What is GEO? Generative Engine Optimisation
What is GEO?
GEO stands for Generative Engine Optimisation (or Optimization, in American English). It means setting up a website so that AI search engines such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Perplexity understand the site, trust it and mention it in the answer they give.
The term comes from a 2023 research paper by researchers from Princeton University and others: GEO: Generative Engine Optimization. They described how the visibility of a source in an AI answer changes when you adjust that source’s content. GEO is now the common name for everything you do to show up in AI answers.
Note: some people use “geo SEO” for local SEO, meaning visibility in a city or region. That is something else.
How does an AI search engine build its answer?
When you ask an AI search engine a question, roughly three things happen:
- The model looks for sources. Many AI search engines first search the web for current pages that match your question.
- The model writes an answer. Based on those sources and what it already knows, it writes a coherent answer.
- The model sometimes cites sources. Perplexity and ChatGPT with search often show links to the pages the answer relies on.
For GEO, steps 1 and 3 matter most. Is your client’s site found as a source? And is the business mentioned or linked in the answer?
What is the difference between SEO and GEO?
| SEO | GEO | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | Google and Bing search results | Answers from ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity |
| Goal | Rank high in the list | Be mentioned in the answer |
| What the visitor sees | Ten links | One answer, often with a few sources |
| How you measure | Positions, impressions, clicks | Mentions, position in the answer, context |
GEO does not replace SEO. It builds on it. AI search engines largely rely on the same signals as regular search engines: is the page findable, clear, trustworthy and up to date? A site that is technically and editorially in good shape for Google has a head start.
What helps you get mentioned in AI answers?
- A clear answer at the top of the page. Open important pages with a short paragraph that stands on its own: who you are, what you do, for whom. That kind of paragraph is easy to reuse in an answer.
- Structured data. With schema markup you make facts unambiguous: the business name, address, services, questions and answers.
- The same description everywhere. Use the same name and the same description of what the business does on your site, profiles and business listings. Conflicting descriptions make it harder to mention you.
- Your own data and examples. Cases with real numbers, first-hand experience and concrete examples are information only you have. They are more likely to be used as a source than generic text.
- Mentions beyond your site. Reviews, business profiles, industry sites and articles that mention the business show that it exists and is trusted.
- Accessible to crawlers. Keep important text in the HTML rather than only behind JavaScript, and do not block AI search bots in your
robots.txt. - Up-to-date information. Show when a page was last updated and keep key pages genuinely current.
How do you measure GEO?
There is no Search Console for ChatGPT. You measure GEO by asking AI search engines fixed questions, yourself or with a tool, and keeping track of the answers. Look at:
- Mentioned or not. For which questions does the business appear in the answer?
- Position. Is it mentioned first, or third in a list?
- Context. What is it mentioned for: the right service, the right place?
- Competitors. Who appears in the same answers?
- Sentiment. How is the business described?
The Nekx SEO AI Rank Analyzer does this for you in ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, DeepSeek and Perplexity, and summarises AI visibility in a score from 0 to 100 next to the Google numbers.
How to explain GEO to your client
Clients increasingly ask whether they can be found in ChatGPT. You do not need a technical story. This explanation fits in a few sentences:
“More and more people ask ChatGPT instead of Google. It gives one answer, with a few businesses in it. GEO makes sure your business is one of them. Every month we measure whether you are mentioned and improve the site to raise the chances.”
Then show where things stand today, for example with a free GEO scan of the site. A concrete result says more than an explanation.
Frequently asked questions
Is GEO the same as SEO?
No. SEO is about your position in the list of search results. GEO is about being mentioned in the answer of an AI search engine. They do overlap: good SEO is the foundation for GEO.
Will GEO replace SEO?
No. Many people still search through Google, and AI search engines themselves use search results and web pages as sources. You need both.
What is the difference between GEO and AEO?
AEO stands for Answer Engine Optimisation. The terms are used interchangeably. Both are about being found and mentioned in answers rather than in a list of links.
Can I see whether a client is mentioned in ChatGPT?
Yes. You can ask questions yourself and track the answers, or use a tool that does this automatically across several AI search engines. The free Nekx SEO GEO scan gives you a first picture of a client site.
Does an llms.txt file help with GEO?
Having one does no harm, but do not sell it as a solution. Google does not use llms.txt, and there is no evidence that it leads to more mentions in AI answers. A clear site with good content and structured data does more.