GEO (generative engine optimization)
GEO stands for generative engine optimization: the work that helps your site get cited as a source in AI answers from tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews. Its foundation is the same as SEO: clear, accurate, well-structured content. The difference is writing that content in pieces an AI can quote.
What is generative engine optimization?
GEO stands for Generative Engine Optimization. SEO aims to get your site into the list of links in search results. GEO aims to get your site mentioned as a source inside the answer an AI writes. ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews all produce answers like this.
Here is an everyday case. Someone asks ChatGPT what to check when hiring a commercial kitchen maintenance firm in Izmir. The answer lists a few sources underneath. If your site has a page that answers that exact question, with a question-style heading and a clear first sentence, your chances of being one of them go up. If the same facts are buried in a long promotional paragraph, the model struggles to quote them.
How is it done?
There is no guaranteed method, and AI services do not fully explain how they pick sources. The basics that help are clear, though. Write headings as real questions and answer directly beneath them. Give concrete facts such as numbers, dates and steps. Add a frequently asked questions section. Render pages on the server so content is not hidden behind JavaScript. Use structured data. Google states that AI Overviews need no special markup and that normal SEO best practices apply.
This glossary and our blog follow these rules. We go deeper in how to show up in AI search, and we build sites with this in mind in our web design work.
Frequently asked questions
Is GEO replacing SEO?
No. Most AI services draw on search results and web pages when they write answers. Good SEO is the base of GEO, which adds writing content so it can be quoted.
Can I guarantee my site appears in AI answers?
No. The service decides which sources to use and does not fully publish its rules. What you can do is be one of the clearest and most accurate pages on the question.
Do I need an llms.txt file for GEO?
It is not required. llms.txt is still a proposal, and it is unclear which services use it. Fixing the content itself makes a bigger difference.
Sources
- 01 AI features and your website · Google Search Central