What is GEO?

As more people use AI tools to ask questions and search for information, there’s a new term on the block when it comes to search: GEO, or generative engine optimisation. GEO is the practice of improving how a business or its content appears in answers produced by AI-powered search systems. 

The term was formalised in a 2024 research paper examining how content gains visibility within generative responses. These responses are produced by large language models (LLMs), which retrieve information from the web to compose responses to the questions people ask. 

AI-generated responses are also becoming part of the traditional search experience, appearing prominently in Google AI Overviews and AI Mode, while tools such as ChatGPT, Perplexity and Claude offer another route to finding information that can include links to supporting sources. For businesses, that changes what being visible online looks like. As well as where your website appears in traditional search results, whether your organisation is recognised by AI tools is also becoming part of how people discover it. 

So, while GEO might be a new term that has attracted plenty of hype over the past few years, much of what sits behind it feels very familiar to experienced SEO pros. Establishing your business expertise and subject authority still shapes how you’re understood by your audience and the tools they use to search. 

What is the difference between SEO and GEO?

SEO and GEO share plenty of common ground, but they aren’t exactly the same thing. 

Search engine optimisation (SEO) focuses on improving a website’s visibility and ability to rank within traditional search results, such as Google. That can involve everything from technical website performance and backlinks to keyword strategy to useful content to demonstrate expertise. Generative engine optimisation (GEO) considers how content appears within AI-generated search answers. 

The two disciplines overlap heavily. Google states that its generative search features draw on its existing Search index and core ranking systems. A page must be indexed and eligible to appear with a search snippet before it can feature as a supporting link in Google’s AI results. 

The practical difference lies in the outcome and how visibility is assessed. With SEO, success has traditionally meant ranking prominently on page one for relevant searches and organic traffic, but with GEO, visibility instead comes from your business being referenced or used as a source within the answer itself.

How does GEO work?

GEO looks at the wider picture, as generative engines use relevant information from across the web to shape their responses. That makes a consistent presence across the web increasingly important.  

Technical SEO remains the entry point. For Google’s AI features, a page needs to meet the same technical requirements used across Google Search. A well-optimised website gives AI tools useful information about your business, while credible earned coverage elsewhere can reinforce what you’re known for and can help generative engines understand your business and its expertise when shaping their answers. Over time, consistency across these sources creates a clearer account of what the business knows. 

What does GEO mean for PR?

Earned media creates credible sources beyond a company’s website and shapes how people understand a business. It builds reputation and demonstrates expertise between organisations and the subjects they want to be known for. For example, an interview in a respected publication can connect a business’s expertise with a relevant subject and give that association editorial weight. 

The value comes from what the coverage establishes. As generative engines look for credible information to inform their responses, a passing brand mention gives little context, but coverage containing a meaningful expert contribution in trusted publications and authoritative sources gives readers a reason to remember the business. If an AI system retrieves the article, it gains relevant context about the organisation’s expertise. 

Every piece of coverage won’t lead directly to an appearance in an AI-generated answer. Content still needs to be topically relevant and genuinely useful, rather than created purely for machines. 

Which is more important: SEO or GEO for businesses? 

Treating SEO and GEO as competing investments leads to the wrong decision. GEO depends heavily on the foundations established through SEO. 

GEO brings reputation and discoverability closer together as people are finding information in different ways. Traditional search remains an important part of that, while AI-powered search is creating another route to answers.  

For businesses, the question isn’t SEO or GEO. The focus should be on a connected strategy that builds authority around the topics and questions the business has genuine expertise to answer. 

Strong SEO foundations are needed to make your website easier to find and understand, while earned media builds credibility and public reputation beyond your own channels. Together, they can strengthen how your business is discovered through traditional and AI-powered search. 

Shaping your narrative for search

For businesses, the focus remains on creating a reputation worth finding. Understanding what matters to your audience and building credible conversations around your expertise gives search engines and AI tools a clearer picture of who you are. 

At Rumpus, we bring PR and search thinking together to help our clients shape narratives that build authority around their business. As search behaviour changes, we’re helping businesses understand what GEO means for their communications and how the authority they build can support their discoverability. 

If you’d like to talk about what GEO could mean for your business, get in touch with our team. Our client success stories show how the right narrative can build authority and make an impact.