GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)

Generative engine optimization (GEO) is an emerging label for work intended to make a website's accurate, useful information discoverable and usable in AI-generated search or answer experiences that reference web sources. Depending on the product and query, these experiences may retrieve indexed pages, issue related searches, summarise sources, and display citations or supporting links. GEO overlaps heavily with SEO, content quality, information architecture, and public relations; it is not a standardised discipline or a guaranteed way to earn a mention.

Why it matters: Start with the questions a real audience needs answered and publish complete, current information grounded in first-hand knowledge or reliable primary evidence. State the answer clearly, identify the publisher and relevant authors, explain methods and dates where they affect interpretation, and make claims easy to verify. Keep important content available as text, connect it with descriptive internal links, allow the relevant search crawlers, and ensure structured data accurately matches the visible page. Platform requirements differ: Google says its AI search features need no special optimisation or schema beyond established Search eligibility and good SEO, while OpenAI says allowing OAI-SearchBot is important for inclusion in ChatGPT search but cannot guarantee placement. Measure each product and query set separately, including citations, supporting links, referral visits, and useful downstream actions; generated responses and source choices can change between runs.