What Is GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) in Simple Terms?
Roman Perch from New York City, Founder / CEO
GEO, or generative engine optimization, is the work of getting your business recommended in AI answers. People used to type a query into a search engine and get a list of websites. Now they increasingly get a ready-made answer written by AI: which company to choose, how much it costs, what to look out for. GEO makes sure your company is in that answer, with a link to your website.
Key takeaway
GEO is the work of getting your business named and cited in AI answers from Google, ChatGPT and Perplexity. It is built on top of good old SEO.
Where people see these answers:
- In Google: AI Overviews on top of the search results and conversational answers in AI Mode, both with links to source websites.
- In AI assistants: ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity and Microsoft Copilot. Someone types "recommend a company" and gets a list with explanations.
- In regional assistants: Yandex Alice AI, DeepSeek, Qwen and others, depending on the market.
A quick note on the "GEO SEO" meaning, since the terms get confused. In this context GEO has nothing to do with geography, geotargeting or local SEO. The "G" stands for generative: AI systems that write an answer instead of returning a list of links.
AI assistants do not make companies up. They summarize websites and third-party sources they find on the web. That is why GEO is built on top of good old SEO: your website has to be accessible to crawlers, clear, useful and backed up by mentions on other websites. We explain the difference between the two in more detail in GEO vs SEO explained for business owners.
AI Search Optimization has been doing SEO since 2002, with 100+ clients around the world. We run an AI visibility audit and prompt research, fix your website and content, publish articles in external sources and regularly track AI answers. The fee is $290 per month, including 10 hours of specialist work; every additional hour is $45. Book a call to see what AI says about your business today.