“In the future, career sites will not only have to be Google-compatible – but also LLM-compatible,” writes HR tech expert Daniel Mühlbauer on LinkedIn. LLM is the abbreviation for Large Language Models, which refers to language models such as ChatGPT, Claude or Perplexity, which are increasingly being used as a source of information. “For companies, this means: Their content must be structured, up-to-date and clearly assignable – otherwise it will not be evaluated or displayed by AI systems.”
However, the reality is different in many places, believes Thorsten Piening, founder of the recruiting marketing agency Persomatch: “More than 90 percent of all career pages are not found on Google, Bing or LLMs,” he says. The experienced online marketer knows what he is talking about: he has been supporting companies with digital visibility for 25 years – now especially in recruiting. What counts for him is not the look, but rather being found. His credo: “To find something beautiful means, above all, to find it.”
Classic search engine optimization (SEO for short), as effective as it has been for years, is reaching its limits. A new discipline has emerged: GEO. GEO stands for Generative Engine Optimization and aims to optimize content for AI tools so that it appears directly in generated AI responses. Classic SEO, on the other hand, is optimized for search engines such as Google and Bing with a focus on organic search results, keywords and backlinks.
The next evolution of visibility
What does this mean for companies and their employer brands? In many cases, those who do not become part of the AI-generated answer are no longer visible at all. After all, according to a 2024 study by the Leibniz Institute, 44 percent of all Internet users already access artificial intelligence to search for information. Content should be designed so that it not only appears in search results, but also flows directly into the answers of AI systems. To do this, they not only have to be thematically relevant, but also technically and linguistically structured – for example through FAQs, semantic tags or easily extractable facts.
Lornah Ngugi from the SEO provider seo.com speaks of a “complementary discipline” in connection with GEO: The new technology does not replace search engine optimization, but expands it to include the dimension of AI accessibility. The goal is clear: in a world where “zero click” answers dominate, you not only have to be findable, but you also have to be able to respond directly.
“GEO is a valuable addition”
Lisa Bolz, SEO expert and project manager at software provider Atloss, is already working intensively on the new discipline. “We see GEO as an exciting addition to classic SEO,” she writes. However, it is important “that both go hand in hand”. For companies that compete for new employees on their career pages, this means: In the future, content will not only have to be optimized for keywords, but also for structure and context. Only then could AI systems recognize them as relevant answer components.
The quality of the content is crucial, but also its technical feasibility: clear headings, FAQs, structured data, authorized sources and clear URL paths. However, many career sites are technically difficult to access because they are embedded in complex applicant management systems.
Not (yet) part of strategic planning
Some companies have started to revise their career pages as a result. A look at the career pages of numerous DAX companies shows that companies such as SAP, Zalando, Siemens or BMW already offer central technical foundations for GEO optimization – for example through structured content, semantic navigation or clean URL logic. However, it remains unclear whether these measures were specifically implemented to ensure AI accessibility.
However, most career sites show little sign that GEO is already part of strategic planning. Structural deficiencies in particular – missing meta data, non-speaking URLs, outsourced applicant portals – make it difficult for AI systems to correctly capture relevant content.
There is no way around it
GEO is more than a trend. The shift in attention toward generative responses is measurable. According to data from the Profilwerkstatt.de agency, the organic click rate on Google results fell by up to 84 percent in certain areas. “Companies that don’t use GEO early on risk having their career pages simply no longer appear – neither on Google nor on ChatGPT,” warns Ralf Ansorge, managing partner and founder of the agency.
Given the immense benefits, does GEO even mean the end of SEO? No, says Ansorge. “Not foreseeable. Classic search engines should continue to play a role. But the emphasis is likely to shift – and with it the requirements for the content strategy. GEO requires additional measures and an understanding of how AI crawlers capture, evaluate and process content.”
Sven Frost is responsible for HR tech, which includes the areas of digitalization, HR software, time and access, SAP and outsourcing. He also writes about recruiting and employer branding. He continues to be responsible for the editorial planning of various special human resources publications.
