Generative engine optimisation vs SEO: what's different and what isn't
GroundReach
Generative engine optimisation (GEO) is the practice of helping AI systems that generate answers, such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude and Google’s AI Overviews, find, trust and mention your business. The term was popularised by a 2023 research paper of the same name, and it’s often used interchangeably with answer engine optimisation (AEO).
The useful question for a small business isn’t “is GEO replacing SEO?” but “what do I need to do differently, and what am I already doing?” The answer: most of the foundation is shared, and a few things are new.
GEO and SEO side by side
| SEO | GEO | |
|---|---|---|
| Where you appear | A list of search results | Inside an AI-written answer, sometimes with source links |
| What decides it | Relevance, links, technical health, page quality | The same, plus how clearly a page answers and how widely others mention you |
| What success looks like | Higher rankings, more clicks | Being named or cited for your buyers’ questions |
| How you measure it | Rankings, Search Console clicks and impressions | Mention rate per assistant, share of voice, cited sources |
| How stable it is | Fairly stable day to day | Varies from one answer to the next, so measure repeatedly |
What’s shared
- A crawlable, fast, well-structured site. If search engines and AI crawlers can’t read a page, neither can use it.
- Useful content that matches intent. Pages written for real people’s questions do well in both.
- Clear information about your business. Consistent name, location and offer, plus structured data.
- Authority. Links and mentions from relevant, trusted sites help in both, arguably even more in GEO.
Google says the same in its guidance for its generative AI features: the fundamentals of creating helpful, crawlable content still apply.
What’s extra for GEO
Answer directly
Generative engines lift passages, not whole pages. Lead each section with a direct answer to the question in its heading.
Be mentioned beyond your own site
AI answers lean on what several sources agree on. Reviews, directories, comparison articles, industry media and community discussions all count. In a check of ten AI-marketing keywords in Google Australia (October 2026), LinkedIn appeared in seven of the top-ten results and Reddit in six, and every one of the ten searches showed an AI Overview.
Let AI search crawlers in
Each AI company has its own crawler. Make sure your robots.txt and firewall allow the search ones (for example OAI-SearchBot, PerplexityBot and Claude-SearchBot), even if you choose to block training crawlers.
Measure AI answers, not just rankings
Search Console tells you about Google search. For GEO you also need to ask the assistants your buyers’ questions, repeatedly, and record whether you’re named, who’s named instead, and which sources they cite.
What not to do
- Don’t stuff keywords or write for bots. Generative engines are good at spotting padded, unhelpful text.
- Don’t add structured data for content that isn’t on the page.
- Don’t judge on one answer. Assistants vary; look at the trend over several checks.
- Don’t drop SEO. Most AI answers are built on pages that search systems found first.
A combined weekly routine
- Technical check: crawl the site for broken links, titles, structured data and AI crawler access.
- Search check: review Search Console for queries where you’re close to the top three, or seen but rarely clicked.
- AI check: ask your 5–10 buyer questions across the main assistants and compare with last week.
- One improvement: sharpen one page’s direct answers, or earn one new mention on a site the assistants cite.
GroundReach runs this loop in one place: Site health, Search Console opportunities, and an AI visibility check across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Claude.
Frequently asked questions
Is generative engine optimisation a real thing?
Yes. It describes a real shift: AI systems now write answers that name businesses and cite sources, and you can influence and measure whether yours is included.
Is SEO still worth it?
Yes. GEO builds on SEO. A site search engines can’t read or don’t trust is unlikely to be cited by AI answers either.
What tools do I need for GEO?
Something to check your site’s technical health, Search Console for search data, and a way to check AI answers repeatedly across assistants. You can do the last one by hand, but it gets slow quickly.
Can AI assistants recommend my business?
Yes, if they can read your site, understand what you do, and see you mentioned by others. No one can guarantee it, but you can make it more likely and measure the result.