Tag: GEO

  • Doing More With Less: A Realistic Guide to GEO-Friendly Content for Small Teams

    Doing More With Less: A Realistic Guide to GEO-Friendly Content for Small Teams

    If you’re part of a small marketing team — or you’re flying solo like me — chances are you’ve felt a little overwhelmed by the ever-expanding checklist of what makes a blog post “good” these days. It’s not just about writing something insightful anymore.

    If you want your content to perform in organic search, surface well in generative engine overviews (GEO), and actually help your brand grow, you’re now told to add charts, audio clips, contextual embeds, dynamic updates, schema, interactive tools, video recaps, and more.

    Great in theory. But when you’re already stretched thin, it can feel more like an obstacle course than a checklist.

    Let’s break this down: what’s actually feasible for small teams (and freelancers), what’s probably not, and how to approach GEO- and AI-friendly content creation without losing your mind or your momentum.

    What small teams can realistically do to optimize for GEO

    If you’re aiming to create content that shows up in both search results and generative summaries, here are the low-to-moderate lift tactics that can move the needle without burying your bandwidth.

    1. Write robust, structured content
    GEO tools and AI overviews rely heavily on clean structure and clear answers. That means thoughtful H2 and H3 headings that mirror user queries, well-formatted explanations, and concise definitions where appropriate. Ask yourself: Could ChatGPT summarize this blog post easily? If the answer is yes, you’re on the right track.

    2. Add “last updated” timestamps
    This is one of the easiest wins on the list. A quick timestamp gives your content a freshness signal for both search engines and AI, and it reassures human readers that the info is current.

    3. Include mini case studies when you can
    Got a recent win or internal example? Fold it into your post, even if it’s just a paragraph or two. Real results beat hypotheticals in the eyes of both algorithms and readers.

    4. Use “real” images … selectively
    You probably don’t have time to create custom photography or elaborate illustrations. But you can include simple visuals — like screenshots, product UIs, or even lightly branded Canva graphics — that support your points. Aim for helpfulness, not fluff.

    5. Consider schema, especially FAQ and speakable tags
    You don’t have to go deep here. If you’re working with a developer or a CMS that supports it, adding basic schema (FAQ, speakable, how-to) to structured content is a manageable way to improve visibility.

    What you probably can’t do without help

    It’s not defeatist to say some of this is outside your current reach. It’s strategic. Here are the higher-lift enhancements that might be better saved for cornerstone pieces, or revisited later when you’ve got more support.

    1. Interactive tools and calculators
    Unless you’ve already got a widget or app built, don’t waste time trying to code up a quiz or ROI calculator just to hit a checklist item. It’s not worth it for every blog post.

    2. Audio clips or vertical video summaries
    These can be powerful engagement tools, but they require either A) someone comfortable on camera/audio or B) editing skills. Could you add a quick 30-second Loom recap? Maybe. But don’t force it if it slows your output to a crawl.

    3. Custom infographics and complex visuals
    Design resources can be precious, or nonexistent. If you’re working solo, it’s usually better to provide a clear chart prompt or rough sketch to your designer later. Or, use something like Canva to produce a simplified version that helps break up the post.

    How to think about GEO content when you’re a team of one

    At Hustle Double, I focus on making small teams look big. That means creating content strategies that punch above their weight. If you’re on a lean team, your first goal shouldn’t be “perfect content.” It should be useful, visible, and scalable content.

    Start with clean structure. Add value. Look for opportunities to plug in case studies, stats, and visuals as you go, not as a requirement for every post. When you’re ready to level up, circle back and enhance the content that’s already proving its worth.

    Need help identifying which blog posts to enhance and how? Start with a free 5-minute content audit. I’ll take a quick look at your site and send over actionable ideas for what to update and where to focus next.

    Final thought

    You don’t need to check every box on someone else’s list. You need to make smart, strategic progress with the resources you have, and keep building from there. That’s what the Hustle Double mindset is all about: maximizing impact with the tools at hand, and always looking for the extra base when others settle for first.

