Where the term comes from
The term comes from a 2023 research paper involving Princeton University, among others. It examined how content can be changed so that generative search systems use it more often as a source. Today, GEO generally stands for everything that improves visibility in AI search. Terms such as AI SEO or LLM SEO are also in use.
How AI search tools choose their sources
AI search tools such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Copilot or Google’s AI Overviews generate an answer instead of just listing links. To do this, they first search for suitable pages, often via the index of a search engine such as Bing or Google, and then base their answer on a small number of them. This approach is called retrieval-augmented generation. The pages the answer is based on appear as a citation with a link.
If you aren’t found at this step or don’t answer clearly enough, you won’t appear in the answer. There is no second page of results where you could still show up.
GEO and SEO: the difference
- SEO aims for a good position in Google’s list of results. Visitors compare the results and click themselves.
- GEO aims to be named in an AI’s answer and linked as a source. The AI compares and recommends.
- The foundation is the same: a website that search engines can’t find or understand can’t be cited by an AI either. GEO therefore builds on SEO and doesn’t replace it.
What GEO involves
- Access for AI crawlers: the robots.txt allows the AI providers’ search crawlers, and all important pages are indexed.
- Clear answers: every important page answers its key question right at the start, with facts, author and date.
- Consistent business information: name, address and services match on the website, the Google Business Profile and in directories. Structured data helps the AI recognize the business as an entity.
- Mentions on other sites: AI search tools trust sources that others mention, such as business directories, industry portals or reviews.
- Measurement: a fixed set of test questions shows whether and how often an AI names the business. Added to this are the visitors who find the website via AI search.
What GEO can’t do
Which sources an AI names is decided by its provider alone, and the answers change constantly. No one can therefore promise a specific mention. GEO improves the factors a business can influence itself.
The article Generative Engine Optimization (GEO): How to Get Your Website Ready for AI Search describes this in more detail, with steps for your own website.