SMX Advanced Boston Session: Will Scott on “5 Key Insights for Mastering Generative Engine Optimization”
July 5th, 2025 by
This past June, Search Influence Co-Founder and CEO Will Scott attended SMX Advanced Boston to speak on one of the most pressing topics in digital marketing today: Generative Engine Optimization (GEO).
His session, “5 Key Insights for Mastering Generative Engine Optimization,” took place on Friday, June 13, from 1:45 to 2:15 PM ET.
This fast-paced, tactical talk explored how marketers can improve their visibility in AI-generated search results across platforms like Google AI Overviews, Bing Copilot, and ChatGPT Search.
Catch a preview of what was discussed in this video interview with Will Scott and Danny Goodwin, Editorial Director of Search Engine Land and Search Marketing Expo.
Why Generative Engine Optimization Matters
AI-powered search is rapidly transforming how content is discovered, ranked, and served. Instead of simply matching keywords, today’s generative engines rely on a mix of structured data, recognized entities, and conversational language to deliver summarized results.
These changes aren’t just reshaping rankings. They’re redefining what “findability” means in search.
To stay competitive, marketers need to understand how these systems retrieve and prioritize information. In “5 Key Insights for Mastering Generative Engine Optimization,” Will outlined five critical tactics to help SEOs adapt their strategies for the AI-first search world.
After attending, marketers walked away with a clearer understanding of how to:
- Align content with recognizable entities and structured data to improve AI relevance
- Enhance visibility by incorporating sources and signals that reinforce trust
- Evaluate how content performs across AI-generated search results using AI SEO tracking tools
- Refine SEO tactics to accommodate conversational and predictive search
About Will Scott
Will Scott has been at the forefront of SEO for over two decades, helping marketers adapt to constant shifts in how content is discovered and ranked.
In 2006, he co-founded Search Influence with his wife, Angie, and has since led the agency in supporting thousands of clients through everything from technical site fixes to the emergence of AI in SEO.
He’s internationally recognized for his contributions to the industry and is credited with coining the term “barnacle SEO” in 2008 — a strategy still used today to build visibility through high-authority platforms.
This spring, Will led a two-day Generative Engine Optimization Master Class for SMX, delivering practical guidance on content structure, entity optimization, and tracking AI search performance. He also presented at LocalU Global, sharing AI-powered strategies for streamlining local SEO efforts.
In addition to leading Search Influence, Will regularly contributes to marketing publications and speaks at industry conferences such as Pubcon, offering insight into the evolving relationship between AI and SEO.
Take Your AI SEO Strategy Further
The SMX Advanced session offered a sharp look into what matters most for AI SEO. But when the session ended, the real challenge began: taking those insights and turning them into action for your institution.
That’s where our SEO Roadmap comes in.
SEO Roadmap: A clear path to SEO success
Built specifically for higher education marketers, the SEO Roadmap is a short-term, high-impact engagement that goes deep on one top degree program. It gives you a focused, testable plan you can implement immediately and scale strategically.
Each SEO Roadmap includes four key components of a comprehensive SEO strategy:
- Keyword Strategy: Targeted terms based on search demand, competition, and AI-query relevance
- Content Strategy: Page-level guidance for structure, on-page optimization, and entity inclusion
- Technical SEO: Fixes and enhancements to help search engines (and AI models) crawl and index your site more effectively
- Authority & Link Building: Tactics to boost your trust signals and visibility in both traditional and AI-generated search results
You’ll gain prioritized recommendations and clear next steps so your team knows what to do now and what to build toward next.
Ready to start with one program and scale your results?
Contact us to build a future-ready AI search strategy that drives enrollment.
