SEO works to get your page into Google's list of results. GEO works to get your brand cited or recommended in the answers written by ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity or Google's AI Overviews. They do not compete: GEO builds on SEO, and what changes most between them is the role of external sources.
This guide explains what GEO is, how it differs from SEO, what stays the same and what it means for your link building and PR strategy.
What GEO is
GEO stands for Generative Engine Optimization. The term took off after the academic paper GEO: Generative Engine Optimization, published in November 2023, which studied how to get content cited in the answers of AI-based search engines.
A generative engine does not return a list of links: it reads several sources, writes an answer and sometimes links to some of them. The goal of GEO is for your brand to be in that answer, either as a recommendation or as a cited source.
You will see other names for the same thing, or for parts of it:
- AEO (Answer Engine Optimization): optimising to be the direct answer, from Google's featured snippets to voice assistants and chatbots.
- LLMO or LLM SEO: optimising for large language models in general.
GEO vs SEO: the differences
| SEO | GEO | |
|---|---|---|
| Goal | Your page ranks and gets clicks | Your brand shows up in the answer |
| Where you appear | Google or Bing results list | ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, AI Overviews |
| What is assessed | One page against one search | What the sources the AI reads say about your brand |
| External signals | Links, mainly dofollow | Mentions in trusted sources, linked or not |
| What the user does | Clicks and visits your site | Often reads the answer and does not click |
| How it is measured | Rankings, impressions and clicks in Search Console | How often you are mentioned, and brand searches |
What stays the same
Most SEO work is still the foundation of GEO:
- Crawling and indexing. Assistants that search the web rely on search engine indexes. If your page is not indexed, it is unlikely to be cited.
- Useful, clear content. A concrete, well-structured answer with original data is easy to cite for a person and for an AI.
- Authority. Brands with a reputation, mentioned in well-known outlets, have an edge on Google and on generative engines. We explain it in why generative search engines value brand authority.
What changes
- Mentions count even without a link. For an AI, a trusted outlet talking about your brand is already a signal. We covered it in unlinked citations in GEO strategies and in nofollow links and LLMs.
- Third-party sources weigh more. AI prefers what others say about you (media, comparisons, reviews, forums) to what you say on your own site.
- Format matters more. Structure, original data, authority and recency are the four factors of the report we summarised in SOAR: the 4 keys to getting cited in LLMs.
- It is harder to measure. Some traffic from ChatGPT or Perplexity shows up in Analytics as referrals, but most users read the answer and do not click. That is why the most reliable indicator is how often you are mentioned.
What it means for your link building and PR
If GEO depends on what the sources the AI reads say about you, the question is no longer just "which link helps me rank?" but "which outlets does the AI cite when someone asks about my industry?". Three steps:
- Find out which sources the AI cites for your customers' questions. The AI visibility checker tells you whether ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity mention you and which outlets they cite.
- Get featured on those outlets, with real editorial content, not a disguised ad.
- Mind the quality. Google has warned that buying mentions to show up in AI Overviews is spam (we looked at it in Google confirms the value of citations). Useful content on a relevant outlet is what makes the difference.
How to measure whether your GEO works
- Mentions in answers: ask ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity the same questions every month and note whether you appear and where.
- Brand searches: if AI recommends you, more people search for your name on Google. You will see it in Search Console.
- Referral traffic: in Analytics, visits from chatgpt.com, perplexity.ai or gemini.google.com.
Frequently asked questions
Does GEO replace SEO?
No. Generative engines read the pages search engines already find, so without SEO you are less likely to be cited. GEO adds a layer: what other sources say about you.
Are GEO and AEO the same?
They overlap. AEO was born for direct answers (featured snippets, voice assistants) and GEO refers to engines that write the answer with AI. In practice, you work on them the same way.
Do links still help with GEO?
Yes, but what you value in them changes: beyond the authority they pass, it matters that the outlet is a source the AI reads and cites, and that it talks about your brand in the right context.
