Why 2025 Will Be the Year of ChatGPT Search and GEO

“Google it” as a verb is under siege. As 2025 approaches, a generational shift in the world of search engines and content optimization has already begun. The rise of conversational AI like ChatGPT Search, Perplexity, Amazon RUFUS & Walmart Walby are redefining our relationship with information and search. ChatGPT is already the 10th most visited website in the world, and prompting users to set them as their default search option. Perplexity, an insurgent scale-up, gets +100m queries a week, growing at 25% MoM. According to Andreessen Horowitz, 60% of US consumers used an AI chatbot to research or decide on a product in the last 30 day.

Search has become conversational - the average query on Perplexity is between 10 to 11 words, vs the average query on Google, which is 2 to 3 keywords. 50% of Perplexity queries result in follow-up questions. To rank on these new Large Language Models like Amazon COSMO, businesses must adapt to a new optimization strategy beyond Search Engine Optimization: Generative Engine Optimization (GEO). 

What is GEO?

Unlike traditional search engines that display ranked lists of websites, generative engines create comprehensive responses by synthesizing information from multiple sources. The authors of the Generate Engine Optimization Science paper from Princeton (below) demonstrated that whilst traditional SEO techniques like keyword stuffing proved ineffective for Large Language Models (mirroring many Amazon Seller’s lived experienced on the COSMO Algorithm); GEO can  boost content visibility by up to 40% across diverse queries and domains. They establish this through a comprehensive benchmark of 10,000 queries from various domains, to evaluate optimization strategies. 

Seven ways to GEO for discoverability on ChatGPT Search in 2025

1. Ask ChatGPT about your brand, and audit the response

Start by simply asking ChatGPT about your brand to evaluate how it’s represented, or key questions your customers could be searching for which you want to be discovered. Review the citations provided to identify gaps or inaccuracies and update the underlying content to ensure your brand is accurately and authoritatively portrayed in generative search results how you would want it to be.

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2. Craft Semantic, Intent-Based Copy

The key to GEO is understanding your audience's pain points and questions. Generative engines prioritize user intent over simple keyword matching. Craft detailed, structured product descriptions, how-to guides, and engaging visuals that align with these needs. Comprehensive content ensures that engines like ChatGPT recognize and prioritize your offerings.

Example: If you're selling headphones, create content that directly answers questions like "What are the best headphones for noise cancellation?" or "How do I connect Bluetooth headphones to my TV?"

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3. Collaborate with ChatGPT's Content Partners

OpenAI has formed licensing agreements with major news organizations and publishers to legally incorporate their content into AI training datasets, while compensating publishers fairly for their work. These include the American Journalism Project, AP (Associated Press), The Atlantic, BuzzFeed, Le Monde, News Corp (which includes the likes of the The Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, MarketWatch), Reddit, Vox Media, World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) that includes the likes of Daily Express, Daily Mirror, Daily Star and The Financial Times. Getting your brand mentioned in authoritative news sources, especially ones with formal partnerships with ChatGPT, will boost your rankings on Search as these mentions serve as strong signals of credibility and relevance. You can see the full list of ChatGPT partnerships here. 

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4. Enhance Your Ranking in Bing

As Bing underpins many generative engines, including ChatGPT, traditional SEO efforts for Bing remain relevant. Start by claiming and optimizing your Bing Places for Business listing, which is Bing's equivalent of Google My Business. This enhances local search visibility and ensures accurate information about your business. Bing also heavily integrates with Microsoft products like Windows, Edge, and Cortana, meaning optimizing for voice search and ensuring your site is accessible through these platforms can boost rankings. Additionally, Bing places a stronger emphasis on rich media, so incorporating high-quality images and videos, as well as submitting a comprehensive XML sitemap through Bing Webmaster Tools, can help Bing crawl and rank your content more effectively.

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5. Create a CustomGPT

Creating a custom GPT can help you appear on ChatGPT's search by tailoring the assistant to provide highly specialized and relevant information within your niche or industry. Custom GPTs allow you to define your unique expertise, upload proprietary data, and craft responses that stand out in specific searches. By optimizing the name, description, and use cases of your custom GPT, you increase its discoverability in ChatGPT’s browsing and exploration features. Additionally, offering clear and concise expertise aligned with popular user queries in your domain can attract more engagement, positioning your custom GPT as a go-to resource for users searching for tailored assistance.

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6. Remember E-E-A-T Principles

Good old-fashioned Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T) are still critical in generative search landscapes. Content backed by data, expert insights, and comparative analysis will perform better. Add elements like side-by-side comparisons, detailed reviews, and credible citations to enhance your content's GEO performance.

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7. Use Ecomtent

At Ecomtent, we are focused on helping Sellers, Retailers and Brands optimize for AI-powered search. We have a unique team of AI researchers, and have been helping customers with this problem since the very earliest days of ChatGPT. Our customers now include household name brands, and we are backed by eBay Ventures and other top-tier VCs. See our case studies for more details. 

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Conclusion

The rise of generative engines like ChatGPT is reshaping the search landscape, placing a greater emphasis on semantic understanding and user intent. As we enter 2025, we enter an era similar to the early 2000s, when in nine years, Google went from having under half the users of Yahoo to 10x them and the dominant search engine thanks to their page rank algorithm. Businesses that adapt to this shift through Generative Engine Optimization now have a chance to get ahead of their competitors. Prepare for the year of ChatGPT Search—because the future of discovery is generative.

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