Key Takeaway: You should always build your GEO on top of SEO.
What changes?
This blog was originally written on Jul 16, 2025. We will update it as we learn new information.
This is still important. Define your unique selling point and differentiators. It is still crucial to do this for GEO, if you have done it correctly before.
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Content is king. Focus on accuracy of content across all channels, and leverage amenities.
Specificity is key! Instead of vague content such as “convenient”, say “xx miles/blocks from y”. If you want to provide the LLM with the best answer to any questions that people might ask, then your content should be displayed along with your website, similar to Google PAA, or People Also Ask, and rich snippets.
Consider creating an LLM Sitemap for vanity sites or independent hotels to ensure AI can read your content. You can update robots.txt in order to allow common AI Crawlers like this: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Razib-Marketing/AI-Search-Resources/refs/heads/main/robots.txt
GEO focuses on citations rather than backlinks.
There is an even greater reason to focus on PR and influencers, since the anchor text and URL are less important for GEO.
Remember that LLMs must learn somewhere!
Top-ranked organic pages are the best sources of AI. Google’s focus on zero-click searches has continued to decline, even though it is a longstanding trend.
AI is slowly influencing search but we are also seeing search influence AI.
So, ask various LLMs questions about your hotel. If you do not like the answer given, try to find out why the LLM believes that way or how it got the information. You can also try to educate or change the LLM.
The reviews did not directly affect SEO rankings, but they had a significant impact on hotel conversions. GEO is definitely influenced by customer feedback platforms, user-generated content and other forms of customer feedback.
Many sources like TripAdvisor or Reddit as well as social channels are used to find answers. Continue to ask your guests to post reviews while not violating any guidelines. Post videos, photos and shorts to social media.
Reddit’s AI is growing exponentially, but there are other lawsuits where the AI is being used. Reddit has claimed that Anthropic continues to access its platform after allegedly saying it had blocked its bots from doing so.
Over time, the value of keywords in your meta has decreased. We see an increased focus on what I would call “conversational intentions”.
Instead of writing “hotel near Disney”, write content that sounds like it’s written by a person. This will still be clear to Google and target a specific audience. The revised copy might be “”If you’re in the mood for something fun while you’re here, check out the concert hall down the street — they’re putting on a Disney music night that’s perfect for families and Disney fans of all ages.”
Hoteliers can’t continue to be all things for all people. Knowing your audience and personas will help you to better target your marketing.
GEO does not have the same impressions data as SEO. It would also be difficult to share entire conversations without AI.
We are currently seeing referral traffic, mostly from ChatGPT, and Perplexity. However, the amount of exposure a hotel receives via AI cannot be measured at this point. AI is always evolving, so its response today could change tomorrow.
Google SEM (Search Engine Marketing) campaigns still perform well. Google isn’t dead.
Perplexity’s travel planning tool is superior to ChatGPT.
Coming soon: More!
Both SEO and GEO are still very important. Local SEO and Google My Business have great potential for AI Mode, as they only link to Google my Business.
The race for bookings is still unclear. Google’s MetaSearch has been used to generate revenue through hotel bookings. AI is still unable to book hotels.
