When people search today, they don’t just see links—they get AI-generated answers. Whether it’s in Google’s AI Overviews or ChatGPT, your content can be used, cited, or summarized—sometimes without a click.
GEO isn’t a separate marketing channel or methodology. It’s SEO adapted for new delivery systems—AI engines instead of just search engines. If you’re already doing modern SEO well, you’re already doing GEO.
How do we know? Because the same optimized content—from expert articles to local business pages—is being cited in AI Overviews, ChatGPT, and other generative platforms, without updates. Same strategy. New surface. The fundamentals still work.
What is GEO?
GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) focuses on how content gets found and cited by AI systems like ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, and other generative search experiences where users now often begin their search journeys.
It’s an application of SEO principles to AI-generated answer systems—not a separate discipline, but an evolution in how search visibility works.
GEO vs SEO? That’s the Wrong Question.
GEO isn’t a rival to SEO. It’s part of it—just like local SEO or technical SEO.
You’re still optimizing for your users—just aiming for a different result: being cited in AI summaries or answers, not just listed in search results.
Some people insist that “SEO for AI search” is a new discipline because they believe it requires a more comprehensive approach. But this reflects a shallow understanding of optimization. A broad, holistic view of visibility—rather than checklist-driven SEO—has always been what makes a site more competitive and future-proof. If you were already doing proper SEO, your site was primed for AI inclusion from the start.
Why GEO Isn’t Separate From SEO
The fundamentals are the same: structure, clarity, topical authority. These are still what make content useful to users—and useful content is what generative systems surface.
“SEO” remains the umbrella term—think of it as Search Everywhere Optimization. Google continues to use it when discussing AI Overviews and generative features. “GEO” can be a useful shorthand for the shift in surface delivery, but it’s not a new foundation.
This isn’t the first time SEO has evolved. Voice search, featured snippets, and mobile-first indexing were all delivery changes. Same skills. New surfaces. You don’t need new frameworks. You need SEO done well.
Just like “TV” now includes streaming and on-demand—but we still call it TV—SEO now includes visibility in AI systems. But it’s still SEO.
What Stays the Same
Whether content is surfaced in traditional search results or AI-generated summaries, the core principles of visibility haven’t changed:
Write clear, factual content
Use structure and schema
Build topical authority and trust
Answer real questions directly
The difference is where your content shows up. Traditional SEO aimed to get your link in front of users. GEO is about being used or cited in an AI answer.
But the work that gets you cited in AI? Still SEO.
GEO vs AEO
AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) is simply another label for SEO aimed at helping your content get surfaced as a direct answer—whether in featured snippets, voice search, or AI-generated responses. Again, it’s not a separate strategy.
If you’re doing SEO well, you’re already doing AEO.
GEO vs AIO
The term AIO doesn’t have a clear or consistent meaning. Google sometimes refers to its AI Overviews as “AIOs”—but that’s a product name, not a strategy. If your content appears in those summaries, it’s because you’ve done solid SEO work.
Elsewhere, AIO sometimes refers to:
Using AI to create or optimize content
Or optimizing content for AI systems or agents
Again, if you’re focused on getting content cited in AI Overviews, ChatGPT answers, or other generative surfaces—that’s SEO.
Want the Full Picture?
Whether your optimization efforts are referred to as GEO, AEO, AIO, LLMO, or even SXO, it all falls under the same umbrella: SEO.
If you’re creating clear, helpful, well-structured content that answers real questions—you’re doing the work. And if you’re looking to hire, find an SEO who’s been in the game long enough to grasp both the foundational principles and how search technology continually evolves.
For the full breakdown of how modern SEO covers traditional rankings, AI Overviews, and generative engines, see: What Is SEO?
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