Guides / Explainer
GEO vs SEO: what changes when customers ask AI instead of Google
Generative engine optimisation builds on SEO but rewards different things. Here's what carries over and what's new.
The short version
SEO gets you onto a list of ten links. GEO (generative engine optimisation) gets you into the one answer an AI gives. The audience is the same, but the winner-takes-most effect is stronger.
What carries over from SEO
- Fast, crawlable pages
- Clear content that answers real questions
- Authority from other sites linking to and mentioning you
What's different
| SEO | GEO | |
|---|---|---|
| Goal | Rank in the top 3 links | Be named in the answer |
| Main signal | Backlinks and relevance | Consistent mentions across trusted sources |
| Content format | Long pages targeting keywords | Direct answers, facts, comparisons |
| Measurement | Rankings, clicks | Share of mentions across assistants |
| Brand matters | Somewhat | A lot |
What to do first
- Audit what assistants say about you today.
- Fix inconsistent facts across the web.
- Publish answer-first pages for your top 20 customer questions.
- Invest in reviews and third-party coverage.
Is SEO dead?
No. AI assistants still pull from the web, and Google still drives most search traffic. GEO is an extra layer, and the businesses doing good SEO usually have a head start.
Want to know what AI says about your brand?
Our €390 audit tests 20 buyer questions across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Copilot, and gives you a prioritised fix list.
See the audit