SEO vs GEO: 5 Key Differences You Need to Understand

Introduction

For two decades, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) has been the backbone of organic visibility. With AI copilots, chat interfaces, and Google's AI Overviews, a new discipline is emerging: Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO). Instead of competing for blue links, GEO focuses on being cited inside AI-generated answers.

SEO is not dead—far from it. But GEO is forcing marketers and content teams to rethink how they earn attention. Here's what sets them apart and how they work together.

What Is SEO?

SEO boosts a website's visibility in organic search results so that users click through to your pages. It rests on three pillars:

Content: Helpful pages that answer intent, use clear structures, and weave in relevant keywords.
Technical: Fast, crawlable, mobile-ready sites with clean architecture, structured data, and HTTPS.
Authority: Backlinks, mentions, and trust signals that tell search engines your content deserves to rank.

Do it well and you compound sustainable traffic without buying every visit.

What Is GEO?

Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) makes your brand visible inside AI-generated responses from tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, Perplexity, or Google's AI Overviews. The objective shifts from ranking a page to being:

Cited by name inside the AI's answer.
Listed as a referenced source.
Described accurately when the AI summarises your niche.

In GEO you may not always earn the click, but you still want to be “in the room” when AI systems explain your topic.

Shared Goal, Different Arenas

Both SEO and GEO ask: “How can my brand show up where people search for information?” SEO focuses on classic SERPs, while GEO focuses on conversational interfaces. They are complementary—strong SEO helps AI engines discover your content, and solid GEO signals reinforce your overall visibility.

1. Links vs Mentions

SEO: Winning means earning a clickable result that drives traffic.
GEO: Winning means being cited in the generated paragraph, even if no link is shown.

Implication: SEO chases positions; GEO chases references wherever AI composes an answer.

2. Click Journeys vs Zero-Click Answers

SEO: User searches, scans snippets, and clicks a website.
GEO: AI delivers the explanation directly. The user might never leave the interface.

Implication: Craft content that delivers value even if readers stay inside the AI transcript, while providing reasons for the model to attribute you as a source.

3. Rankings vs AI Share of Voice

SEO metrics: Keyword rankings, organic sessions, backlinks, on-site conversions.
GEO metrics: Frequency of citations in AI answers, variety of queries mentioning you, and downstream conversions from AI-originating journeys.

Implication: Keep SEO dashboards, but add AI visibility metrics to understand how often generative systems recommend you.

4. Site Authority vs Ecosystem Authority

SEO authority: Mostly tied to your domain—content depth, backlink quality, behavioural signals.
GEO authority: Distributed across the entire web. AI pulls from news, forums, databases, reviews, and social content.

Implication: Ensure brand facts, descriptions, and schema stay consistent everywhere so AI trusts and reuses them.

5. Quantity vs Quality of Traffic

SEO: Can deliver high-volume top-of-funnel visits but mixed intent.
GEO: Fewer clicks, yet visitors arrive after already seeing your name recommended, which often means higher intent and conversion rates.

Implication: Use SEO for reach and GEO for high-intent reinforcement.

Preparing for GEO Without Abandoning SEO

Double down on fundamentals: Fast site, clean architecture, evergreen expert content.
Structure content for AI: Use clear headings, FAQs, bullet lists, and schema markup (FAQPage, HowTo, Article, Product).
Strengthen brand signals: PR, guest posts, directories, podcasts, and reviews that align on your positioning.
Monitor AI outputs: Regularly ask different engines about your brand and topics. Check if they mention you, cite your site, and describe you correctly.
Experiment and measure: Track leads or sales that follow AI-assisted discovery. Test formats (summaries, checklists, data tables) and document which ones models reuse most often.

Conclusion

SEO still structures the web and drives organic growth, but AI assistants are the new discovery layer. Brands that maintain a strong SEO foundation, nurture a trusted reputation across the wider ecosystem, and package content so AI can confidently quote it will win both in traditional SERPs and inside generative answers.