Optimizing content for GEO means fixing what audiences can’t see

3 things to know before you hit publish.

GEO isn’t only about writing clearly and structuring content in a way that’s easily scannable. It’s also about the descriptors and data that sit behind that content, said Brent Bowen, chief storyteller and founder at Sparkcade Marketing, speaking at Ragan’s Social Media Conference.

“It’s when you’re thinking about your behind-the-curtain elements,” he said.

This could be descriptions, tags, file names or other metadata that’s attached to a piece of content or video.

Even though these elements might seem unimportant, they’re actually critical details that help optimize content for AI search, Bowen said. This is what he said teams should consider to have better results.

1. Be clear about who it’s for and why it matters

Content descriptions are just as important, Bowen said. LLMs scan for relevant information or signals but cannot generally interpret context.

“You want to be incorporating things like who’s the intended audience, and what’s the value that you’re providing?” he said. This can be done for descriptions that are public-facing but also meta descriptions on social images or blog posts.

This will make it easier for LLMs to scan and surface relevant information when people go looking. Keep it simple and direct, Bowen said.

2. Answer more than one question

Don’t stop at a single keyword or idea in tags or descriptions, Bowen said.

Think about what else someone might ask an LLM. Add those related questions into your tags and descriptions, especially for video, he said. If you’re not sure what questions to include, look it up.

“A great resource is something like AnswerThePublic,” Bowen said. “It provides not just the initial question, but what people are branching off to.”

These tools show how people actually search, so you can match that language to your content tags, he said.

“All that behind the curtain work is really needed if you want to be discovered,” Bowen said.

3. Rename video files with relevant key phrases

Video file names matter more than most teams think, he said. They’re part of how AI understands your content.

“Key phrases that you would (use) for a search now need to be factored into the file naming,” Bowen said.

He gave a hypothetical example of a YouTube video that was uploaded with a clear title, something an audience could see, but a file name that was made up of letters and numbers, something audiences don’t see, but will surface in LLM results and possibly confuse it.

The clearer your video file name is, the easier it is for LLMs to recognize its purpose or function.

Skip complicated or nonobvious names that have nothing to do with the content. Naming a file something with shorthand phrases or version numbers will make it tougher for AI to make sense of, he said.

Use clear, searchable phrases that accurately describe what the content is all about. Don’t overthink it or overcomplicate it, he said.

Visit here to watch the full presentation and learn more about Ragan Training.

Courtney Blackann is a communications reporter. Connect with her on LinkedIn or email her at courtneyb@ragan.com.

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