What is Generative Engine Optimization?

Generative Engine Optimization (or GEO) is the process of applying dedicated marketing practices and website optimizations to be found, trusted, and cited by large language models (LLM) that use AI, like Gemini, ChatGPT and Copilot among others.

GEO relies heavily on the E-E-A-T model: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness.

How is GEO Different from SEO?

The great thing about GEO is that it builds on top of your existing SEO strategy and results. If your SEO strategy is strong, you already have a leg up when it comes to GEO. But there are some key differences to keep in mind. 

Ask yourself these questions to determine whether you need GEO or SEO.

1. What’s the point? GEO is focused on getting citations in LLMs, while SEO is meant to earn rankings within organic searches on traditional search engines.
2. How is content presented? GEO displays content directly under the search bar on the search page, whereas SEO focuses on getting users to click through to a website to access the content.
3. What signals authority? GEO uses things like brand mentions, text patterns, aggregators, and directories to tell how trustworthy you are. (Basically, lots of off-page SEO). SEO as a whole primarily uses keywords and on-page optimization.
4. What is the users intent? GEO answers tend to be quick, concise, and about grabbing a quick solution. SEO searches are meant to be deeper and more thorough.

Is GEO Important? 

AI search is where trends of searches are leaning right now. AI tools and features are more popular than ever. Searchers are learning to look to AI and LLMs more and more for a solution.  You should be meeting those searchers where they are with high-quality content.

Adding GEO is important if you hope to be competitive in search results. Here’s why GEO should be important to you:

1. Organic SERPs are pushed down the page, showing AI answers first and quickest. 
2. GEO helps lead people to concise summaries which are great for a quick solution or research.
3. We have learned through studies that AI search is 4x more valuable to a user than traditional search. Turning up in AI search results earns you trust with users. 

How do you Optimize Website Content for GEO?

If you’re already investing in SEO, you’re on the right path. Many GEO best practices overlap with SEO tasks you may already be doing. It’s important to stay up to date and consistently read up on how to pay attention to and talk about AI search.

Important things to focus on include:

• Getting listed and cited on other high-quality sites
• Answering questions directly
• Using bullet lists
• Using E-E-A-T
• Keeping up with traditional SEO

Get listed in other reliable and trusted lists and directories 

Find sites that are relevant to your industry that list or provide links to businesses and sites like yours. These should be relevant and high-quality. Adding yourself to directories like these tells AI search engines that you know your stuff and that others trust you. Even better if you can get cited in resources, articles, posts, podcasts, news reports, etc.

Answer questions directly 

GEO is all about matching the best answer to the best question. Make this easy for AI tools by making content easy to read and using direct conversational language. 

Use bullet points and lists

AI is always looking for specific takeaways to show users. If someone is looking for how or why to do something, a list is much easier to ingest than a paragraph. Format your answers as lists using bullets or numbers.

Focus on E-E-A-T

When developing new content, or ideas for new content, ask yourself:

1. Does this content display the length of experience I have with this information?
2. Does this content show how deep my expertise is about this topic?
3. How can I use this content to communicate that I am an authority on this subject? 
4. What additional resources can I use to ensure that my content is accurate and trustworthy?

Keep up with traditional SEO

Traditional SEO is all about making sure your site is the best place for search engines to send people who are looking for what you know. All the other elements of SEO continue to feed into that concept. Your baseline SEO performance and results – such as your visibility in SERPs, ranking levels, local SEO practices, etc. – all matter when it comes to GEO.

What is the Difference Between AEO and GEO?

Both GEO and AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) are methods for optimizing a website or brand for AI tools. They overlap in tons of ways and are both extensions of traditional SEO. Here’s how the two methods differ:

Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)	Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)
Focuses on direct Q/A style content.	Focuses on comprehensive and authoritative content.
Designed for Google featured snippets and voice assistants.	Designed for LLMs like ChatGPT and Gemini.
Utilizes structured data, schema, and conversational language.	Utilizes topic authority and organized content.
The goal is quick answers.	The goal is building a reputation and ensuring AI answers are accurate and trustworthy.