The definition worth using
Generative engine optimization makes a site easy to read, quote and verify. The reader is a system that answers questions in prose.
It is a writing and structure discipline. It is not a ranking system, because there is no published ranking system to optimize against.
A filled page review
Brightwater Dental, the implants page, reviewed against the factors a site can control.
controllable
1. one clear claim per page present: implants replace a missing root
2. headings that describe the section present: cost, timeline, aftercare
3. definitions that stand alone one paragraph reads correctly out of context
4. dates on facts that decay missing: a recovery window with no date
5. named authorship missing on the page, present in the footer
6. structured data that matches practice yes, this page no
7. renders without javascript present
not controllable
- which model answers a question
- which sources it read
- whether the answer cites anybody
- how often the answer changes
three fixes, in order
1. date the recovery claims, and attribute them
2. add one page-level author line
3. add structured data that matches the visible page
Why the list is short
Most of GEO is a restatement of writing clearly and marking up what is already on the page. A machine reading for a quotation wants what a person wants.
Acceptance: the review is done when
- every controllable factor has a present or missing result
- each missing factor has a fix and an owner
- the fixes are visible to a reader, not only in markup
- nothing on the page promises a citation or an answer
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| No quotable sentence | The page opens with marketing | Move the answer to the first two sentences |
| An answer quotes an old figure | The page has no date | Date the claim, or remove it |
| Structured data does not match | A template block was reused | Make the markup describe this page |
| Nobody can say who wrote it | No author line | Add one, with the practice name |
| A client wants a guarantee | Nobody can give one | Show the review and the reading limits |
Limits
Refuse a promise of citations. Refuse a claim that a file guarantees an answer. Refuse a service that cannot show its prompt set and its method.
Nothing here replaces the ordinary work. That means a page which answers a real question, and the measurement to see whether it did.