What Is GEO? Generative Engine Optimization Explained

Nov 04 • 3 min read

Knowledge Base > What Is GEO? Generative Engine Optimization Explained

Definition

GEO (generative engine optimization) is the practice of making a brand, product or page more likely to be cited, described accurately and recommended in answers written by AI systems. Those systems include AI assistants, AI search engines and the AI summaries inside traditional search results.

Classic SEO aims for a ranked link on a results page. GEO aims for a mention inside the answer itself. When someone asks an AI assistant for “the best tool for X,” the answer names a few products and sometimes links to the sources it used. GEO is the work of being one of those products and one of those sources.

The term comes from a 2023 research paper, GEO: Generative Engine Optimization (Aggarwal et al.), which tested how changes to a page’s content affected how often generative engines cited it. The industry has since used GEO to describe the broader practice: content, technical work, third-party mentions and measurement.

GEO vs AEO vs AI SEO

The three terms overlap, and people use them loosely. Here’s how we use them:

GEO vs AEO vs AI SEO
Term Stands for Focus
GEO Generative engine optimization Being cited and recommended in any AI-generated answer, from assistants to AI search
AEO Answer engine optimization Being the direct answer to a question, which started with featured snippets and voice search and now includes AI answers
AI SEO AI search engine optimization Classic SEO adapted for the AI features in search engines; also used for SEO done with AI tools

In practice, an agency selling any of the three does similar work. GEO is the broadest term, which is why we use it. For how GEO differs from classic SEO, see SEO vs GEO.

How AI answers choose what to mention

An AI answer about products usually draws on two things:

  • What the model learned in training. Brands that were widely written about before the model’s training cutoff have a head start.
  • What it retrieves at answer time. Many AI systems search the web or fetch pages before they answer, then summarize and cite what they found. These sources are often comparison pages, listicles, reviews, docs, forums and community threads.

So a product shows up when it’s well known in the training data, present in the sources the answer retrieves, or both. GEO works on both: your own pages, and what others write about you.

What GEO work includes

  • Prompt research and tracking: choosing the questions buyers ask and checking which brands and sources the answers mention.
  • Technical work: making sure AI crawlers can read your pages, with clear structure and structured data.
  • Content: pages that answer specific questions clearly, such as comparisons, alternatives, use cases and docs.
  • Off-site mentions: being named in the third-party sources AI answers cite.
  • Measurement: share of voice across a prompt set, citations, AI referral traffic and the signups or leads it brings. See GEO analytics.

Example

A buyer asks an AI assistant: “What’s the best identity verification API for a fintech startup?” The answer recommends three vendors and cites a comparison article, a Reddit thread and one vendor’s docs. GEO for one of those vendors would mean checking that answer regularly, improving its own comparison and docs pages, and earning a place in the articles and threads the answer relies on.

Author

Kirill has been in the SEO industry since 2010 as a college intern commenting on forums and blog posts and other outdated SEO tactics. Those days are long gone and now he focuses on promoting a full-service approach to SEO where design, analytics, backlinks development and content are equally valued and managed by SEO specialists, since it takes a whole team to build a quality SEO-proof website. He writes on changes to the algorithm and different tactics and processes businesses can utilize to improve their SEO. Feel free to contact him on Linkedin if you'd like to get in touch!

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What does GEO stand for?

    GEO stands for generative engine optimization: the practice of getting a brand cited and recommended in AI-generated answers.

  • Is GEO the same as SEO?

    No, but they overlap. SEO targets ranked links in search results; GEO targets mentions inside AI answers. Many GEO tactics, such as clear content and crawlable pages, also help SEO. See SEO vs GEO.

  • Is GEO the same as AEO?

    They’re close. AEO focuses on being the direct answer to a question, while GEO covers being cited and recommended across all AI-generated answers. Most people use the terms interchangeably.

  • Who coined the term GEO?

    The term was introduced in a 2023 research paper, “GEO: Generative Engine Optimization,” by Pranjal Aggarwal and co-authors.

  • How do you measure GEO?

    Track a fixed set of buyer prompts over time and record which brands are mentioned, which sources are cited and how your share of mentions changes. Then connect AI referral traffic to signups or leads in your analytics.