AI search tools draw heavily on YouTube content for information to answer user questions. This dynamic has encouraged brands to invest more in the platform or rework their content strategies to stay visible.

• YouTube accounts for nearly a third (29%) of social media citations in Google AI Overviews, according to a January Tinuiti and Profound survey.
• YouTube will bring in more than $10.5 billion in gross ad revenue in the US this year, EMARKETER forecasts.

Since getting in front of consumers increasingly means reaching them through chatbots or AI search tools, marketers must follow a new set of rules. Generative engine optimization (GEO) will be key to optimizing future YouTube spend, and brands that build YouTube libraries with straightforward and differentiated content will win, according to experts.

“The brands that obsessed over ‘safe’ content, things that offend no one and say nothing, are going to find they're invisible in AI responses for the same reason they've always been forgettable,” said Alex Beddoe, head of biddable media at Transmission.

Why YouTube matters more in AI search

One of the biggest strengths of YouTube is the accessibility of its content compared to other social platforms, as it was already structured for semantic understanding, said Peter Sloterdyk, CMO of ProRata and Gist.

“YouTube had a head start before we even knew the phrase GEO and started talking about it,” he said.

Some 65% of Gen Z adults use AI as a replacement for Google search, according to an October 2025 Harvard Business Review and Gallup survey. While AI might be replacing traditional search, marketers recognize it doesn’t operate the same way as SEO.

“How would a human experience this content? What would their takeaways and sentiment be?” said Sloterdyk. “LLMs are much closer to seeing things as a human does than anything we were doing on the SEO side."

Building engaging, useful YouTube content over polished films can help marketers with a range of needs, said Beddoe.

“We're seeing YouTube work hardest when it's doing two jobs at once, warming (up) audiences before they hit paid search and seeding the content library that LLMs draw from when generating AI Overviews,” he said. “Neither of those jobs rewards neutral, safe creative.”

What brands should post

When building YouTube content with LLM attention in mind, maintaining quality over volume is crucial, said Sloterdyk. “Content for content's sake can’t be the answer,” he said.

“We have to be really careful about what we put on YouTube, and the creative quality, the context and the sentiment around the content we're putting up there,” he said.

Concrete tips include using concise and simplistic messaging, working with creators who have clear industry expertise, and clearly attributing information to build credibility with LLMs, said Jacob Simonich, associate director of paid search and YouTube at Rain.

A strong YouTube strategy is a mix of tentpole campaigns, entertainment series, and help-driven content, Gordon said.

“GEO reinforces that video, from a brand or creator, is not just upper funnel,” said Gordon. “It is core to search visibility and now plays a direct role in how brands show up in AI generated answers.”

Making content retrievable

Consumers already use YouTube as a top search engine, presenting a clear alignment with AI chatbots. This means content must be differentiated, but also easily digestible and explicitly aligned with what users are searching for.

• YouTube is the top platform for health information services (66.1%), according to a January EMARKETER survey.
• The top use case for AI tools among US adults is answering everyday questions (45%), according to a May 2025 MRI-Simmons survey.

“Production value is irrelevant if the content lacks semantic clarity or does not map to real queries,” said Gabe Gordon, CEO and cofounder at Reach Agency.

In addition to partnering with creators who have high visibility in a brand’s vertical, brands must work backwards to address consumer questions, he said.

“Use titles, descriptions and transcripts that clearly reinforce intent,” said Gordon. “Develop clusters of content across core topics to build authority.”

But digestible can’t mean boring, said Beddoe.

“Safe creative is the new invisible,” he said Beddoe, adding that “a generic product demo from three years ago is not going to cut it.”

When approaching GEO, marketers should pay just as much attention to what isn’t working, said Simonich.

“Understanding what topics a brand’s videos are being referenced by LLMs is important, but understanding what topics a brand’s videos are not showing up provides insight into new content development needs,” he said.

This was originally featured in the EMARKETER Daily newsletter. For more marketing insights, statistics, and trends, subscribe here.