So Long, SEO. Hello, GEO, the New Digital Discipline Bank Marketers Must Master
By Ben Udell, SVP Product Marketing & Innovation, Marquis
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Executive Summary
- The introduction of AI summaries on search platforms like Google has made traditional Search Engine Optimization largely obsolete.
- Marketers must embrace instead the intricacies of Generative Engine Optimization, which can improve your institution’s chances of being featured in the AI-generated recommendations.
- Gen AI tools can be invaluable in identifying your institution’s GEO strengths and weaknesses and help craft a plan to improve your performance.
Search is evolving. Fast.
Instead of a tidy list of blue links followed by pages of options to choose from, AI is offering up condensed, curated answers. This shift in technology, and rapidly evolving consumer habits, is happening faster than most banks and credit unions can keep up. A new discipline is emerging: Generative Engine Optimization (GEO). Understanding GEO means the difference between being on the shortlist or being invisible.
For financial institutions, this shift carries real implications. If your checking account, credit card, or auto loan doesn’t make it into an AI-generated answer, you’re not just missing a click, you’re missing the chance to even be considered. The good news is that AI isn’t only rewriting the rules of search, it’s also the tool you can use to understand how those rules work, identify where your financial institution is strong, and build a plan to close the gaps.
This article is designed to show you how. By applying the prompts throughout the article, and tailoring them with your bank or credit union’s details, you can walk through a full conversation with AI that helps you:
- Understand the differences between SEO and GEO, and why they matter.
- See how your products and brand are currently being represented in AI tools.
- Ask AI the right questions to uncover blind spots and improve GEO optimization.
- Turn insights into a focused plan your team can execute, even with limited resources.
Throughout the article you can copy and paste the prompts into ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot or your preferred AI assistant. Run this exercise as one long conversation, building your insight one prompt at a time. By the end, you’ll have a clearer picture of where you stand, what’s working, and what specific steps to take next.
The Reality-Check Search
A traditional search inquiry might be: “checking account Madison WI”.
In our evolving new normal, with the aid of AI, consumers are taking a different approach.
Consider this request in Google or with a prompt in ChatGPT: “What’s the best checking account in Madison, WI and why?”
Google will display AI generated insights, and ChatGPT will provide a lengthy overview to your prospective customers. Banks and credit unions need to think critically about how to adjust to changing consumer preferences.
If you haven’t asked AI about your bank or credit union, about the best products in your marketplace, or recommendations on where to bank, you’re missing out on understanding how you’re being perceived by a rapidly growing number of consumers. It’s helpful to try this search in different models to appreciate how each of them views your financial institution.
Try a prompt that a typical consumer would use, such as, “What’s the best [insert product, bank/credit union or other topic] in [ insert your marketplace].” It’s likely your AI results focus on a few local options, national banks or credit unions, or neobanks. Only a small handful of institutions make the shortlist, while every other bank or credit union in the market is left out. If you’re left out of the results, you’re missing out on growth.
Many banks and credit unions don’t know where to start to solve this issue. AI is changing the game, but it can also offer you solutions. Use AI to do your deep research.
For instance, if you ask Google, “What is the best credit card in Madison, WI?” Google’s AI response will be thorough, but much broader than you might expect. Google highlighted five national credit card options and three local options. Like most marketplaces, Madison, WI has many financial institutions consumers can choose from. This question in Google resulted in a detailed response totaling 484 words.
Take the response from Google and do deeper research in your AI assistant with this prompt.
Prompt: I asked Google AI what is the best credit card in Madison, WI. It’s interesting to see the local banks and credit unions offered the best local card. I need you to do a deep dive and help me understand why AI would recommend these three local financial institutions relative to all the other banks and credit unions in the area. [insert Google’s response]
ChatGPT analyzed the request for 4m 43s, and returned a detailed assessment complete with insights, a table to support those insights, and recommendations. This is the type of analysis a marketer can use to think more critically about how their products can be more relevant in AI search.
Dig deeper:
Asking AI Why
The real value is uncovering insights that lead to actionable opportunities. AI doesn’t make random choices. It highlights the institutions and products that provide the clearest, most structured, and most relevant information. That means the absence of your bank or credit union in an AI-generated answer isn’t simply bad luck. It’s a signal.
Before making big changes, use AI to better understand the current state of search engine optimization versus (SEO) versus generative engine optimization (GEO). While there’s no shortage of articles on this topic, you can use AI to tailor this learning to your needs.
Prompt: Provide a comprehensive overview comparing traditional SEO and AI driven GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) for financial institutions. Include definitions, key differences in strategy, and examples of how each applies to banks and credit unions. Highlight the impact on visibility in Google AI Overviews and ChatGPT style answers and explain what financial institutions should prioritize in website structure, content, and authority signals to succeed in both. Present the insights in a clear, practical format with headings, bullet points, and a summary of action steps.
“Talk” to AI, ask follow-up questions and request clarifications to help your learning.
With a basic understanding of GEO, you can ask AI to analyze and recommend solutions to help your GEO search performance. This is where the critical thinking begins; treat AI like a consultant with prompts.
