Session 6 – Search, Keywords, SEO & GEO

Search engines and AI search

Help customers find information, evaluate options, and take a next step; modern search experiences can include links, answers, and task assistance

Organic vs. paid search

Organic = pages/sources selected by the search system without payment for placement; Paid = sponsored placements selected by an advertising system

Is AI search a third category alongside organic and paid search?

No; AI search can combine organic answers/sources with clearly labeled sponsored placements

Three stages of traditional search

Crawl → Index → Serve/rank; Crawling discovers/fetches pages, indexing processes and stores eligible content, and ranking retrieves and orders relevant results for a query

Role of AI in search

AI helps search systems interpret language and match meaning; generative AI can also compose the answer a customer reads

Simplified AI-search process

Interpret the customer's question/context/constraints → retrieve relevant pages or passages → combine information into an answer with supporting links

Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)

Generates an answer using information retrieved from websites/sources and can combine information from multiple sources

Query fan-out

Google's AI search can generate multiple related queries from one user query, searching different subtopics or information needs simultaneously

Why does query fan-out matter for marketers?

AI can break a larger question into smaller information needs, so marketers should provide the facts needed to address those needs rather than merely copy exact query wording

AI Overviews and clicks

The lecture notes that only about 1% of visits with an AI summary included a click on a source inside it

Search term vs. keyword

Search term/query = what a customer actually enters or asks; Keyword = term or phrase the marketer selects to target

Role of keywords in SEO vs. paid search

In SEO, keywords help relevant pages appear for customer searches; in paid search, they provide an input for matching ads with searches

Keyword targeting

Choose the best words and phrases rather than simply the most popular; consider competition level, search volume, and value of the visitor

Long-tail keyword phrase

A phrase of any length that receives a small amount of search traffic

Keyword demand curve

Popular/fat-head searches have greater individual volume and competition; more specific long-tail searches individually receive less traffic but collectively represent substantial demand

Fat head, chunky middle, and long tail

Fat head = 18.5% of total search volume; Chunky middle = 11.5%; Long tail = 70%

Quiz 4: Why can combined long-tail search volume exceed that of the most popular keywords?

There are a very large number of individually low-volume long-tail searches; collectively, the lecture shows them accounting for 70% of total search volume

Competition and conversion across the keyword demand curve

Moving toward more specific long-tail searches generally means lower competition and higher conversion rates

Why are popular keywords generally more competitive?

They receive more searches and attract more competitors

Long-tail keyword strategy

Prioritize lower-volume searches where the business can serve the customer especially well because they can offer better fit, more attainable opportunities, and portfolio value

How should long-tail opportunities be selected?

Consider relevance, competition, visitor value, and cost—not low search volume alone

Keyword research

Interview customers/people close to the business about goals, difficulties, and search behavior; combine their language with evidence from tools such as Google Trends, Keyword Planner, Search Console, and AI

SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

Process of modifying content, site characteristics, and content connections to affect a website's visibility in unpaid search results

Ultimate objective of SEO

Attract the right traffic whose search intent supports business objectives rather than pursuing rankings or traffic for their own sake

Why does SEO involve reverse engineering?

Marketers do not know exactly what algorithms search engines use, so they infer practices that help search systems understand and surface useful content

Three Cs of SEO

Content = useful, specific information; Crawlability = systems can access/process/navigate information; Credibility = claims are supported with evidence and relevant corroboration

On-site vs. off-site SEO

On-site = changes to your own site such as technical performance, content, keywords, titles, architecture, and UX; Off-site = external signals such as links and mentions from credible sites

White-hat vs. black-hat SEO

White-hat = legitimate user-focused practices that follow guidelines; Black-hat = deceptive ranking manipulation such as keyword stuffing, cloaking, or link farms that can result in penalties

Three basic stages of SEO strategy

Identify keywords → apply SEO techniques → measure results and optimize

SEO-friendly content

Helpful, reliable, current, original, clearly organized, and written for people rather than an algorithm

Modern-search content strategy

Answer meaningful questions, address concerns/constraints/decision criteria, provide specific facts/evidence/comparisons, state limitations, use relevant language naturally, and add useful images/video

Should marketers pursue a target keyword density?

