Author Nation Live 25 P4-21: From Invisible to Discoverable — SEO, GEO & the AI Frontier for Authors
In this foundational session at Author Nation 2025, Stuart Grant — web designer, digital agency founder, and creator of 400+ author websites — introduces indie authors to Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), the emerging discipline of making content discoverable by AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini. With ChatGPT now among the top five most-visited websites globally at 700 million weekly users, Grant argues that authors can no longer rely on Google SEO alone. The session establishes a hierarchy of actionable website optimizations — alt tags, text hierarchy (H1/H2/H3), title tags, meta descriptions (capped at 165 characters), schema markup, and cross-platform profile consistency — that together signal authority to AI knowledge graphs. Grant also previews emerging reader-engagement technologies including animated book covers, NFC/NFT stickers, augmented reality book experiences, and AI-generated world-building tools that transform static author websites into discoverable, fan-building ecosystems.
Tools / Software / Platforms
- ChatGPT: Used as both an AI discovery engine (GEO target) and a productivity tool for generating alt text, meta descriptions, title tags, and schema markup code
- Gemini: Google's AI assistant; a primary GEO target alongside ChatGPT
- Google / Bing: Traditional SEO search engines; still relevant but now secondary to AI discovery
- Wix: Website platform recommended by Grant for ease of use and schema control; his preferred builder
- WordPress: Mentioned as a more complex platform where schema placement can be confusing
- Squarespace: Referenced as a viable website platform with its own schema/meta tools
- Canva: Recommended for creating animated book cover overlays without advanced design skills
- Meta AI: Google's competitor; mentioned as capable of turning static images into video
- Amazon Author Central: A key public profile platform AI pulls from for author discovery
- Goodreads: Critical public profile platform for GEO visibility
- BookBub: Listed as a public author profile platform for AI indexing
- Wikipedia: Highlighted as a high-authority source AI pulls from; authors encouraged to create entries
- Spotify: Mentioned for creating themed character/scene playlists as website engagement content
- YouTube: Discussed as a Google-owned platform where consistent metadata (tags, descriptions) boosts discoverability
- Marble World Labs (marbleworld.ai): AI tool that converts book cover images into immersive 3D explorable worlds
- NFC Tools (app): Free app store application used to program NFC/NFT sticker tags
- CreatorWood (Michael Evans): AI tool that converts manuscripts into short films or trailers
- Amazon Alexa Plus: Upcoming AI-powered smart speaker rollout cited as a new GEO frontier
- AR Stories: Augmented reality platform demonstrated live; allows book covers to trigger animated trailers via phone camera
Key Concepts
- GEO (Generative Engine Optimization): The practice of optimizing content to be cited and recommended by AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini; distinct from traditional SEO
- SEO (Search Engine Optimization): Optimizing for traditional search engines (Google, Bing); described as foundational overlap with GEO
- Schema Markup / JSON-LD: Structured code added to a website's header that speaks "AI's language," enabling rich knowledge graph results (author name, book list, social links, genre)
- H1 / H2 / H3 Text Hierarchy: HTML heading tags that tell search engines, screen readers, and AI what a page is primarily about; H1 = page title (author name or book title), H2 = genre/section heading
- Alt Tags / Alt Text: Descriptive text attached to images that enables accessibility (screen readers) and tells Google/AI what an image contains; recommended formula: book title + author + genre + visual description
- Title Tags: Short, keyword-rich labels that appear as clickable links in Google search results; must be honest and conversational
- Meta Descriptions: 165-character-maximum summaries shown beneath title tags in search results; truncated by Google if exceeded
- NFC / NFT Tags (Near Field Communication): Programmable sticker chips (~£7/200 on Amazon) embedded in physical books; reader taps with phone to trigger a URL (website, sign-up page, author video)
- Animated Book Covers: Dynamic versions of static covers using overlay effects or true animation; designed to stop scrolling on TikTok, Instagram, and author websites
- Augmented Reality (AR) for Books: Technology allowing phone cameras to overlay digital content (trailers, characters) onto physical book covers
- Schema Markup for Authors: Specific schema types discussed: Person schema, Book schema, Series schema, Breadcrumb list
