SEO (Search Engine Optimization) helps search engines understand your content and helps users find your site in traditional search results.
GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) focuses on improving your content’s visibility in generative AI answers (mentions/citations in AI responses).
GEO and SEO key differences
Primary goal
- SEO: rank in organic search results (SERPs) using proven SEO strategies.
- GEO: get selected as a source in AI-generated answers.
Where you win visibility
- SEO: blue links and classic search features.
- GEO: AI answers and AI summaries that link out to sources (e.g., Google AI Overviews).
What tends to matter most
- SEO: relevance + technical SEO + authority signals + UX.
- GEO: machine-readable structure + clear, directly answerable passages + credible references (and often more reliance on authoritative third-party sources).
Success metrics
- SEO: rankings, impressions, clicks, and organic traffic through comprehensive website analysis.
- GEO: AI mentions/citations, share-of-answers, inclusion in AI overview/source cards.
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Does strong SEO automatically mean strong GEO?
Not always. AI systems can cite pages that aren’t #1 if they best satisfy search intent and are easy to extract/verify, requiring advanced content engineering, and they may pull from a broader set of sources.
How to optimize for both (practical)
- Put a direct definition/answer near the top when creating SEO-optimized articles.
- Use clean H2/H3 structure, short paragraphs, and lists.
- Add evidence (sources, data, quotes) and keep facts consistent.
- Build authority beyond your site (PR/earned media helps in AI search bias research). This is a core component of ranking in AI search results.
FAQ
What’s the simplest way to explain GEO vs SEO?
SEO = ranking in search results. GEO = being cited/mentioned in AI answers.
What content performs well for GEO?
Content that’s easy to parse and cite: clear definitions, steps, comparisons, and well-supported claims.
Where do AI answers show links to sources?
Google states AI Overviews provide a “jumping off point” to explore links for more info.
