to focus on traditional search rankings; visibility now depends on how your brand is represented in AI-generated answers that audiences increasingly rely on.

Success in this environment will require a shift in mindset. Rather than viewing AI tools as a threat to established practices, communications teams will need to understand and work with them. This means learning how these platforms source, interpret, and present information, and making strategic adjustments so that owned and earned content is optimized for AI discovery.

The brands that integrate GEO into their communications strategies early will be better positioned to maintain both visibility and credibility. By adapting now, PR teams can ensure their organizations remain top voices in their industries, even as search behavior moves further into the AI era.

If you’re leading communications in the building products or trade space, now is the time to ensure your brand has a seat at the table in generative search. 

If you’re interested in exploring how GreenHouse can support your GEO efforts, get in touch here.