- Reading Order Page: A dedicated website page listing books in series order; described as a high-value, low-effort asset for both readers and AI
- Deleted Scenes / Behind-the-Scenes Content: Exclusive website content recommended to increase dwell time, AI crawlability, and reader-to-fan conversion
Professional Roles
- GEO Specialist: Emerging professional role focused on AI-engine discoverability optimization (Grant positions himself in this role)
- Web Designer / Digital Agency Owner: Grant's primary role; 400+ author websites built
- Radio Presenter / Theatre Lecturer: Grant's pre-author-industry background (20 years morning radio)
- Podcast Host: Michael Evans, Beyond the Book podcast, AI and film adaptation for authors
Specific Strategies
- "Be Everywhere" Strategy: Creating consistent profiles on every public platform (Amazon, Goodreads, BookBub, Wikipedia, X, Facebook, Instagram, Threads) even if inactive — breadcrumbs that AI can find and aggregate
- One-Post Placeholder Strategy: For platforms an author doesn't actively use, posting once: "I don't hang out here, find me at [primary platform]" — ensures discoverability without maintenance burden
- Per-Book Page Architecture: Recommended site structure — Series page → Individual book pages — gives AI maximum structured content to index
- ChatGPT-as-Copywriter Strategy: Using ChatGPT to generate SEO/GEO-optimized meta descriptions, title tags, alt text, and schema markup code rather than writing manually
- Blog Revival Strategy: 12 posts/year minimum (250–500 words); provides AI with fresh content to harvest and establishes topical authority
- Text-in-Image Warning: Never rely on a logo or stylized author name as an image as the primary H1 — text buried in images is invisible to AI and screen readers
🔒 The Live Schema Markup Walkthrough
In the full session replay, Stuart Grant does a live, step-by-step screen demonstration of how to use ChatGPT to generate complete JSON-LD schema markup for your author profile — from scratch, in under two minutes. He shows you the exact prompt to use, where to paste the code inside your website, and what that schema makes appear when someone Googles your name. This is the technical edge most authors don't know exists — and it's fully accessible even if you've never touched code.
Unlock the full replay to watch the live screen-share walkthrough and copy the exact ChatGPT prompt Stuart uses to build schema markup for any author.
Q: How long should an author's meta description be? A: No more than 165 characters, including spaces.
A: Stuart Grant explains that Google will truncate anything longer with an ellipsis — or, worse, rewrite the ending itself. He recommends using ChatGPT to write and count meta descriptions to avoid going over the limit.
Q:Should an author use a logo or stylized image of their name as their website header?
A:No — a text-based H1 heading must always accompany it. Grant warns that a name rendered inside an image is "almost meaningless" to Google and AI, which cannot read text embedded in graphics. The H1 HTML tag is what actually tells search engines and AI what a page is about; a logo alone won't do it.
Q: How should a multi-series author structure their website for maximum AI discoverability?
A: One series page listing all books in order, with each book clicking through to its own individual page. Grant describes this as the optimal architecture because it gives AI "every bit of content it needs" — the series context and each book's individual data — rather than cramming multiple series onto a single page or leaving books without dedicated pages.
Q: How do I add schema markup to my author website and where does it go?
Schema markup — a block of structured JSON-LD code — belongs in the header section of your website. Grant explains the location varies slightly by platform (Wix, Squarespace, WordPress each have different header access points), but the principle is consistent: it lives in the site header, not on a specific page. For authors who find the code intimidating, Grant recommends prompting ChatGPT to "treat me like a seven-year-old" and walk through each step — the AI will generate the complete code block and tell you exactly where to paste it.
Q:Can I use ChatGPT to write my SEO and GEO meta descriptions and title tags?
Yes — and Grant strongly recommends it. His suggested prompt is to paste your website URL or content into ChatGPT and ask it to write "SEO and GEO-optimized meta descriptions and title tags for each page, using my author name and book titles." The key caution: always review the output before publishing, since AI can occasionally invent or misrepresent details. But as a time-saving drafting tool, it eliminates the guesswork of writing within the 165-character limit.