Key points

  • GEO means generative engine optimisation: being used and cited in AI-written answers
  • AI tools build answers from pages they can read and trust, so good SEO is the base
  • Clear facts, the same details everywhere and real reviews matter more than ever

What GEO means

Tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google's AI Overviews write an answer instead of only listing links. They pull facts from web pages and often show their sources. GEO is the work that makes your business one of those sources.

The term comes from a 2023 research paper, “GEO: Generative Engine Optimization”, by researchers from Princeton University and partner institutions. In their tests, pages that added clear statistics, quotations and cited sources were noticeably more likely to be used in AI answers.

How GEO differs from SEO

  • SEO earns a place in the list of results. GEO earns a mention inside the answer itself
  • Both need pages that are easy to read, accurate and from a source the system trusts
  • An AI answer often names only a few businesses, so being clearly described matters more than ranking eighth

What helps AI tools mention you

  • Plain, direct answers near the top of each page, phrased the way customers ask
  • Specific facts: areas served, opening hours, what is included, price ranges where you can share them
  • The same business name, address and phone everywhere: website, Google Business Profile and directories
  • Structured data that labels your business, services and FAQs (technical SEO explained)
  • Real reviews and mentions on other websites, which show that you exist and are trusted
  • Letting AI crawlers read your site: check your robots.txt file and any security setting that blocks bots

Google's AI Overviews still start with search

Google's AI Overviews are built from pages in Google's own search index, so the usual SEO basics still decide whether you can appear. Google Search Console now also has a report on how your site performs in Google's AI features.

Google says its Google-Extended setting, which controls whether your content is used for its Gemini AI models, does not change how you appear in Google Search.

Where to start

Get the SEO basics right first (what is SEO?). Then add a short FAQ to your main pages, complete your Google Business Profile, and ask happy customers for reviews. Those four steps help both search results and AI answers.