Search Engine Optimization vs. Generative Engine Optimization

Are You Feeding the Machine or Teaching It Something Worth Remembering?

This vintage t-shirt feels like a quiet manifesto. It once belonged to my mother, Natalie Robins, a poet and nonfiction author. She wore it while researching her book Alien Ink, an investigation into FBI surveillance of American writers. The shirt was a gift from my uncle, Sandy Lehmann-Haupt, who rode the bus with Ken Kesey and his Merry Pranksters and gave Tom Wolfe the backstory behind The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test.

If we want to be remembered by the machine, we have to write something worth remembering.

She passed it down to me when I was researching my first book. Now, as I wear it, I find myself wondering: Am I just training machines to mimic my voice? Or am I creating something that will outlast the feed?

The Science

At StoryMade, we develop books and digital content. Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) combines literary depth with machine-readable design for digital. Unlike traditional SEO, which optimizes for clicks and keyword density, GEO builds narrative equity. It's designed for both human connection and AI recognition.

Why it Matters?

AI is learning from the language we leave behind. The summaries, answers, and smart assistants echo what we choose to share. And if we want the machine to remember us, we have to write something worth remembering.

Trainable content looks like this:

• Structure: Clear headings and a narrative arc

• Depth: Layered insights, real questions

• Credibility: Bylines, bios, citations

• Format: Clean, digestible, machine-readable

• Value: A story that stands on its own and answers something meaningful

In short: not just searchable, but sourceable. It's not that different from a good old-fashioned story.

The Takeaway

This shirt is more than vintage. It’s a signal: Write like an investigative poet.

Write with the soul of a poet and the rigor of an investigator.

Whether you're building a thought leadership brand, writing a memoir, or crafting an essay for tomorrow's AI to surface, remember that you're not just publishing to the feed.

You're training the next layer of cultural memory.

Contact me if you need help with your brand story, book, or piece of cultural thought leadership.

Rachel@storymadestudio.com Rachel, Founder, StoryMade Studio