How Generative Engines Are Changing SEO: A Two-Track Model for Agencies

Generative engines like Google’s AI Overviews, Microsoft Copilot, and Perplexity have sparked the most radical transformation in search in 20 years. They’re rewriting how people discover and engage with brands.The days of chasing ten blue links are over. What matters now is how your brand is understood and surfaced by large-language models (LLMs), not just how often you appear in traditional SERPs.

At Devstars, we call this shift the Two-Track Model — one track for research intent, the other for purchase intent. It’s how we design and optimise content for both human readers and generative engines.

1. Why the old SEO model breaks under AI

Traditional SEO relied on predictable ranking factors: keywords, backlinks, and on-page signals. Those still count, but AI Overviews now summarise results rather than list them.

• The first click now often happens inside the overview itself.
• LLMs paraphrase your content, prioritising entities and authority over keyword density.
• Generic listicles vanish; structured, verifiable sources rise.

For agencies, this means content must feed the AI pipeline — readable, structured, and context-aware — or it disappears from the conversation altogether.

2. Track One: The Research Phase

The research phase is where users explore options, compare solutions, and ask “why” or “how”. Generative engines favour authoritative explanations here.

How to win:

1. Feed the model quality signals – Use structured data (FAQPage, HowTo, Product, Organization) so AI can quote you confidently.
2. Answer intent-rich queries naturally – Write in a conversational, Q&A tone that mirrors user prompts (“How does…” “What’s the best way to…”).
3. Show provenance – Cite sources, link to studies, and include author credentials. AI systems look for verifiable references to reduce hallucinations.
4. Cross-platform validation – Mentions on YouTube, Reddit, and LinkedIn strengthen your entity profile; AI engines crawl them as reputation cues.

Example: A Devstars client in property marketing doubled their AI Overview visibility after we turned static FAQs into structured, conversational snippets supported by LinkedIn and YouTube citations.

3. Track Two: The Purchase Phase

Once intent becomes transactional — “hire,” “buy,” “book,” “get a quote” — the goal is fast clarity and conversion. Here, generative engines often hand over to direct navigation or brand search.

How to win:

1. Own your brand search – Ensure meta data, Knowledge Panels, and Google Business listings are consistent across every service.
2. Streamline journeys – Design pages with schema-marked pricing, CTAs, and structured offers. AI snippets pull these directly into summary cards.
3. Optimise for decision language – Use micro-copy like “Start,” “Try,” “Book,” not “Learn More.”
4. Connect marketing and CRO – The bridge between GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) and conversion Optimization is UX: speed, clarity, and authority signals.

At Devstars we treat this track as a digital handover — from AI discovery to human decision.

4. Building for both tracks

Winning in generative search requires dual-layer Optimization.

A simple way to align both is to ensure each article answers a question and links to a next action. For example:

• Blog: “How AI search changes content marketing” → CTA: “Book a GEO audit.”
• Case study: “Scaling automation with RAG-as-a-Service” → CTA: “Talk to Devstars about AI integration.”

5. The rise of GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)

GEO goes beyond SEO. It focuses on making your data readable by LLMs.

Core GEO techniques:

• Entity linking – Tag people, places, and organisations consistently.
• Citation networks – Encourage contextual mentions across trusted platforms.
• Schema diversity – Move beyond Article; use SoftwareApplication, Service, and Dataset schemas where relevant.
• Conversational context – Optimise for prompts, not just keywords (“Explain,” “Compare,” “Recommend”).
• Human-verified accuracy – Add sources, timestamps, and expert bios to build trust signals.

This is the evolution Devstars has built into every strategy — treating websites as knowledge hubs rather than isolated pages.

6. Measuring success beyond rankings

Traditional analytics track clicks and impressions. In the generative era, agencies need new KPIs:

• Citation Frequency – How often your domain is quoted in AI Overviews.
• Share of Voice in AI Tools – Mentions across ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google Labs.
• Entity Consistency Score – Alignment of company name, people, and services across sources.
• Conversion from AI Traffic – Leads or sales originating from AI discovery surfaces.

Devstars uses custom dashboards combining Search Console, entity APIs, and OpenAI output sampling to track these metrics in real time.

7. What this means for agencies

For agencies, the playbook changes from keyword competition to entity collaboration. It’s not about outranking peers — it’s about being trusted enough to be quoted.

Success will favour teams that:

• Integrate SEO, content, and development under one roof.
• Treat structured data as core creative, not afterthought.
• Build AI-ready content workflows (governed by data, not guesswork).
• Educate clients on AI visibility the way we once educated them on mobile readiness.

8. The Devstars Approach

Our Two-Track framework guides every engagement:

1. Research Track – Build authority through GEO, schema, and cross-platform presence.
2. Purchase Track – Optimise high-intent landing pages for direct action and AI snippet accuracy.
3. Data Governance Layer – Ensure every piece of content feeds your AI automation safely and compliantly.

This holistic model ties back to our wider mission: creating AI-optimised, human-centric digital systems that help brands scale sustainably.

Conclusion

The agencies that thrive in the next wave of search will be those who design for engines that think, not just index.

Whether you’re optimising content, building data pipelines, or automating workflows, the goal is the same — make your brand the verified answer.

Book a GEO strategy session with Devstars to see how the Two-Track Model can future-proof your visibility across both search and generative platforms.