Prompt: I want to improve how my financial institution’s products show up in AI generated search results. Based on Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), what specific changes should I make to my website content, structure, and authority signals so my credit card and checking account pages are more likely to be included in Google’s AI Overviews or ChatGPT answers? Please give me practical insights. Reference this website as a foundation for where I am today [insert product website you’re wanting to improve].
A prompt like this will provide specific insights and ideas to help you make your content more relevant in AI search results. You can use AI to create a specific game plan to be more attractive to AI users. By probing AI’s reasoning, you begin to see how your own products and marketing compare. If competitors are being recognized for transparent rates, accessible rewards structures, or strong community positioning, and you’re not, the gap becomes clear.
Turning the Lens on Your Own Institution
Once you’ve asked AI why certain financial institutions are recommended over your own, the next step is to see how it describes your own bank or credit union. This is where the exercise becomes both revealing and, at times, uncomfortable, but highly valuable.
Good brands are built through their marketing brand voice. But often, this voice unknowingly projects attributes of your brand that do not resonate with your intended audience. AI can help you understand your blind spots to help you connect more clearly with your intended audience, as well as perform better with GEO.
Prompt: Review the following marketing content for my financial institution. Based on the tone, messaging, and product focus, identify who you believe the intended audience and demographic are. Provide a rationale for your interpretation, including references to word choice, benefits emphasized, and style. Then, explain which audience(s) is most likely to be attracted to this content and why, as well as which audiences are unlikely to find it compelling. Conclude with recommendations for how the messaging could be adjusted to better reach underserved or overlooked segments.
Prompt: Tell me why you think my marketing won’t connect with certain audiences and provide guidance to help our marketing be more relevant. For each group, explain why the message misses the mark and provide a short profile that includes goals, pain points, money mindset, and decision drivers, and suggest adjustments such as value propositions, sample copy, and CTAs.
As you begin prompting AI to analyze your own bank or credit union, you’ll quickly discover that the results aren’t limited to product details like APRs, fees, or rewards. AI often brings brand perception and marketplace positioning into the conversation. That’s where the real surprises appear.
AI pulls from more than just your website. It references reviews, social mentions, press coverage, and even how consistently you present your value proposition across channels. AI may highlight community service, customer experience, or local reputation, sometimes with a sharper perspective than your own marketing team would offer.
Prompt: What are the pros and cons of banking with [insert your financial institution name]? Provide your rationale with examples.
Prompt: Help me sharpen the brand focus of [insert your financial institution name]? Based on solid marketing principles what recommendations do you have?
These two simple prompts will lead to follow-up questions to help you understand how you could be perceived in the marketplace. Banks and credit unions invest heavily in a brand voice they believe communicates strength, security, or innovation. Yet AI may interpret that same messaging as complicated, dated, or too generic. These blind spots are critical. If the AI interprets your message this way, chances are consumers do too.
These are the kinds of insights that help uncover gaps between what you intend to say and what the market actually hears. Sometimes the biggest takeaway isn’t that your products are missing from the AI’s answer, but that your story isn’t landing.
Create Your AI GEO Game Plan
AI can help you identify your opportunities and create your game plan. By using the prompts in this article, you can create a foundation to identify where you’re already strong, where you’re falling short, and what adjustments are realistic for your team.
A helpful approach is to use AI as a consultant through a conversation in which AI asks you questions to guide you to a game plan focused on your needs and resources.
Prompt: Based on the full discussion I’ve had with you about my financial institution’s products, marketing, and competitive positioning, create a set of actionable next steps I can take to improve how my institution shows up in AI-generated search results. Since my resources are limited, ask me clarifying questions about: (1) which products are most important to prioritize, (2) how much content my team can realistically update each quarter, and (3) whether my focus should be on product clarity, local differentiation, or brand messaging. Use my answers to build a realistic game plan with no more than 5 action items. Each action should be practical, resource-conscious, and tied directly to improving our visibility in AI search. Present the plan as a clear, step-by-step checklist I can hand to my team. The game plan should be weekly for 10 weeks.
With limited resources, the best strategy is to focus. Apply the prompts, understand what you’re already doing well, identify the gaps that matter most, and let AI write the first draft or do your analysis work. Done consistently, this approach helps your bank or credit union stay visible in AI driven search without overwhelming your team.
Use AI to Stay in the Conversation
The shift to AI driven search is growing at a rapid pace. The shortlist that Google or ChatGPT generates is the new front door to your bank or credit union, and being left out means losing consideration before a prospect even visits your website. The good news is that the same technology shaping this change can also be your guide. By applying the prompts in this article, you can see exactly how your products and brand are being represented, identify where you stand out, and uncover the blind spots that need work.
The key is to keep this process simple and realistic. Choose actions that fit your capacity, focus on the products and messages that matter most, and use AI as a shortcut for drafting, reviewing, and checking your work. Make it a habit to revisit these prompts regularly because the rules of AI search will continue to evolve. Banks and credit unions that learn how to ask the right questions, adapt quickly, and act on practical insights will not just keep up, but get ahead.
