What is GEO and how is it different from SEO?
GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) is the practice of preparing your content so that AI-powered search experiences (Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity) can understand, trust and cite it. Classic SEO was about ranking high in a list of results; GEO is about being named as a source inside the answer the AI writes.
They are not rivals; they stack: there is no GEO without solid technical SEO, but classic SEO alone may not get you into AI answers.
What do AI engines cite?
The common tendencies of generative engines are observable:
- Direct-answer structures: a question-style heading followed immediately by a clear 2-4 sentence answer.
- Structured content: lists, steps and comparison tables; engines extract and quote these easily.
- Structured data: JSON-LD markup like FAQPage, Article and Organization tells machines explicitly what the content is.
- Trust signals: a visible publish/update date, author information (E-E-A-T) and links to credible sources.
A practical GEO checklist
- Ask the main question your page targets as an H2 and answer it plainly in the first paragraph.
- Add an FAQ section built from real customer questions and mark it up with FAQPage schema.
- Use bullet lists, numbered steps and tables wherever they fit; avoid walls of text.
- Show a visible update date and mark it with the
<time>element. - Add an author or expert box and describe them with Person schema.
- Back your claims with sources; sourced content is closer to being cited.
Measure your site's GEO readiness
Instead of checking each of these by hand, run our free AI SEO audit: alongside the SEO score it produces a separate GEO score, checking Q&A structure, freshness, author and structured-content signals, and suggesting ready-made FAQ schema code where it is missing.