GEO vs SEO: what is the difference, and do you need both?
SEO (search engine optimization) aims to get a business a ranked link on a search results page. GEO (generative engine optimization) aims to get it mentioned or recommended inside an answer written by an AI assistant. They share most of their foundations, but they are measured differently, and a business can do well in one while being absent from the other.
The difference in one table
| SEO | GEO | |
|---|---|---|
| Goal | A ranked link on a results page | A mention or recommendation inside an AI answer |
| Where it shows | Google and other search engines | ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode, and other assistants |
| What the customer sees | A list of links to choose from | A written answer, often naming only a few businesses |
| How you know it worked | Visits and inquiries from search | Mentions in AI answers and inquiries from them |
Where they overlap
AI assistants and search engines read the same web. Google says there are no additional requirements to appear in its AI Overviews or AI Mode beyond what it asks of any page in search. A business that is clearly described, consistent wherever it is listed and genuinely useful to its customers is in a better position for both.
Where they differ
A results page offers a page of choices; an AI answer usually names far fewer. The answer is written, so how a business is described matters as much as whether it appears. And because an assistant may name a business without anyone clicking, success is measured in mentions and in the inquiries that follow, not only in visits.
Do you need both?
For most service businesses, yes. Search is still where many customers start, and AI answers are where a growing number now start. Running both together, and tagging every lead with the channel it came from, shows which one is paying off for a particular business.
Sources
- Google Search Central, "AI features and your website"
- Aggarwal et al., "GEO: Generative Engine Optimization" (arXiv 2311.09735, KDD 2024)
Related answers
GEO: recommended in AI answers
When a customer asks ChatGPT, Perplexity or Google's AI who to call, the answer names a few businesses. GEO is the work of making yours one of them.