Guide
GEO vs SEO — What Is the Difference?
SEO ranks pages in search engine results. GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) gets businesses recommended in AI-generated answers. Different systems. Different signals. Different outcomes.
The Key Differences
| Factor | SEO | GEO |
|---|---|---|
| What it optimises | Web pages | Business entities |
| Goal | Rank on page 1 | Get recommended in AI answers |
| Key signals | Backlinks, keywords, content | Entity clarity, trust, consistency, ecosystem |
| Platforms | Google, Bing | ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, Copilot, Google AI |
| Measurement | Rankings, traffic, CTR | Citations, mentions, recommendation likelihood |
| Result format | List of links | Single answer with 1-2 businesses named |
Do You Need Both?
Yes — but they serve different purposes. SEO drives traffic through Google rankings. GEO drives recommendations through AI platforms. In our testing, the overlap between strong Google rankings and AI recommendations is consistently low. You can rank #1 on Google and be completely absent from AI answers.
The good news: much of the work that builds GEO (clear entity, structured content, consistent presence) also strengthens SEO. The work compounds across both systems.