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.
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.
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? It's the Wrong Framing.
GEO isn’t a rival to SEO. It’s part of it—just like local SEO or technical SEO.
GEO applies core SEO principles to a new surface: generative AI systems that summarize, cite, and deliver answers—often without a user clicking through.
Why GEO Isn’t Separate From SEO
The fundamentals haven’t changed: structure, clarity, topical authority. What’s changed is where your content appears—in AI summaries instead of just link results.
“SEO” remains the dominant term. Google continues to use it when discussing AI Overviews and generative features. GEO is a useful shorthand for this shift in surface delivery—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.
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 the AI answer itself.
But the work that gets you there is still SEO.
Want the Full Picture?
GEO is part of how SEO works now. For a complete breakdown of search visibility across both traditional and AI-powered systems, see: What Is SEO?
Not sure how to start?
We help SMBs cut through the noise and build search strategies that scale.
