AI and GEO
What is the difference between SEO and GEO?
Short answer
SEO targets a place in Google's search results; GEO (generative engine optimisation) targets being mentioned or cited in the answers of AI services such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Google's AI Overviews. The foundation is largely the same: technically accessible, factual pages that answer a question clearly. The difference lies in what the result looks like and how you measure it.
What GEO means
Generative engine optimisation: setting up your website and your presence on the web so that language models can find, understand and use your information as a source in a generated answer.
What is the same
Pages must be reachable for crawlers, readable without JavaScript, clearly structured and answer the question directly. Structured data (schema.org) and consistent business details help both.
What is different
On Google you see a list of ten results and measure rankings and clicks. In an AI answer there is one summarised response, sometimes with sources. There is no fixed position, the answer varies by question, moment and user, and there are fewer clicks to your site.
What GEO adds
Short, quotable answers at the top of your page, verifiable facts (who, what, where, at what price or on what terms), access for AI crawlers in your robots.txt and mentions on other trusted sources, because AI services combine information from multiple sources.
How to measure GEO
Only approximately. Periodically ask the main AI services a fixed set of questions and record whether and how your business is mentioned, and check Analytics for traffic coming from AI services. It is a sample, not a complete measurement.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to choose between SEO and GEO?
No. GEO builds on SEO. Start with the foundation both need.
Is GEO the same as AEO or AIO?
The terms are used interchangeably for the same idea: optimising for answers rather than a list of links.
Can anyone guarantee that ChatGPT mentions my business?
No. You can improve your chances by being a clear, reliable source; nobody can force a mention.
More questions about ai and geo
- How do I get my business mentioned by ChatGPT?ChatGPT and other AI services mention businesses they recognise as reliable, relevant sources.
- What is SEO?SEO stands for search engine optimisation.
- How do I rank higher on Google?You rank higher on Google by creating a page per service that answers the search query better than the pages currently at the top, by getting the technical basics right and by being visibly trustworthy, with a complete Google Business Profile and links from relevant websites.
- Why is my website not showing up on Google?It is usually one of six causes: the site has not been indexed yet, a setting blocks Google (such as 'noindex' or robots.txt), there is no dedicated page for what you want to be found for, the content is too thin, the domain is still young, or you are searching for a term with much stronger competitors.
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