Generative engine optimization (GEO)
Generative engine optimization (GEO) is the work of making a brand appear, correctly and favourably, in the answers of AI engines such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode.
Where the term comes from
The term comes from a 2023 research paper by Aggarwal et al. (Princeton University, Georgia Tech, the Allen Institute for AI and IIT Delhi), published at KDD 2024. In their experiments, adding quotations, statistics and cited sources to a page raised its visibility in generative answers the most; keyword stuffing did not help.
GEO vs. SEO
SEO aims for a high position among links. GEO aims to be named in the answer itself. Much overlaps (crawlable pages, clear facts, authority), but GEO also depends on the third-party pages AI reads for a question: lists, comparisons, reviews, forums.
What GEO work looks like
- Measure in which questions you are named, per engine and market.
- Find the sources AI reads for those questions that name competitors but not you.
- Get onto those pages, answer buyer questions on your own site, and correct wrong facts.
- Check that AI crawlers may read your site (robots.txt).
Measuring GEO
Answers change daily, so judge GEO work on weekly numbers with ranges, not on single checks. See AI visibility and the Wilson confidence interval.
Related
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