GEO: A Practical Guide
In this interview, the Chair of the Society’s AI Working Group, Ross Hawley, talks about the Group’s latest practical guidance on Generative Engine Optimisation, created in partnership with Bowen Craggs.
Why is Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) becoming such an important issue for investor relations teams right now?
GEO is used as the simple term to describe making a website a go-to trusted source for AI models looking for corporate information. Successful AI interpretation of an IROs output is key to keeping the narrative as close to the original intention - in other words, helping the AI models make the right interpretation or extract the correct facts is the critical starting point.
What gap does this practical guide fill for IR professionals?
Practical examples are always helpful in explaining/ visualising what works. These are just some ideas from larger corporates, and if at a smaller company it would also be worth checking out IR Society award winning websites to get ideas from peer companies of a similar scale.
What are some of the biggest opportunities for IR teams that embrace GEO early?
Firstly, I view making a website accessible and as approachable as possible for both human and model-based review as increasingly ‘table stakes’. This challenge is however probably harder for those IROs whose websites are managed internally or as an offshoot to a commercial site - the core specialist providers are all well up to speed with what needs to be done.
Secondly, if you know you are doing the ‘right things’ and your voice can be heard, then it gives a good mandate to be more courageous - personally I have embraced more innovative ideas such as an IR newsletter and a ‘day in the life’ series, as I have seen them picked up by data aggregators and AI and quoted there and mentioned by investors in meetings.
If an IR team only takes one action after reading the guide, what should it be?
One action, one request: Action: Ask your website provider to review the ‘accessibility’ settings on your website and ensure you are doing as much as you can to make it easy to review - as accessibility is relevant for AI readers and other stakeholders. Request: when reviewing the potential uses of AI, don’t lose sight of the IRO role to be the authentic voice of the company, focusing on what is material, and being able to simplify the business or an industry. AI isn’t good at any of this, so don’t ask it to try!
What is the Steering Group working on next?
We have plans for a couple of in-person events in the second half of the year - one workshop based and the second a repeat of last year’s ‘state of the nation’ review focused on how our core stakeholders: analysts and investors are using AI to scrutinise corporates, and how that has changed over the past 12 months.
Members can access and download the guide here. Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO): a Practical Guide | The Investor Relations Society