GEO (Generative Engine Optimization): what it means

GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) refers to the set of practices that make content understandable, citable and reused by answer engines built on generative AI, such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Copilot or Google's AI summaries. For an SME, GEO means writing pages that these tools can extract and cite directly, alongside classic search engine optimization.

Where does the term GEO come from?

The term GEO comes from academic research in artificial intelligence. The founding paper, "GEO: Generative Engine Optimization" (Aggarwal et al., arXiv, June 2024 version, accepted at the KDD 2024 conference), co-authored by Pranjal Aggarwal and Karthik Narasimhan among others, shows that targeted content optimizations can boost a source's visibility "by up to 40%" in generative engine responses. The term then spread into marketing practice.

What is the difference between GEO and SEO?

The difference between GEO and SEO lies in the goal. SEO (Search Engine Optimization) aims to rank a page as high as possible in a list of links, in response to a query typed into a search engine. GEO aims to make that page the source cited, summarized or reused by a generative AI when a user asks it a question directly, often without looking at any list of results.

Criterion	SEO	GEO
Goal	Rank well in a list of links	Be cited in a generated answer
Optimized unit	The whole page	The passage or paragraph
Winning format	Relevant, fast page	Direct, self-contained, sourced answer
Measurement	Position, clicks	Citations and mentions in AI answers

SEO and GEO are not opposites: content that is clear, structured and answers from the very first lines works on both fronts. A poorly ranked page has little chance of being read by generative engines that rely on web search, and a well-ranked but confusing page will rarely be cited; the two disciplines therefore reinforce each other.

Why does GEO already matter to an SME?

GEO already matters to an SME because AI summaries reduce clicks to websites. A Pew Research Center study published in July 2025 shows that 18% of the Google searches studied in March 2025 displayed an AI summary, and that users who saw one clicked a traditional link in 8% of visits, compared with 15% without a summary. An SME that is absent from generated answers therefore loses part of its visibility, even if its website still ranks well.

GEO is not reserved for large companies with dedicated SEO teams. Generative engines select clear, verifiable passages, which gives a real chance to an SME that structures its content well against better-known players. The same Pew study notes that Wikipedia, YouTube and Reddit are among the most cited sources: highly structured or highly specific content.

How do you apply GEO in practice?

Applying GEO relies on a few simple writing rules that can be checked article by article. Here are the five priority rules for an SME:

Answer in the first paragraph the question in the title, in two or three sentences that name the subject.
Phrase subheadings as questions actually asked by customers or prospects.
Write self-contained paragraphs: each one names its subject and contains at least one precise fact.
Cite reliable, dated sources (public bodies, recognized studies), with a link to the exact page.
Flag what is uncertain rather than presenting an estimate as a fact.

What I often see while building Isalis is that the easiest content to cite is also the content that answers a precise question most plainly; mood pieces with no facts and no clear answer are rarely picked up.

Does GEO also apply to social media?

GEO also applies to content published on social media, because some public platforms are read and cited by generative engines. The Pew Research Center (2025) lists YouTube and Reddit among the most frequent sources of Google's AI summaries. An SME therefore benefits from applying the same principles to its posts: a clear message, precise facts, an explicitly named subject. Business adoption of AI makes this more pressing: according to Insee Première no. 2120 (2026), 18% of French companies with 10 or more employees used AI in 2025, compared with 10% in 2024.

To understand how generative AI can help an SME produce more regular and consistent content, see our article on generative AI for SME marketing content.

In short, 3 questions

What is GEO? GEO covers the practices that make content citable by generative AIs such as ChatGPT, Perplexity or Gemini.

Does GEO replace SEO? No, GEO complements SEO; clear, structured content serves both.

Where should you start? With a direct answer at the start of the article, question-based subheadings and dated sources.

And you: have you already checked whether ChatGPT or Perplexity cite your company when asked a question about your line of business?

Glossary: what is GEO (Generative Engine Optimization), and why does it matter to an SME?