  • What B2B Marketers Need to Know About Preparing for AI-Generated Search

    What B2B Marketers Need to Know About Preparing for AI-Generated Search

    Whether it’s directly via AI prompts or Google’s AI Overviews leading search results, AI is fundamentally changing how buyers find answers to their questions and, thus, how content is being created.

    As search engines evolve to prioritize conversational AI-generated answers, traditional SEO tactics aren’t enough. That’s because the content that surfaces first isn’t always the best optimized for keywords, or even who bidded the most to get to the top. It’s the content that helps AI provide helpful, fast, structured answers.

    For B2B marketers, this shift represents both a challenge and an opportunity. If your content is invisible to generative search, you risk being cut out of early buying conversations entirely. But if you understand how to align your content with AI systems, you can establish authority in a space your competitors may be ignoring.

    Here’s what you need to know, and what to do next.

    1. Understand how AI surfaces content

    AI-generated results pull from high-quality sources that offer structured, contextually rich information. Instead of relying solely on traditional ranking factors like backlinks or domain authority, these systems look for:

    • Clear, unambiguous answers to specific questions
    • Entities and concepts that map to a knowledge graph
    • Semantic depth and topical authority
    • Credibility signals like citations, author bios, and freshness

    In other words, the winner in AI search is the best explainer, not necessarily the most optimized page.

    2. Structure your content for AI consumption

    Format matters more than ever. Walls of text may work for humans with time, but not for AI trained to skim, parse, and summarize at scale.

    Make your content easier for generative AI to reference:

    • Use H2s that match likely user queries
    • Include concise, direct answers in the first 2-3 sentences
    • Break complex ideas into bullet points or numbered lists
    • Add definition boxes or Q&A-style sections
    • Refresh pages with new stats or links to maintain relevance

    Think of it like this: if your content could be lifted directly into an AI-generated answer, you’re doing it right.

    3. Invest in entity-based optimization

    Search engines and AI models increasingly rely on entities (people, companies, tools, concepts) instead of just keywords. Content that connects those entities clearly, consistently, and contextually is more likely to be surfaced.

    B2B marketers should:

    • Ensure consistent naming of products, personas, industries, and integrations
    • Use schema markup where possible
    • Interlink pages to establish topical depth and context

    For example, instead of writing “our platform,” say “[Company name] applicant tracking system” with surrounding context that helps AI understand its role in the hiring process.

    4. Build for credibility and freshness

    AI models value trust. That means:

    • Including author bios with credentials and links to social proof
    • Citing sources (ideally with outbound links to reputable domains)
    • Keeping content up to date (and noting last update dates visibly)

    Freshness and transparency matter. Old, anonymous blog posts with no citations? Those are increasingly invisible in AI results.

    5. Watch your analytics differently

    You might start seeing high-impression, low-click content. That doesn’t mean it’s failing, but it could mean your content is fueling AI answers in zero-click environments.

    Track:

    • Branded and non-branded search impressions
    • Featured snippet appearances
    • Changes in dwell time, not just bounce
    • Assisted conversions and “view-through” behaviors

    Visibility isn’t just about clicks anymore. It’s about being referenced, summarized, and trusted by systems your buyers use.

    6. Become part of the training data

    Most AI tools don’t go fetch fresh answers in real time. They generate responses based on their training data. And, unless your content is part of that foundation, it may never be referenced.

    That’s why long-term content authority matters more than ever.

    Focus on building content that:

    • Gets linked to and cited across the web
    • Uses language that clearly defines its domain expertise
    • Appears on high-quality domains with consistent messaging

    In the age of generative AI, your content needs to be more than relevant. It needs to be memorable to the machine.

    Final thoughts

    B2B marketers who ignore AI search are playing last year’s game. But those who adapt early can earn authority in ways their competitors can’t easily copy.

    It won’t be enough to publish more. You’ll need to publish better:

    • More structured
    • More trustworthy
    • More aligned with how machines summarize and recommend

    The winners in this new era will be the ones who think not just about rankings, but about readiness for discovery in an AI-first world.