What is GEO (generative engine optimisation)?
GEO is the work of getting your business named and cited in answers from AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Perplexity. It builds on SEO, but the goal is to be the source an AI quotes, not just a blue link.
Generative engine optimisation, or GEO, is the work of getting your business named and cited when someone asks an AI tool a question. Instead of a list of links, ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Perplexity write an answer, and they name a handful of businesses and sources while they do it.
How is GEO different from SEO?
SEO is about ranking a page in Google's results. GEO is about being one of the sources an AI tool draws on and mentions in its answer. The two overlap: AI tools lean heavily on pages that already rank and on sites they can read and trust. Good SEO is usually the starting point.
What affects whether an AI mentions you?
Clear, specific pages that answer real questions. Consistent details about your business across the web, such as directories, Google Business Profile and Companies House. Mentions and links from sites the AI already trusts. And a site the AI's crawlers can actually read.
How do you measure it?
Ask the AI tools the questions your customers ask, the same way every month, and record who gets named. That shows whether you are being mentioned, which competitors are, and whether changes you make are working.
Common questions
They overlap. AEO (answer engine optimisation) is about being the direct answer to a question, often in Google's own features. GEO is about being cited by generative AI tools. In practice the same groundwork helps both.
No. AI tools draw heavily on pages that already rank well, so SEO is still the foundation for GEO.