Two different games
You've invested in SEO for years. Your careers page ranks well on “working at [company name]”, your jobs appear in Google Jobs, and your content marketing attracts organic traffic. Well done.
But here's the problem: GEO is a different game with different rules.
And if your SEO strategy worked automatically for LLMs, there would be no need for this article.
The fundamental differences
| Aspect | SEO (Google) | GEO (LLMs) |
|---|---|---|
| Target | Ranking high in search results | Being mentioned in AI responses |
| Mechanism | Keywords, backlinks, technical optimisation | Consistent, authentic content across multiple sources |
| Check | Relatively high. You optimise your own website | Lower. Depending on what LLMs have learned |
| Measurement | Clear: rankings, CTR, traffic | Still under development: AI audits, EBR scores |
| Update speed | Real-time indexing | Depending on training dates (weeks to months) |
Why your SEO strategy won't work automatically
1. LLMs do not read meta tags
Google looks at your title tags, meta descriptions and H1s. LLMs like ChatGPT, Claude and Perplexity learn from large amounts of text. They understand meaning, not structure.
2. Backlinks are less relevant
In SEO, backlinks are worth their weight in gold. For LLMs, what matters most is whether you consistent and authentic is described across multiple sources. A Glassdoor review carries as much weight as a press release.
3. Keywords are not enough
You can fill your career page with “innovative work culture” and “dynamic team”, but if no one outside your own website uses those words to describe you, an LLM won't pick it up.
What LLMs do appreciate
Richard Mosley, often referred to as the “godfather of employer branding”, describes the shift:
“The movement from SEO to AIO is inevitable. Companies need to optimise their employer brand not only for search engines, but for AI systems that advise candidates.”
LLMs prefer:
Consistency: If your LinkedIn page, Glassdoor profile, career site and press releases convey the same core message, the model learns that this is “true” about your organisation.
Authenticity: AI systems recognise marketing language. Real employee stories, concrete examples and transparent communication outweigh polished slogans.
External validation: What others say about you counts at least as much as what you say about yourself. Reviews, media coverage and awards are the signals that LLMs weigh in.
The blind spot
Here is a challenge: you don't know exactly what an LLM has learned about you.
With Google, you can check your rankings. With LLMs, it's a black box. ChatGPT may answer something different from Claude today, and next month everything may have shifted again due to new training dates.
This makes regular AI audits essential, but more on that in Week 3.
Practical implications
SEO remains important. Google is not disappearing. But your strategy needs to expand:
| SEO action | GEO equivalent |
|---|---|
| Keyword research | Demand-research: what questions do candidates ask LLMs? |
| On-page optimisation | Content consistency across all channels |
| Backlink building | External validation: reviews, media, awards |
| Technical SEO | Structured data for machine-readability |
| Ranking monitoring | AI audits: regularly quiz LLMs on your brand |
Action for today
Test the difference yourself:
- Google: “best employers [your sector] Netherlands”
- ChatGPT/Claude/Perplexity: “Which companies in [your sector] are good employers in the Netherlands?”
Compare the results. Do you stand in both? Does the picture match? This is your baseline.
Next article
In the next article, we dive deeper: How LLMs “rate” employers” - which sources weigh in, and how can you influence them?
This article is part of a series on GEO and employer branding.
Sources:
- CXR.works Interview Richard Mosley 2024,
- LinkedIn, Global Talent Trends (2024).