What is SEO? 

SEO—short for Search Engine Optimisation—is the practice of optimising your website and its content to improve visibility in search engine results. It’s been around for many years now and most people will have heard of it, even if they don’t understand it. 

SEO is mainly about two main things: helping search engines like Google understand what your content is about, and making it easier for users to find your site and decide whether to click on it from the search results.

At its core, SEO is about alignment; making sure that what you’re offering matches what people are searching for. It involves both technical elements (like site structure, page speed, and mobile-friendliness) as well as content elements (such as keywords, headings, and internal linking). SEO also includes off-page factors, such as backlinks from other trusted websites, which signal authority and relevance to search engines.

From the user’s perspective, SEO helps ensure that the right information appears in search results when they type in a query. This includes optimising page titles, meta descriptions, and URLs to clearly communicate what the page offers, with the aim of increasing the likelihood that a user will click through to your site. Once they arrive, well-optimised content helps them quickly find the answers they’re looking for, whether that’s making a purchase, reading a blog post, or finding contact details.

Ultimately, good SEO bridges the gap between what people are searching for and what your site provides, driving organic traffic and supporting your broader business or content goals.

The exponential growth in the use of AI has, however, introduced a new search kid to the optimisation block. Welcome GEO!

What is GEO?

Somewhat confusingly, there are two types of GEO, Geographic Engine Optimisation, which has been around for a while and refers to maximising the benefits of local search tools such as Google Business Profile, and the new kid on the block, Generative Engine Optimisation. This is the one we’re discussing in this article.

Generative Engine Optimisation is an emerging content strategy designed to optimise digital content for AI-powered search engines and platforms. Unlike traditional SEO, which focuses on optimising content to rank in search engine results pages (SERPs), GEO is specifically tailored for generative AI systems, like those used in large language models and AI assistants. As these systems increasingly shape how users access and consume information, businesses and content creators must adapt their strategies to ensure their content remains visible and influential in this new environment.

At its core, GEO is about making content easily discoverable, understandable, and usable by generative AI models. These models don’t just crawl web pages and return links; they collect information from across the web to generate summaries, answers and recommendations in response to user queries. For it to be included in these AI-generated outputs, it must cover the 4 following content pillars:

• Be clear, 
• Be structured 
• Be authoritative 
• Be relevant 

This means, if you want your content to be found in AI searches, it’s important to craft content that aligns with the way AI interprets language and prioritises information. Emphasise clarity, factual accuracy, contextual relevance, and structured data that can be dissected and reused effectively.

GEO represents a shift in digital strategy, where content is no longer just optimised for human readers and traditional search engines, but also for machine interpretation and synthesis. This includes using precise language, incorporating well-labeled metadata, and addressing topics comprehensively to increase the chances of content being surfaced in AI-generated answers or overviews. As AI becomes the interface through which more users interact with the web (whether via search engines, digital assistants, or chatbots) the visibility of content will increasingly depend on how well it is positioned for these systems.

In this sense, GEO complements traditional SEO rather than replacing it. While SEO ensures your content ranks well on search platforms like Google and Bing, GEO ensures your content is considered and referenced by AI models generating natural language responses. The goal is to maintain and expand your digital presence across both traditional and generative interfaces. As AI-driven search continues to evolve, understanding and implementing GEO principles will be essential for anyone looking to stay relevant and visible in the digital landscape.

What can they both achieve?

1. Visibility and Discoverability

Both SEO and GEO aim to increase the visibility of content.

• SEO focuses on improving rankings in search engine results pages (SERPs).
  
• GEO focuses on being included in AI-generated responses, summaries, or conversational answers.

In both cases, the ultimate goal is to help users find your content when they’re searching for information.

2. Content Quality Matters

High-quality content is essential in both strategies.

• Search engines and AI models prioritise accurate, informative, and well-structured content.
  
• Both approaches reward content that demonstrates Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness.
  

3. Keyword and Topic Optimisation

Both SEO and GEO rely on understanding user intent and optimising content accordingly.

• SEO uses keywords and phrases aligned with search queries.
  
• GEO focuses on semantic understanding—making sure the content addresses user questions in a way that AI can interpret and then use it in generative responses.
  

4. Structured Data and Clarity

Clear, structured content benefits both SEO and GEO.

• In SEO, elements like headings, schema markup, and metadata help search engines index and rank content effectively.
  
• In GEO, clear structure and well-defined sections help AI models extract relevant information for summaries or conversational answers.

5. Focus on User Intent

Understanding and meeting user intent is central to both.

• Whether someone is searching on Google or asking a question to an AI assistant, the content needs to directly address the underlying need—be it informational, transactional, navigational, or otherwise.

6. Performance Over Time

SEO and GEO are both long-term strategies.

• Content optimised for either method may take time to gain traction, but when done correctly, it can drive sustained traffic and visibility.
  

7. Content Freshness and Relevance

Both strategies value up-to-date and relevant information.

• Search engines favor fresh content, especially in dynamic niches (like tech, health, or news).
  
• Generative engines also seek recent, reliable information to ensure their responses are current and trustworthy.
  

8. User Experience (UX) Matters

The three UX pillars of good content presentation, page speed, and mobile friendliness all support SEO rankings and therefore they indirectly support GEO as well.

AI models can sometimes detect signals of usability and credibility based on how content is written and structured. As AI develops, these detection powers will most likely increase to improve its generative outputs

As SEO and GEO both aim to connect users with the right content, albeit through different delivery mechanisms, they should be seen as complementary strategies. What’s more, as AI-driven tools grow in influence, integrating both will become essential for digital success.

So what are the differences?

Summary

SEO and GEO serve the same overarching goal, making your content more visible to users, but they operate in different arenas. While SEO drives traffic by encouraging users to click on links from traditional search engine results, GEO focuses on securing mentions within AI-generated answers, where users may consume information without ever visiting your site. 

By combining both strategies, optimising for traditional ranking signals and ensuring your content is structured and AI-ready, you could maximise your visibility across both search and generative platforms. Try not to feel overwhelmed by ‘yet another thing to do in order to be found on the internet’, break the task down into achievable chunks. You could start by focusing on your best-performing pages, enhancing their structure with clear headings and credible citations. Or you could even ask some friendly experts to help you (that’s us).

Of course, as this is a new topic it is evolving really fast. We will be keeping an eye on this and updating this article as new information comes to light.