Two strategies every business needs to understand are SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) — and how they complement each other.
What is Traditional SEO?
SEO optimizes your website to rank higher in Google's organic search results through keyword research, content creation, technical optimization, and link building.
What is GEO?
GEO optimizes your content to be cited by AI-powered search engines like Google's AI Overviews, ChatGPT, and Perplexity. As AI search grows, being referenced by these systems drives significant traffic.
Key Differences
- SEO targets traditional SERPs; GEO targets AI-generated summaries
- SEO focuses on keywords and backlinks; GEO focuses on being a credible cited source
- SEO measures rankings; GEO measures citations and AI mentions
How They Work Together
High-quality SEO content demonstrating E-E-A-T naturally performs well in both traditional search and AI search. The fundamentals overlap: comprehensive accurate content, strong brand authority, clear entity optimization.