What is generative engine optimization?

Generative engine optimization, or GEO, is the work of getting your business named inside the answers that AI assistants write. When someone asks ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, or Perplexity for a recommendation, the assistant writes a paragraph and names a few businesses. GEO is how you become one of the names.

How it differs from SEO

SEO gets your page into a list of ten results. GEO gets your business into a paragraph that names three. The assistant does the choosing, and it chooses based on what it can read and verify about you across the web. Ranking on Google helps, because the assistants search the web, but a page that ranks and says nothing specific still gets skipped.

The other difference is that there is no click to win. Often the person never visits your site; they read the paragraph and call. So the facts the assistant repeats have to be right, because they are the whole pitch.

What the assistants look for

Facts stated as sentences: what you do, where, for whom, at what price, with what hours.
Agreement between your site, your Google Business Profile, and your directory listings.
Reviews that describe the specific service, not only the experience.
Mentions on pages the assistant already trusts: local news, associations, chambers, industry directories.
Access. The AI crawlers have to be allowed to read your site.

What the work looks like

We start by asking each assistant the questions your customers ask and recording who gets named and why. Then we fix what they read: the facts on your site, the listings, the crawler access. Then we build the mentions on the sites they trust. Then we measure visits from AI assistants in Google Analytics, where they show up as their own source.

Who it pays off for

Any business people ask an assistant to recommend. That is most local services now: clinics, lenders, contractors, restaurants, shops. The businesses that win early are the ones whose facts are already written down and consistent, because they are the easiest to recommend.

Questions people ask

Is GEO the same as AEO?

No. AEO is winning the answer box in Google search results. GEO is being named inside an AI assistant’s written answer. They share a foundation, clear pages with real facts, but they are measured in different places.

Does GEO replace SEO?

No. The assistants search the web, so ranking still matters. GEO adds the layer that decides whether a page that ranks actually gets named.

How do I know if GEO is working?

Two ways. Ask the assistants your customers’ questions and see if you are named. And watch Google Analytics for visits whose source is an AI assistant.

Want this done for you?

This is the work we do for every client: search, answer engines, and AI assistants, on one plan with one monthly report. Tell us about your business and we will tell you what we would do first.

Let’s talk