Generative engine optimization is the work of being mentioned or cited when an AI system answers: ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, or Google AI Overviews. The blue link is SEO. The quote inside the generated paragraph is GEO.
The name comes from Aggarwal et al., GEO: Generative Engine Optimization (KDD 2024), with authors including researchers at IIT Delhi and partner labs. The paper studies how generative engines pick sources. It is not a secret ranking list, and it does not publish a magic citation rate for a local shop.
SEO ranks a page. GEO earns a mention.
Zero-click answers still need a source. If the only public fact about the shop is a WhatsApp thread, there is nothing to cite. A crawlable page with a clear entity — name, place, what you do — is the raw material. Same NAP as Maps. Same hours. No invented metrics for a model to repeat.
What a model can quote
- One sentence that states the fact: who, where, what.
- A question heading with the answer immediately under it — the same block as AEO.
- The right URL for the job — IEO — so the model is not quoting a guide when the query was “near me”.
What not to do
- Do not stuff “ChatGPT” or “GEO” into the Maps name.
- Do not publish fake statistics hoping an overview will lift them.
- Do not treat GEO as a replacement for the listing or the site.
Order of work (same shop, four jobs)
- SEO: listing, NAP, a page a crawler can fetch.
- AEO: question headings with a two-sentence answer.
- IEO: the local URL for local queries; the guide for what-is queries.
- GEO: the same facts, written so a generated answer has a source to name.
AI Overviews and chat answers change how people read. They do not remove the need for a public page. Keep Maps. Keep a thin site. Write answers that can be lifted and cited.
Frequently asked questions
What is generative engine optimization (GEO)?
GEO is the work of being mentioned or cited when a generative engine answers: ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, or Google AI Overviews. SEO ranks a URL. GEO is a source inside the written answer.
Where does the term GEO come from?
From Aggarwal et al., “GEO: Generative Engine Optimization”, published at KDD 2024, with authors including researchers at IIT Delhi and partner labs. The paper studies how content is cited in generative answers. It is not a ranking-factor list from Google.
How does a local shop get cited in AI answers?
Put crawlable facts on a page you own: name, place, what you do, hours, a sentence a model can quote. Keep NAP consistent. A WhatsApp thread cannot be cited. Do not invent traffic numbers for the model to repeat.
Is GEO the same as SEO or AEO?
No. SEO is crawl, index, rank. AEO is a lift-able snippet in classic results. GEO is a citation inside a generated answer. The same short, factual page helps all three. The jobs stay different.
Do AI Overviews replace a website?
No. Overviews still need a source. Maps still takes the call. Keep the listing and a thin page. GEO is extra visibility when the answer is generated, not a reason to delete the site.