Conversational style versus informational style: which works better in AI responses?

Under the influence of Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), the way content is written is fundamentally changing. Whereas SEO used to revolve around informative texts written in a formal writing style, AI answers are placing new demands on the tone of voice of your texts.

The big question is: Do conversational style AI answers work better than these answers in a classic information style? We look at the differences between the two styles and help you choose the one that works best within AI-driven search environments.

What do we mean by both styles?

A text written in the information style is factual, compact and structured. The focus is on clarity and completeness. The purpose of such a text is to convey information as purely as possible. This style is often used in encyclopedic texts, manuals or sometimes in formal or technical blogs.

The conversational style is looser, more direct and more focused on interaction. The sentences in such texts are shorter, the tone is more personal and the structure is more laid out like conversations. The conversational style better matches how users ask questions to AI systems and how those systems generate answers. (1)

How AI models deal with style

AI systems such as ChatGPT, Gemini and SGE are trained on large amounts of text from a variety of sources. In doing so, they recognize style differences and select content that directly answers a question posed and matches it in style. Make sure your text is easily integrated into a generated response.

A conversational-style text often fits this best. Still, information style remains valuable when the question requires precision, overview or authority. AI models recognize the authority and completeness of this style, which is useful for complex questions. (2)

When does conversational style work better?

The conversational style has advantages when writing for AI contexts, in which users seek direct, accessible explanations. They then often ask their questions in an informal way (e.g., “How does something actually work?”). AI will then generate the answer in easy-to-understand colloquial language. The goal then is to encourage engagement and read-through behavior within AI systems. This is why conversational-style answers are more often used in FAQ blocks.

Whether the reader then proceeds to the action you want depends on how well the snippet matches the expected tone-of-voice of the generated response.

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When is information style more effective?

The information style remains powerful in texts that focus on authority, completeness and structure. So provide clear explanations of definitions or concepts you explain in your texts. Are you using excerpts from other content? Then use excerpts that are used as sources in technical or legal contexts. The information style is also effective when your content needs to stand out for precision and factual consistency.

In these cases, you write texts in a formal, compact tone. These are more likely to be selected as reliable sources by various AI systems. (3)

What is the best approach in GEO?

For GEO, there is no one style that is always preferred. It’s mostly about how well your content matches the user’s intent and how it is presented.

For sharing definitions, procedures and knowledge transfer, an informative style often works best. A more conversational tone better suits providing answers to questions, context and explanations. It is important to maintain the same style throughout within a page or content cluster so that the content comes across as recognizable and reliable.

By cleverly alternating different styles depending on the function of a text, you increase the likelihood that your content will be included in AI responses.

Style choice and GEO results.

We’d like to give you an example of what choosing the right writing style can do for your content. When optimizing a knowledge base for a B2B tech company, we deliberately used both writing styles.

For definitions and technical processes, we chose the information style: we wrote compact snippets that provided direct and factual answers.

For frequently asked questions and use cases, we used conversational style so that the content naturally matched how users asked their questions.

Within a few weeks, we saw that AI systems such as Google SGE mainly picked up texts written in the conversational style in answer blocks, while texts in information style were more often reused in longer explanation snippets. Using a combination of information style and conversational style significantly increased visibility in AI answers.

Summary

As we see more and more AI-generated search results, the style in which texts are written is shifting from an afterthought to an important part of your content strategy.

The conversational style aligns well with the form of AI responses, while the informational style conveys reliability and clarity. The best GEO content deliberately alternates between the two styles. The style is matched to the question type and user intent. Those who succeed in choosing the right style (or a mix between the two styles) increase the chances of reuse within the AI web.