People increasingly ask ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Copilot or Google’s AI Overviews for a recommendation instead of scrolling a page of links. Generative engine optimisation (GEO) is the work of making sure those answers mention your business and cite your pages.
What GEO is
SEO aims to rank a page in a list of results. GEO aims to get your brand named, and your pages cited, inside an answer that an AI writes. The assistant reads several sources, combines them and links to a few. If your page is one it trusts and can quote easily, you’re in the answer.
Why GEO doesn’t replace SEO
Most AI search features work from pages that search engines have already crawled and indexed. Google says there are no extra technical requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode beyond being indexed and eligible to show a snippet. A page that search engines can’t find, crawl or understand is unlikely to be cited by an AI either. So GEO is a layer on top of good SEO, not a replacement for it.
What does change
- Fewer clicks on simple questions. Pew Research Center found that Google users who saw an AI summary clicked a traditional result in 8% of visits, compared with 15% when no summary appeared.
- Longer, more specific questions. People ask full questions with context, such as budget, location or skin type, so your content has to answer specific situations.
- Passages, not pages. Assistants quote short sections. A clear answer at the top of a section is easier to cite than one buried in a long paragraph.
- Your reputation off-site matters more. Reviews, directories, comparison articles, forums and press coverage all shape how an assistant describes you.
What to do now
- Check that search engines, and the AI crawlers you want to allow, can reach your key pages, and that important content appears without JavaScript.
- Give each section one clear question, answer it in the first sentence or two, then add detail, figures and dates.
- Add structured data for your organisation, products, FAQs and articles, and keep names, prices and details consistent everywhere they appear.
- Build your footprint beyond your own site: complete profiles, genuine reviews and coverage on sites your customers already trust.
- Track a fixed set of 15 to 30 prompts every month across the main assistants. Note when you’re mentioned, when you’re cited and how you’re described.
How to measure it
Rankings and clicks still matter, but they no longer show the whole picture. Add AI-specific measures: how often you’re mentioned for your tracked prompts, how often your pages are cited, your share of voice against competitors, and visits from AI assistants in GA4.
Sources: Google Search Central, AI features and your website; Pew Research Center, July 2025.