Tag: generative engine optimization

  • Will Scott to Lead Generative Engine Optimization Master Class on October 7

    Search is no longer limited to ten blue organic links. Today, platforms like Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, and Perplexity generate direct answers that change how people discover information.

    If your content isn’t optimized for these generative engines, you risk being left out of the results entirely.

    On October 7, 2025 (11:00 am – 4:45 pm ET), Search Influence CEO and Co-Founder Will Scott will lead a live, online Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) Master Class with Search Engine Land. This intensive session will show SEO professionals and content strategists how to align with AI-driven search while continuing to perform in traditional results.

    Why AI SEO Can’t Wait

    AI-powered search surfaces content differently than Google’s organic results. Instead of ranking pages, these engines parse entities, measure authority, and pull contextual answers.

    For marketers, that means adapting keyword strategy, strengthening trust signals, and structuring content so AI systems can cite it directly.

    Will Scott, who coined the term “barnacle SEO,” has long helped businesses prepare for shifts in digital visibility. His GEO Master Class is designed to provide a practical framework so marketers can maintain and expand reach across both AI-driven and traditional search environments.

    What the Master Class Covers

    Fundamentals of GEO

    Learn how generative engines interpret relevance, authority, and citations, and what that means for your content.

    Content Structuring for AI

    Explore formatting and entity optimization techniques that improve your chances of being cited in AI-generated responses.

    Keyword Strategy for AI Queries

    Move beyond static keywords and into conversational phrasing, questions, and modifiers that trigger AI responses without losing organic visibility.

    Competitive Analysis for AI Visibility

    See how competitors perform in generative results, where opportunities exist, and how to adapt their wins to your own strategy.

    Authority and Trust Signals

    Understand how AI systems assess brand authority and what steps you can take to strengthen recognition.

    Measurement and Iteration

    Gain tools and frameworks for tracking appearances in AI answers and adjusting content accordingly.

    Future Outlook

    Get an informed view of what’s next in AI search and how to prepare your strategy today.

    Who Should Attend

    This training is built for content strategists, SEO specialists, and digital marketers with 2–5 years of experience who need actionable techniques for AI SEO. Whether you manage in-house content or work with multiple clients, the session will equip you with skills to keep visibility strong in a generative-first world.

    Agenda at a Glance (ET)

    • 11:00–12:15 — GEO fundamentals: entities, citations, and semantic relevance
    • 12:30–1:45 — Keyword and entity optimization, with a schema deep dive
    • 2:00–3:15 — AI-ready content strategies and hands-on competitive analysis
    • 3:30–4:45 — Measurement, tools, and a forward look at AI search

    About Will Scott

    With decades of experience in SEO and digital marketing, Will Scott has been at the forefront of shifts in search behavior. Beyond leading Search Influence, he has presented at SMX, Pubcon, and LocalU, sharing strategies on AI-driven search and optimization.

    Earlier this year, he led a two-day AI for SEO Master Class with SMX and presented at LocalU Global on using AI for local search. His upcoming session with Search Engine Land builds on that momentum, offering professionals practical frameworks they can apply immediately.

    “Marketers don’t need to abandon SEO. They need to evolve it,” Scott explains. “Generative Engine Optimization is about ensuring your content is both discoverable by AI systems and valuable to human readers.”

    Register Now

    The Generative Engine Optimization Master Class will be held live online on October 7, 2025, from 11:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. ET. Registration is $249 and includes on-demand access.

    Don’t miss your chance to learn directly from Will Scott and gain practical skills for AI SEO.

    Register now to secure your spot.

     

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  • SMX Advanced Boston Session: Will Scott on “5 Key Insights for Mastering Generative Engine Optimization”

    5 Key Insights for Mastering Generative Engine Optimization

    This past June, Search Influence Co-Founder and CEO Will Scott attended SMX Advanced Boston to speak on one of the most pressing topics in digital marketing today: Generative Engine Optimization (GEO).

    His session, “5 Key Insights for Mastering Generative Engine Optimization,” took place on Friday, June 13, from 1:45 to 2:15 PM ET.

    This fast-paced, tactical talk explored how marketers can improve their visibility in AI-generated search results across platforms like Google AI Overviews, Bing Copilot, and ChatGPT Search.

    Catch a preview of what was discussed in this video interview with Will Scott and Danny Goodwin, Editorial Director of Search Engine Land and Search Marketing Expo.

    Why Generative Engine Optimization Matters

    A model of brain synapses

    AI-powered search is rapidly transforming how content is discovered, ranked, and served. Instead of simply matching keywords, today’s generative engines rely on a mix of structured data, recognized entities, and conversational language to deliver summarized results.

    These changes aren’t just reshaping rankings. They’re redefining what “findability” means in search.

    To stay competitive, marketers need to understand how these systems retrieve and prioritize information. In “5 Key Insights for Mastering Generative Engine Optimization,” Will outlined five critical tactics to help SEOs adapt their strategies for the AI-first search world.

    After attending, marketers walked away with a clearer understanding of how to:

    • Align content with recognizable entities and structured data to improve AI relevance
    • Enhance visibility by incorporating sources and signals that reinforce trust
    • Evaluate how content performs across AI-generated search results using AI SEO tracking tools
    • Refine SEO tactics to accommodate conversational and predictive search

    About Will Scott

    Will Scott has been at the forefront of SEO for over two decades, helping marketers adapt to constant shifts in how content is discovered and ranked.

    In 2006, he co-founded Search Influence with his wife, Angie, and has since led the agency in supporting thousands of clients through everything from technical site fixes to the emergence of AI in SEO.

    He’s internationally recognized for his contributions to the industry and is credited with coining the term “barnacle SEO” in 2008 — a strategy still used today to build visibility through high-authority platforms.

    This spring, Will led a two-day Generative Engine Optimization Master Class for SMX, delivering practical guidance on content structure, entity optimization, and tracking AI search performance. He also presented at LocalU Global, sharing AI-powered strategies for streamlining local SEO efforts.

    In addition to leading Search Influence, Will regularly contributes to marketing publications and speaks at industry conferences such as Pubcon, offering insight into the evolving relationship between AI and SEO.

    Take Your AI SEO Strategy Further

    The words 'AI' with a robot hand and human hand

    The SMX Advanced session offered a sharp look into what matters most for AI SEO. But when the session ended, the real challenge began: taking those insights and turning them into action for your institution.

    That’s where our SEO Roadmap comes in.

    SEO Roadmap: A clear path to SEO success

    Built specifically for higher education marketers, the SEO Roadmap is a short-term, high-impact engagement that goes deep on one top degree program. It gives you a focused, testable plan you can implement immediately and scale strategically.

    Each SEO Roadmap includes four key components of a comprehensive SEO strategy:

    • Keyword Strategy: Targeted terms based on search demand, competition, and AI-query relevance
    • Content Strategy: Page-level guidance for structure, on-page optimization, and entity inclusion
    • Technical SEO: Fixes and enhancements to help search engines (and AI models) crawl and index your site more effectively
    • Authority & Link Building: Tactics to boost your trust signals and visibility in both traditional and AI-generated search results

    You’ll gain prioritized recommendations and clear next steps so your team knows what to do now and what to build toward next.

     

    Ready to start with one program and scale your results?

    Contact us to build a future-ready AI search strategy that drives enrollment.

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