The search landscape is shifting under our feet. If you’ve been following the industry, you know that “ranking” no longer just means fighting for the top blue link on Google. It means becoming the answer that AI trusts.
Enter DeepSeek.
While much of the marketing world is focused on Silicon Valley giants, DeepSeek has quietly emerged as a powerhouse. In early 2025, the DeepSeek app temporarily surpassed ChatGPT to become the #1 downloaded free app on the U.S. App Store¹. With over 125 million monthly active users and year-over-year growth exploding by 62%², this is not a platform you can afford to ignore.
For business owners and marketers, this presents a massive, untapped opportunity. DeepSeek R1 doesn’t just retrieve links; it “thinks” through queries using advanced chain of thought reasoning. If you want your brand to be recommended here, you need to pivot from traditional SEO to Generative Engine Optimization (GEO).
Here is your guide to ranking on the industry’s newest disruptor.
Know Your Platform: The “DeepSeek Model”
To rank on DeepSeek, you must understand the machine itself. Unlike GPT-based models that rely heavily on massive compute power to predict the next word, DeepSeek is a cost-efficient model built on a unique architecture.
The Technical Edge
DeepSeek utilizes Multi-Head Latent Attention (MLA) and Grouped-Query Attention to process vast amounts of data without the massive overhead of its competitors³. This architecture allows it to maintain a massive context window (up to 128k tokens) while keeping token costs aggressively low.
For you, this means DeepSeek reads more of your content for less money. It digs deep into long-form guides, technical documentation, and Javascript code that other crawlers might skip. Its DeepSeek R1 model relies on reinforcement learning to verify facts, making content creation that is factual and logical more important than ever.
The Geopolitical Context
It is also vital to understand the constraints. DeepSeek is China’s AI Platform. It was trained using H800 chips (specialized semiconductor chips designed to comply with U.S. export controls)⁴. Because of its origin, it faces scrutiny under regulations like E.O. 13873 and Federal Acquisition Regulations, which restrict its use in U.S. critical infrastructure or government contracts⁵.
Why does this matter for SEO?
Because of these restrictions, the user base is heavily skewed toward the private sector: developers, international students, and tech-forward consumers. The demographics show a younger audience (mostly age groups 18-34) who value problem-solving abilities over general browsing⁶.
Our Strategy to Rank on DeepSeek
Ranking here requires a blend of high-level technical SEO and authority-building. Here is how to dominate the LMSYS Chatbot Arena Leaderboard of search results.
1. Optimize for “Chain of Thought” (Logic Over Keywords)
DeepSeek’s algorithm “shows its work.” It breaks down complex queries using long chains of thought. To rank, your content must be structured to facilitate this.
- Action: Structure your SEO content logically. Use zero-shot prompting principles in your writing, which includes clear premises followed by evidence.
- The “Context Window” Advantage: Because DeepSeek has a large context window size, you should write comprehensive, long-form content. Don’t split articles into tiny chunks; give the AI the full context on one page.
2. Technical Excellence: Server-Readable Content
While DeepSeek is an open-weight language model with impressive capabilities, its crawler (DeepSeekBot) can still stumble on complex client-side scripts.
- Action: If your site relies on heavy Spring Boot applications or complex Javascript code, ensure you are using server-side rendering.
- Mobile Performance: DeepSeek users are mobile-first (evidenced by their Google Play and App Store dominance). Your Google PageSpeed Insights score correlates strongly with crawl frequency here.
3. Build “Stable Entity Signals”
DeepSeek hallucinates less when it finds the same fact repeated across multiple external sources. It needs to know your brand is a “stable entity.”
- Action: Ensure your business details are consistent across the web. Mentions in technical journals, GitHub repositories (where DeepSeek is the #1 starred AI model), and industry news signal authority.
- Share of Voice: You want to be cited in the training data. This means getting coverage in the “seed sets” DeepSeek uses, which are often technical forums, wikis, and high-authority news sites.
4. Target the “Coding Arena”
DeepSeek is a favorite in the Coding Arena Ranking. Even if you don’t sell software, using data structures (like HTML tables, Schema markup, and clear lists) appeals to its logic-heavy natural language processing.
- Action: Use Schema Markup (JSON-LD). This is code that speaks directly to the AI systems, explicitly telling it, “We are a marketing agency” or “We offer customer service solutions.”
How Nomadic Advertising Can Help
Navigating the world of AI platforms, API requests, and FP8 Training nuances can feel like a full-time job; because it is. At Nomadic Advertising, we specialize in keeping your business ahead of the curve.
We don’t just do “old school” SEO. We implement strategies designed for the next generation of search engines through our AI LLM Optimization service.
Our Services Include:
- AI-Ready SEO Audits: We check your internal & external links, mobile performance, and keyword-optimised title tags to ensure you are readable by DeepSeek R1 and DeepSeek V3.
- Content Strategy: We create authoritative content that establishes your expertise, specifically tailored for text generation engines.
- Full-Service Digital Marketing: From social media to local SEO and paid advertising (PPC), we fill the marketing gaps so you can focus on running your business.
The price per token for ignoring this shift is too high. Sign in to the future of search with us. Contact us today for a free proposal.
Sources
- Business of Apps. (2025). DeepSeek revenue and usage statistics.https://www.businessofapps.com/data/deepseek-statistics/
- SQ Magazine. (2025). DeepSeek AI statistics 2025: Users, benchmarks & enterprise reach.https://sqmagazine.co.uk/deepseek-ai-statistics/
- DeepSeek AI. (2024). DeepSeek-V3 Technical Report. GitHub.https://github.com/deepseek-ai/DeepSeek-V3
- Reuters. (2025). Chinese AI firms stockpile chips amid export controls.
- Federal Register. (2019). Securing the Information and Communications Technology and Services Supply Chain (E.O. 13873).https://www.federalregister.gov/
- Digitaloft. (2025). 65 AI in SEO statistics for 2025.https://digitaloft.co.uk/ai-in-seo-statistics/