No; use relevant language naturally rather than forcing a specific keyword density

Long-tail strategy across SEO, paid search, and AI search

SEO = organize related long-tail needs around useful pages; Paid search = use matching/search-term evidence and exclude irrelevant traffic; AI search = provide facts addressing specific needs, constraints, and subquestions

When should separate SEO pages be created?

When the underlying customer needs differ, not merely because keyword wording differs

SEO vs. GEO/AEO

SEO improves unpaid discovery of relevant pages; GEO/AEO improves inclusion and accurate representation in generated answers

Does GEO replace SEO?

No; GEO extends SEO and does not make the underlying SEO foundations obsolete

GEO/AEO objective

Make information retrievable and then help it be represented accurately in generated answers

Zero-click search

A customer gets enough information from the search/AI interface that they may never visit the company's website

Traditional visibility vs. AI visibility

Traditional visibility = ranking in a list; AI visibility = being included and accurately represented in a generated answer

How can AI search affect the AIDA funnel?

Traditional search primarily supports awareness and interest; AI search can increasingly influence interest, desire, and action by evaluating or narrowing options

Information Search Marketing (ISM)

Umbrella framework for managing brand visibility wherever consumers search for information

ISM framework

Traditional paid = SEM; Traditional organic = SEO; AI paid = GEM; AI organic = GEO

ISM memory trick

SEM : SEO = GEM : GEO — Paid : Organic, with the first pair for traditional search and the second for AI search

SEM vs. SEO

SEM = paid placement in traditional search; SEO = organic/unpaid visibility in traditional search

GEM vs. GEO

GEM = paid visibility within or alongside AI-generated responses; GEO = organically structure content so AI systems can retrieve, synthesize, and cite it

Improving site structure and page optimization

Use descriptive title tags, useful description meta tags, logical organization, accessible pages, clear navigation, relevant images/alt text, and understandable URLs

Image alt attributes

Use descriptive image names/alt text and place images near relevant text so their meaning is understandable

Search-friendly vs. canonical URL

Search-friendly URL clearly communicates page/content structure; Canonical URL specifies the preferred URL to index/show and helps consolidate link equity

Schema markup

Code added to tell search engines what content means, not merely what it says

Quiz 4: Why can schema markup help with GEO/AI answers?

It gives search systems structured meaning about content, helping them understand information that may be retrieved for generated answers

Authority and link building

Credible external sources recognizing and linking to content can strengthen authority; natural, high-quality links are preferable to manipulating backlink quantity

Link schemes / manufactured signals

Avoid fake reviews, manipulative link schemes, and unsupported expertise claims that may be treated as spam or scams

Measuring SEO

Consider keyword rankings, indexed pages, inbound links, organic traffic, and—most importantly—whether organic visitors contribute to business strategy and goals

Why can SEO measurement require patience?

SEO is a long-term strategy, so results may take weeks or months rather than appearing immediately

Five A's of search success

Authority = credibility/trust; Answers = useful intent-focused information; Arrangement = structure/encoding; Accountability = measurement/attribution; Agnostic Alignment = follow where customers actually search

Authority and Answers in the Five A's

Authority focuses on credibility/trust; Answers focuses on information that addresses customer intent and can be understood or synthesized by search systems

Arrangement and Accountability in the Five A's

Arrangement makes information technically understandable/retrievable; Accountability addresses measurement and attribution, which becomes harder with AI and zero-click influence

Agnostic Alignment in the Five A's

Do not become overly attached to one platform; marketers should follow where consumers actually search for information

Agent-friendly website/app

Prepare more than persuasive copy because AI agents may interact with screenshots, HTML/DOM, and accessibility structures

Four needs of an agent-friendly experience

Information = accurate facts such as price/availability; Interface = stable layout and labeled controls; Action path = clear next steps/status/errors; Control = authorization and confirmation before commitments

Evolution of search marketing

Rankings → answers; keywords → intent-rich questions; website clicks → possible zero-click decisions; SEO/SEM alone → SEO + SEM + GEO + GEM

Search marketing — big picture

The objective remains helping customers find and choose the brand, but where and how consumers search is changing