At the end of the day, the old SEO playbook isn’t just outdated — it’s becoming irrelevant. If you’re still banging your head against the same keyword stuffing and backlink strategies hoping to rank in “the Google,” you’re missing the bigger picture. The game has shifted under our feet, driven by the rise of AI-powered engines like ChatGPT and Bing Chat. Ever wonder why some content seems to just “pop” into those AI-generated answers that users now rely on? You know what’s crazy? Those answers come from massive AI pre-trained datasets, and whether your content got included or not can make or break your online presence.
So What Does This Actually Mean for Your Site?
Let’s break down why AI pre-trained datasets are suddenly the elephant in the SEO room and why they’re changing your strategy from focusing on “ranking” to focusing on “inclusion.” This isn’t just a subtle tweak. This is a tectonic shift — something I call Generative Engine Optimization, or GEO for short.
What is Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)?
Traditional SEO was about tweaking your content to rank better on Google search result pages. GEO is a new frontier: it’s about optimizing your content so that it actually gets referenced and included in AI-generated answers. It’s the next step beyond “ranking” — it’s about visibility inside the engines that synthesize and generate answers, not just return links.
In plain English: GEO means making your content so authoritative, semantically clear, and reliable that AI models trained on massive datasets like those from Fortress and others pick your stuff when they “write” their responses.
Why Is Visibility in AI Answers Critical?
If you’re asking yourself, “Is my content in AI training data?” — this is a crucial question because if your site isn’t part of current or future training sets, you’re effectively invisible on the platforms that the next generation of users increasingly trust.
- Less traffic from traditional search results: AI chatbots, from ChatGPT to Bing Chat and other generative engines, strip away the need for users to click through multiple links. They spit out answers based on pre-trained datasets. Loss of brand authority: If these models consistently source high authority sites, the players left out fade into obscurity. Your audience doesn’t just miss you online — they stop thinking about you altogether. Business survival hinges on AI presence: Forecasts show consumer behavior shifting fast toward assistant-style search rather than typed queries.
The Core Ranking Factors in GEO
Chasing short-term hacks like keyword-stuffing prompts or trying to game Bing Chat with clickbait won’t cut it anymore. GEO demands a new caliber of quality and strategic alignment.
Ranking Factor What It Means How to Optimize Topical Authority Being recognized as a trusted source on a subject by consistently covering all relevant facets. Create in-depth, well-researched content clusters rather than isolated articles. Fortress is a prime example — building breadth and depth over time. Semantic Structure Content that is not just keyword-rich but contextually interconnected using natural language and entities. Use Entity Optimization Platforms to map out content that clearly signals how topics and subtopics relate to each other. Consistency Uniform quality, voice, and accuracy across your entire digital presence. Maintain style guides and factual updates rigorously. AI models favor reliable sources that don’t contradict themselves. Citable Language Clear, authoritative phrasing and references that make your content easy to “quote” or “summarize” factually. Use prompt testing suites to experiment with AI prompts that pull from your content and analyze whether your answers get cited accurately.The LLM Data Cutoff: What You Need to Know
People often overlook the LLM data cutoff — the date up to which AI training data includes content. If your site got published after that cutoff or wasn’t indexed well enough before it, you might not be represented in current AI training datasets.
- This means even if your content is fantastic right now, large language models like the ones behind ChatGPT and Bing Chat might be blind to it. You need to get your content into future training sets, which means prioritizing content distribution, syndication, and engagement platforms favored by AI trainers. Working with platforms like Fortress and leveraging prompt testing suites can help you gauge when and how your content is getting noticed by AI.
The Common Mistake: Chasing Short-Term Hacks
You see it everywhere: marketers throwing keywords into AI prompts or trying to generate content that pushes through AI filters. Here’s the hard truth — that’s not a real strategy.
Prompt stuffing, buying low-quality links, or ripping off snippets won’t earn you a seat at the AI table. Why? Because GEO is about genuine authority and trustworthiness. It’s the online equivalent of being a regularly-cited expert, not a loudmouth yelling over the crowd.
Don’t Get Distracted by the Noise
Tools like Entity Optimization Platforms and prompt testing suites are your friends here. They provide data-driven insights into how AIs scrape, parse, and reproduce your content. Use them to refine your approach — not to chase the next shiny, questionable hack.
What Should You Do Next?
Audit your content for topical completeness: Are you covering your niche comprehensively or just scratching the surface? Fortress-like approaches of building domain authority over time pay off now more than ever. Improve semantic clarity and structure: Integrate entities naturally and make context king. Use tools that assess semantic relationships within your content. Maintain consistency across channels: Ensure your brand voice, facts, and style match everywhere, making you easier for AI to trust and cite. Test your content’s AI visibility: Use prompt testing suites to simulate queries with Bing Chat or ChatGPT and see if your content surfaces. Plan for ongoing inclusion: Being in today’s AI training data is great — being in tomorrow’s is essential. Focus on dissemination and engagement strategies that get your content noticed early.Final Thoughts: The AI Era Demands a New Kind of SEO
Forget chasing short-lived tactics designed for traditional search engines. The future is GEO — optimizing your site to be included in the massive AI datasets that power answers delivered by ChatGPT, Bing Chat, and emerging tools.
The big players like Fortress are already laying foundations to dominate these new relevancy signals. But you don't have to be a giant to compete. You just need to stop thinking in SERP rankings and start thinking in semantic trust, authority, and verifiability.
Remember, the question isn’t just “Is my content in AI training data?” anymore. The real questions — and opportunities — lie in how you make yourself part of future training sets and get cited where these AI models pull their answers from.
If you want to stay relevant and visible in the AI-first search landscape, adjust your strategy accordingly — and leave those tired hacks in the dust.
