Senast uppdaterad november 27, 2025 av Alexander Rydberg Ling

The most common mistake companies make when starting with Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is treating GEO like traditional SEO.

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Most teams assume that what works for Google—keywords, long-form content, backlink strategies, and search-volume targeting—will automatically work for generative engines like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or Perplexity. But GEO operates on entirely different principles.

Generative engines don’t “rank pages.” They select, summarize, and blend the sources that best help them answer a question.

That means keyword stuffing, search-driven content structures, and SEO-style intros do almost nothing for GEO. Instead, models prefer content that is:

• Clear
• Direct
• Well-structured
• Factually clean
• Easy to parse
• Organized in question-and-answer formats

When companies start GEO using SEO habits, their content often becomes dense, unclear, or overly optimized for keywords—making it much less likely to be used by generative systems.

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What Is Another Common Mistake Companies Make When Creating Content for GEO?

Another major mistake is writing content that is too vague, too fluffy, or too promotional—instead of content that is genuinely helpful and model-friendly.

Generative engines reward content that:

• Answers specific questions
• Includes definitions, steps, and examples
• Uses simple, unambiguous language
• Provides actionable insight
• Avoids marketing fluff

But many companies still write content like:

• “Our solution is the most innovative on the market…”
• “We lead the industry with cutting-edge technology…”
• “Customers trust us because…”

AI models typically ignore this content because it lacks educational value.

Instead, they favor content that explains:

• How something works
• Why something matters
• What steps someone should take
• What the differences between options are
• What problems the user is trying to solve

If your content doesn’t give clear, structured, factual answers, generative engines simply won’t use it.

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In Summary

Most common mistake:

Treating GEO like SEO and applying outdated keyword-based tactics.

Another major mistake:

Creating vague, promotional, or fluffy content instead of clear, structured, helpful information that generative engines can easily understand and use.

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