How to Build a GEO Content Strategy from Scratch

A GEO content strategy isn’t a separate strategy from SEO — it’s an evolution. You’re building content that ranks well on Google AND gets cited by AI search engines. The content quality bar is higher, the structural requirements are more specific, and the measurement framework includes citation tracking alongside traditional rankings.

Key takeaway: Start with your 3-5 most important topics. Build comprehensive pillar content for each. Structure every page for AI extraction (headings, tables, FAQs, definitions). Then expand outward with supporting content that builds topical authority. This relates closely to what we cover in Content for Position Zero: Win Snippets & AI.

What’s the Foundation of a GEO Content Strategy?

Every effective GEO content strategy starts with three elements: audience understanding, topic mapping, and competitive analysis.

Audience understanding for GEO:

Your audience uses AI search differently than traditional search. AI queries tend to be: For more on this, see our guide to Free GEO Audit Tools for AI Visibility.

• More conversational (“What’s the best CRM for a 10-person sales team?”)
• More specific (“Compare HubSpot and Salesforce pricing for startups”)
• More research-oriented (“Explain the pros and cons of cloud-based project management”)

To understand your audience’s AI search behavior: Our Landing Pages for AI-Referred Visitors guide covers this in detail.

1. List the 20 most common questions your sales team hears
2. Identify the comparison and evaluation queries in your space
3. Check which of these queries trigger AI Overviews on Google
4. Search Perplexity for these queries and note what sources are cited

Topic mapping:

Map your expertise into topic clusters:

Core Topic: Project Management Software
├── Pillar: Complete Guide to Project Management Software
├── Cluster 1: Comparisons
│   ├── Asana vs Monday.com
│   ├── Best PM tools for construction
│   └── Enterprise PM software comparison
├── Cluster 2: Implementation
│   ├── How to implement PM software
│   ├── PM software migration guide
│   └── Training team on new PM tools
├── Cluster 3: Features & Use Cases
│   ├── Gantt chart tools guide
│   ├── Resource management features
│   └── PM software for remote teams
└── Cluster 4: Buying & Evaluation
    ├── PM software pricing guide
    ├── PM software RFP template
    └── Total cost of PM software ownership

Each cluster becomes a content initiative. The pillar page is created first, then supporting pages build depth around it.

Competitive analysis for GEO:

Identify who gets cited for your target queries:

1. Run your top 30 queries on Perplexity and ChatGPT
2. Record every cited domain
3. Count citation frequency by domain
4. Analyze the cited pages for structural patterns

This reveals:

• Your direct GEO competitors (may differ from SEO competitors)
• Content formats that get cited (guides, comparisons, data reports)
• Structural elements common among cited pages (FAQs, tables, step-by-step)
• Content gaps where no strong source exists (your opportunity)

How Do You Plan Content for Maximum AI Citation?

Content prioritization matrix:

Score each potential content piece on four factors: As we discuss in Why JavaScript Kills Your AI Visibility, this is a critical factor.

Content with high citation opportunity and high business value gets priority — even if search volume is moderate. If you want to go deeper, How to Write Answer Units — Paragraphs AI Can Quote breaks this down step by step.

Content types ranked by citation potential:

The pillar-first approach:

For each topic cluster, create the pillar page first:

• 3,000-5,000 words
• 10-15 H2 sections (question format)
• 2-3 comparison tables
• 3-5 FAQs with schema
• Original data or unique insights
• Internal links to supporting pages (add as they’re published)

Then create supporting pages that go deeper on specific subtopics: (We explore this further in Why Every Page Needs an FAQ Section for GEO.)

• 2,000-3,500 words each
• 6-10 H2 sections
• Link back to the pillar
• Cross-link to other supporting pages in the cluster

What Does the Content Creation Process Look Like?

Content brief template for GEO:

Title: [Question-format primary heading]
Primary keyword: [keyword] (volume: X, KD: Y)
Supporting keywords: [list from cluster]
Target word count: [3,000-5,000 for pillar, 2,000-3,500 for support]

AI Citation Analysis:
- Currently cited sources for this query: [list]
- What they cover: [topics]
- What they miss (our opportunity): [gaps]

Required Elements:
- [ ] 8-12 H2 sections (question format)
- [ ] 2+ comparison tables
- [ ] 3-5 FAQs with answers
- [ ] Citable definition statements
- [ ] Original data/insights
- [ ] Author bio and credentials
- [ ] Internal links to cluster pages
- [ ] Last updated date

Content Outline:
H2: [Question 1]
  - Key points to cover
  - Data/examples to include
H2: [Question 2]
  - Key points to cover
  - Data/examples to include
[...]

Unique Value Proposition:
What does this content offer that existing cited sources don't?

Writing for AI citation:

Every section should contain at least one “citable statement” — a clear, factual sentence that directly answers a question:

• ✅ “The average implementation cost for enterprise CRM is $75,000-$150,000, including customization, data migration, and training.”
• ❌ “CRM implementation can be expensive and varies depending on many factors.”

The first version is citable — an AI can extract it as a fact. The second is vague and useless for citation.

Publishing and optimization workflow:

1. Write content following the brief
2. Add all structured data (Article schema, FAQPage schema)
3. Optimize heading hierarchy and table formatting
4. Add internal links to and from existing cluster pages
5. Publish with correct date metadata
6. Submit URL to Google Search Console for indexing
7. Monitor citation appearance across AI engines (starting week 2)
8. Update content at 60-90 day intervals

How Do You Measure GEO Content Strategy Success?

Monthly metrics:

Content-level tracking:

For each published page, track:

• Date published / last updated
• Queries tracked for this page
• Citation rate across engines
• Google ranking for primary keyword
• Monthly organic traffic
• Conversion rate

This per-page tracking reveals which content types and structures produce the best GEO results, informing future content decisions.

Strategy review cadence:

• Weekly: Check citation rates, monitor new content performance
• Monthly: Review content calendar adherence, analyze citation trends, update priorities
• Quarterly: Full strategy review — what’s working, what’s not, what to change. Adjust topic clusters, content formats, and resource allocation based on data.

A GEO content strategy is never finished. It’s a continuous cycle of creating comprehensive content, measuring citation performance, learning what works, and refining your approach. The sites that win at GEO are the ones that treat it as an ongoing program, not a one-time project.