What is GEO? A plain guide to AI search
Key takeaways GEO means making your content easy for AI answer tools to find, understand and cite. Google says optimising for its AI features is the same work as SEO, with no extra markup or files required. The basics decide eligibility: pages must be crawlable, indexed and allowed to show a snippet. Be wary of anything sold as a secret: llms.txt, content chopped into fragments and tools claiming…
GEO stands for generative engine optimization, which is about making your content simple for AI answer tools to find, understand, and cite. These tools encompass Google's AI Overviews, AI Mode, and AI-powered assistants like ChatGPT and Perplexity. Instead of a list of links, users receive a written response, sometimes with links to the sources used. AEO, or answer engine optimization, is synonymous with GEO and lacks an official definition.
The practice of GEO is similar to SEO, with no extra markup or technical requirements needed. To be eligible for AI answers, pages must be crawlable, indexed, and allowed to display a snippet. Beware of misleading claims about secret tools or marking up content for AI, as Google offers no support for these.
Measuring GEO performance is challenging, as Google does not provide a separate metric for AI features. Use Search Console, your analytics, and a list of real questions to track success. Expect variations in results, as AI answers can change with each query.
To improve your chances of being cited in AI answers, focus on SEO best practices: make your content findable, answer questions early, provide original insights, showcase your expertise, maintain consistent facts, ensure good page experience, and use structured data accurately. Avoid tactics like llms.txt files, breaking content into tiny pieces, creating multiple pages for each question, buying or faking mentions, and relying on third-party tools claiming guaranteed AI placements.
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