Generative engines prefer rich, informative content. By including concrete data and visuals (with proper descriptions), you not only enhance user experience but also give AI more to work with:
- Statistics and Numbers: If you can incorporate relevant stats or findings, do it. For example, “85% of users report improved efficiency after using [Your Product].” These specifics stand out. An AI might or might not cite the stat, but presence of quantitative data can increase your content’s credibility. Importantly, reference the source of the stat (even if it’s your own research, say so). As noted earlier, content with stats and citations had a higher chance of being picked up by AI. The AI might include a phrase like “according to a 2024 study by [Your Company], 85% of users…” – which is perfect GEO success, since the AI is disseminating your data with attribution.
- Quotes from Experts: Inserting quotes from recognized experts or publications about the topic can make your content a one-stop source. For instance, “John Doe, author of Widget Science, says, ‘Widget recycling is crucial for sustainability.’” The presence of such quotes was another factor found to boost content’s inclusion by AI. Possibly because it adds credibility and multi-source richness. Just ensure the quotes are genuinely relevant and enhance understanding.
- Examples and Scenarios: AI often tries to give users examples to illustrate points. If your content already contains examples, the AI might use them directly (or adapt them). For example, if explaining a concept, use an analogy or scenario – the AI might love that as it makes the answer more engaging. If you have case studies or user stories, even better. An AI answering “How to implement X” might say “For instance, Company Y implemented X and saw Z results” – that could be drawn from your case study.
- Images and Alt Text: While generative text models don’t parse images, some search experiences do show images alongside answers (SGE often shows a carousel of images from sources). Ensure every image on your content has descriptive alt text. That way, if an AI system associates your image with the answer, it has context. Also consider creating simple infographics or diagrams for complex processes – not only can these rank in image search, but an AI might reference the info (if the infographic text is also present in the page). For instance, if you have a chart of “Widget popularity by year” with a caption/alt “Chart: Widget popularity grew 200% from 2020 to 2024,” an AI might include that insight.
- Videos and Transcripts: If you have video content (tutorials, webinars), include transcripts or detailed descriptions. YouTube transcripts are sometimes used by Google to answer queries (and thus could feed SGE). If your CEO explained a concept in a video, having the transcript means that content can enter the AI’s training or retrieval set. It’s another avenue to have your expertise captured.
- Code or Pseudocode: If your audience is developers or if instructions can be expressed as pseudo-code or formulas, include those. Stack Overflow data was heavily used in training early ChatGPT for coding help. If you can provide a code snippet (with explanation) for how to do something, AI may find it and even present it to a user asking for code. (Make sure to license any code appropriately for usage if it’s substantial – though small snippets are usually fine.)
- Content Length: There’s no hard rule on length; long-form can succeed as long as it’s well-structured (with jump links, etc.). However, consider adding a concise summary or key takeaways section in long articles. A bullet list summary at the top (“In this article, we will learn: …”) could be directly lifted by an AI as a quick answer summary or used to understand the content’s key points quickly. Bing’s AI has been observed to sometimes enumerate points if the source content has a clear list.
The overarching principle is to make your content comprehensive and self-contained for the topic it covers. The ideal scenario is that an AI, in forming an answer, wouldn’t need to go anywhere else because your page had definition, steps, examples, and references all in one.