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BACnet Interest Group Europe News

Increase Visibility for Building Automation

with GEO

Mit GEO die Sichtbarkeit für Gebäude-

automation steigern

More and more internet users are receiving direct answers from
ChatGPT, Perplexity or Google AI Overviews instead of searching
through lists of results. Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)
ensures that specialist content becomes visible to these AI
systems – an interesting topic for BACnet content as well.
Immer mehr Internet-Nutzer erhalten direkte Antworten von
ChatGPT, Perplexity oder Google AI Overviews – statt Trefferlis-
ten zu durchsuchen. Dafür, dass Fachinhalte für diese KI-Systeme
sichtbar werden, sorgt Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) –
auch für BACnet-Content ein interessantes Thema.

For companies in the BACnet community, visibility is a decisive competitive
factor. Companies that are perceived early on as a competent source
during digital research increase their chances of being considered at an
early stage of planning and decision-making processes. In a market with
long project cycles, many stakeholders and a high need for explanation,
this early visibility can make all the difference.

But how do people search for and find information? Today, anyone
researching BACnet, interoperability or BACnet/SC increasingly starts
with ChatGPT or Perplexity, or already receives an AI-generated answer
in Google AI Overviews. The shift can already be measured: According to
current data, AI-powered systems now account for around 56 % of search
volume worldwide , and their traffic generates conversion rates up to five
1
2
times higher than conventional search traffic .
For manufacturers, integrators and planners, this changes the rules of
digital visibility and, consequently, the click-through rates of their websites.
Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) ensures that content is prepared in
such a way that AI systems can understand it and take it into account in
their answers.

When the Answer Comes Before the Click of website content for AI-powered answer systems. It is therefore no longer
only about ranking on Google. What matters is whether systems such as
The fact that users today first receive an answer formulated by AI and ChatGPT or Perplexity can understand and classify the content and use it
only then references to the underlying sources is relevant to the building in their answers.
automation industry because many decisions are based on complex
questions. These range from general questions about which systems The difference from traditional search engine optimization (SEO) can be
are available and what they can do to specific questions: How secure is clearly stated: SEO focuses on rankings, keywords and clicks in the list of
BACnet/SC? When is migration worthwhile? What role do interoperability, search results. GEO, by contrast, focuses on answers, entities and context –
BTL certification or cybersecurity play? with AI systems as a visibility channel in their own right. This requires more
than keywords. GEO requires clear statements, a comprehensible structure,
Those who do not appear in this early research phase lose not only visibility, consistent terminology and content that actually answers a specialist
but potentially their place on the shortlist. question. It is not the loudest page that wins, but the most useful one.

What GEO Means GEO does not replace traditional SEO. Rather, it builds on a strong SEO
foundation. This is because only content that is found, indexed and
Generative Engine Optimization, or GEO for short, refers to the optimization classified as trustworthy by search engines can also be used as a source

54 BACnet Europe Journal 45 09/26