The growing importance of GEO

Large language models or LLMs are becoming an increasingly common research tool in our everyday lives. There is growing evidence that audiences, particularly Gen Z and Millennials, are favouring AI over Google search results. On report found that two-thirds of Gen Z consumers use tools like ChatGPT for work and person tasks, while 52% of millennials rely on LLMs for work purposes.

Some 810 million people use ChatGPT daily and Google AI overviews reach 1.5 billion monthly users. AI overviews are also reducing website visits, with Google AI overviews reducing website visits by between 30-70%.

Inevitably, ensuring content is optimised for LLM needs to become a key component of a brand's strategy.

And so, while traditional keyword optimisation or SEO (which is used to drive traffic to websites) still has a place, citation optimisation, or GEO (generative optimisation) needs to take greater precedence in order to raise brand awareness.

Why is third-party content so important to build GEO?

An analysis of 23,000+ branded LLM citations found that nearly half of citations came from earned media while only 23% came from owned brand content, showing that brands need to optimise beyond their own site to be visible in AI answers.

This validates the importance of earned content (or editorial) in 2026, and with it the importance of PR. Research published by Edelman last year found that 90% of the citations used by LLMs come from earned media.

The reason is straightforward: LLMs are designed to prioritise signals of credibility, consensus and authority. Third-party articles, reviews, expert commentary and publisher content effectively act as trust signals for AI systems in the same way backlinks once did for traditional search engines.

Important to note here that paywall-free content is more likely to be found and cited by LLMs, and so brands may need to reassess their media target list. With most broadsheets now behind a paywall, publications without a paywall will need to become a vital tool in building brand awareness.

When it comes to owned content, human content will need to be prioritised in order achieve greater visibility, as GEO (or AEO (answer led optimisation)) favours a conversational tone, which mirrors natural language patters.

Interestingly, some LLMs take note of brand content more than others. Claude and Perplexity deliver more results on 'first-party' mentions than Chat GPT.

Balancing earned and owned content is going to be vital going forward in order to establish credibility and brand awareness.

How should GEO be used in legal content articles?

1. Sound human: LLMs prioritise content that reads and sounds human. Structuring articles to answer questions that someone is likely to ask an LLM is vital. Self-contained ‘answer-blocks’ are crucial, so consider including five to seven FAQ’s under each article, which concise 50 to 60 word answers.

2. Update content: Content that is updated within two months earns 28% more citations in LLMs than older content.

3. Optimise for readability: Short paragraphs, logical headings, bullet points and easy-to-read sentence structure are crucial.

4. Build topic clusters: Create topic hubs, which contain all content relating to a topic. For example, a conveyancing hub should include all articles on that topic. Use internal links to relevant pages as well as categories and tags. Consistency in internal linking helps establish authority and makes it easier for search engines and LLMs to understand the relationship between subjects and areas of expertise.

5. Demonstrate authority and expertise: Reference legislation, government guidance, case law and expert commentary throughout articles. Legal content that includes credible sources and original professional insight is more likely to be treated as trustworthy by LLMs.