Generative Engine Optimization (GEO): a silent revolution with major effects for the press

Denis Zacon,

Consultant in GenAI

Founder of AI Skills, specialized in the implementation of Artificial Intelligence solutions

Artificial intelligence (AI) has fundamentally transformed the way we search for information online, shifting the focus from simple keywords to complex concepts. If, in the past, the results of our searches depended on the exact match of some terms, today modern AI-based search engines interpret the context and user intent. This leads to more relevant and accurate results, even when the words in the query do not appear verbatim in the answers. Investor and visionary Naval Ravikant summarized this change by stating that ‘AI lets you search by concepts instead of keywords,’ emphasizing the radical impact of this technology on the digital universe.

This transition is also confirmed by SEO specialists and leaders of major technology companies. Former Head of Search at Google, Ben Gomes, explained that AI allows search engines to understand the relations between words, identifying semantic connections and providing users with relevant answers, even if they do not contain any keywords in the query. And Google CEO, Sundar Pichai, has described the transition to AI search as one of the most important innovations in the history of online search, highlighting that intelligent systems generate ‘overviews’ (so-called summaries) based on concepts, not just exact phrasing.

This fundamental change in how people search for and consume information has given rise to a new concept: Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), meaning optimization for generative AI response engines. A ‘generative engine’ does not simply list links, but reads multiple sources simultaneously, interprets them, and composes a natural-language answer, often attaching references to the sources it used.

The difference from traditional SEO is both mechanical and results-oriented: SEO focuses on ranking links in a search engine (e.g., Google) for specific queries, while GEO refers to how content is selected, synthesized, and cited within an AI-generated response (e.g., ChatGPT). In other words, the focus shifts from ‘what position your article has in Google results’ to ‘whether and how the content of your article is referenced as a source in an AI-generated answer’.

Practically, when a user asks, for example, ‘What are the main statements of the Minister of Agriculture regarding the 2025 harvest’, the system goes through all the articles where the minister is mentioned on this subject and synthesizes them into a single coherent answer, and then displays several publications as sources. GEO changes exactly this reality: visibility is no longer measured only by its presence in a Google results list, but by inclusion as a source in AI-generated answers.

WHY THIS MATTERS FOR THE MEDIA

The new form of searching information has led to a dramatic decrease in website accesses, especially for the online press, where the so-called ‘zero-click’ phenomenon has been created – a situation when users obtain the answer directly in the search results on platforms such as ChatGPT, without visiting the source website. According to international studies (see here), over 58% of Google searches now end without any click to external websites. Forecasts suggest this figure will exceed 70% by the end of 2025.

For the press in the Republic of Moldova, this trend is particularly problematic, because local news portals largely depend on organic traffic for their economic sustainability. And when users receive information directly from ChatGPT, Perplexity and, more recently, from Google’s AI Overviews, there is no longer any motivation to visit the original website.

However, there are several strategic solutions that local press can implement to better integrate into the new format of information search and consumption. To survive in the new era, media organizations in Moldova must radically transform their approach to content optimization by:

Strategy	Practical implementation	Benefits for the Moldovan press
Content Authority Building	Creation of own studies, exclusive surveys, original investigations	The media website/institution becomes the primary source of information, impossible to replace by AI
Answer-First Structuring	Structuring articles with direct answers in the first paragraphs. In this way, an AI searching for information can quickly obtain a response to the query without having to read the entire article	It increases chances of being cited in AI Overviews
Markup Implementation Scheme	Adding structured data to articles, FAQs, author biographies	It makes it easier for AI to understand content
E-E-A-T Optimization	Highlighting the experience, expertise, authority and trustworthiness of the media outlet and the author of the article	AI prefers sources with demonstrable credibility
Multi-Platform Distribution	Active distribution on Telegram, TikTok, YouTube, and podcasting	Diversification of traffic sources beyond search
Community Building	Newsletters, subscriptions, push notifications, and live events	Creation of a loyal audience, independent of algorithms

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is not just a technological trend, but the new reality of information distribution. However, this transformation does not mean the end of quality journalism. On the contrary, in a world flooded with automatically generated information, the value of original, verified and contextual journalism increases exponentially. AI cannot replace investigation, local expertise, or the ability to ask the right questions.

For the Moldovan press, the next two years will be decisive. Investing in GEO means, in concrete terms:

– a technical audit (structured data/Scheme for news, authors and FAQs, sitemap and clean feeds);

– rewriting materials in an answer-first format;

– production of original content that is easy to cite by models (studies, databases, chronologies, published methodologies);

– strengthening E-E-A-T (complete author biographies, pages about the editorial offices, visible editorial policies);

– monitoring appearances in AI Overviews/ChatGPT/Perplexity and regular testing of formats.

Along with diversifying traffic sources and building authentic brand authority, these are not just marketing strategies, but ways to survive in a rapidly transforming media ecosystem.

The article was written within the project “Resilient Media, Informed Voters: Safeguarding Moldova’s Elections from Disinformation”, funded by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Moldova. The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position of the donor.