In recent years, digital promotion has changed dramatically. Where Google used to be the main source of traffic, today users are increasingly turning to large language models such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and others. People click on links less and less and instead get ready-made answers directly from AI. In this environment, classic SEO alone is no longer enough. A new layer is emerging – GEO, optimization for generative systems.
Let’s look at what GEO is, how it differs from traditional SEO, and how to combine both approaches to support sustainable business growth.
What is GEO and how is it different from SEO?
Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is the process of adapting website content to the requirements of language models and AI systems. The main goal is to ensure that your website, brand or expertise is included in AI-generated answers when users ask questions.
While SEO focuses on making a page rank as high as possible in search results, GEO works differently: what matters here is that the AI system selects your content as a trusted source for its answer.
Main differences between SEO and GEO:
- Goal: SEO is focused on rankings and clicks, while GEO is focused on brand mentions in AI answers.
- Approach: SEO relies on keywords, technical optimization and backlinks; GEO prioritises expertise, logic, structure and readability of content for AI models.
- Result: SEO is evaluated by traffic and visibility in search, GEO by how often your brand is mentioned and how engaged users are from AI environments.
It’s important to understand that these strategies do not compete with each other – they reinforce one another. A combined approach delivers the best results in today’s landscape.
Why generative optimization is becoming essential
More and more people search for information not through classic search, but via AI chat. They get an answer in seconds – without visiting any websites. If your brand is not present in these AI answers, you lose potential customers before they even enter your sales funnel.
Where can your content appear thanks to GEO?
- in Google AI Overviews in Search;
- in answers from ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, DeepSeek and other AI systems;
- in voice assistants;
- in AI-powered collections, reviews and comparison blocks.
AI-focused promotion offers several key benefits for companies:
- First-mover advantage. Brands that invest in GEO early gain more presence in AI answers.
- Faster adaptation to trends. AI reacts to updated information faster than traditional search.
- Higher trust. When an AI system cites your brand, users tend to see you as an expert.
Generative optimization is becoming a new entry point for customers. This is not a short-lived trend, but the next stage in digital marketing.
How to prepare your website for LLMs
For your content to be “understood” by AI, it needs to be prepared in a specific way.
- Use clear structure: headings, lists and logical sections.
- Write in simple, straightforward language and avoid unnecessary fluff.
- Publish expert content rather than shallow rewrites.
- Update information regularly so your data does not become outdated.
- Add technical elements such as metadata, structured data and, in the future, files similar to
LLMs.txt.
After publishing, you can test the effect by asking an AI model a question about your company and checking whether and how your brand appears in the answer.
How to combine SEO and GEO in one strategy
The best results are achieved when SEO and GEO work together.
- Synchronise your content. Materials should be optimised for key search queries but still read naturally and clearly for AI.
- Use structured data. Schema.org markup makes it easier for generative systems to interpret your pages.
- Build a knowledge base. Guides, how-tos, FAQs and analytical pieces increase the chances of your content being used in AI answers and strengthen your brand authority.
- Think in clusters. Instead of one overloaded article, create a group of interconnected pieces covering specific subtopics.
SEO provides a stable flow of organic traffic, while GEO “opens doors” to conversations with customers inside AI tools. Together, they create the strongest possible effect.
How to measure the effectiveness of AI-focused promotion
To understand whether your strategy is working, it’s important to track key GEO metrics:
- how often your brand is mentioned in answers from ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and other models;
- the quality of those citations (accuracy of wording and presence of a link to your site);
- clicks and visits coming from AI platforms (via UTM tags and referrer analytics);
- user behaviour on the site: pages per session, time on page, conversions;
- the dynamics of branded queries and external mentions (BrandMentions, Google Alerts, etc.).
As with SEO, you can’t fine-tune your strategy without analytics – data becomes the foundation for all decisions.
The future of Generative Engine Optimization
Generative systems are growing in popularity at high speed. In just a few years, they could become as familiar a search tool for users as Google is today.
GEO will evolve alongside new content formats, dedicated tools and its own set of metrics. It is not a replacement for SEO, but a logical extension and strengthening of traditional optimization.
The real advantage will go to companies that start experimenting with generative optimization now. Classic SEO remains necessary, but without GEO it will no longer be enough. In a world where more and more queries are handled by AI, generative optimization becomes a key driver of sustainable business growth.
FAQ
Can GEO replace SEO?
No. Generative optimization does not replace classic SEO – it works alongside it. SEO is responsible for rankings and organic traffic from search engines, while GEO focuses on brand visibility in answers from language models and generative systems.
What is Generative Engine Optimization?
Generative Engine Optimization is a strategy designed to help a company’s content appear in answers generated by AI and conversational systems. In essence, it is a new stage of digital marketing focused on making your site AI-friendly.
How is GEO different from SEO?
SEO optimises a site for search engines such as Google and Bing, while GEO targets generative engines like ChatGPT, Gemini or Claude. In SEO, the key goal is to rank at the top of search results, whereas in GEO the goal is to be cited in AI answers with a correct link to your resource.
What types of content work best for ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, AI Overviews?
The best performers are expert articles, detailed guides, how-tos, reviews, analytical pieces and FAQ sections. This type of content is easier to structure and is more likely to be selected by AI models as a source for their answers.
Is generative optimization (GEO) suitable for all industries?
Generally yes, but the level of impact will differ. GEO is especially important in complex and sensitive niches such as medicine, finance, B2B and IT, where users actively look for expert opinions through AI – for example, when choosing a plastic surgeon, clinic, tests or specific medical services.
