SEO vs GEO: Which is Best for Search Optimisation in the Gen AI Era?
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AI-generated searches are ballooning, and millions of people in the US alone are already rolling with the flow. In 2023, approximately 13 million adults in the United States claimed to have used generative artificial intelligence as a primary tool for online searches. The The same report suggested that by the end of 2027, generative engines will likely rise like a beacon for over 90 million online users. This is just a fraction of the user market. It goes without saying that the online search market is the most affected segment courtesy of Large Language Models (LLMs) and generative models. ChatGPT, Perplexity AI, and Google AI Search take full credit for popularising generative engines among users. Generative engine optimisation (GEO), therefore, has become a vital organ for companies and digital marketers. GEO is the go-to option for better digital content visibility because generative engines extract data directly from web content, with sources added, to deliver more intent-centric responses to user queries. That said, the paradigm shift is not restricted to generative engine optimisation only. The following paragraph will introduce the evolution of searches from organic to generative.
The Evolution of Searches - From SEO to GEO
Search engine optimisation (SEO) has always been the cornerstone of digital marketing; however, generative AI has upended the search power play by ending SEO’s ultimate dominance. The new paradigm shift calls for immediate action from marketers to remain relevant in the rapidly evolving digital landscape and keep up with altering customer search behavior.
On that note, it’s essential to retrace the stages of search evolution from SEO to GEO and understand where online marketing is actually heading.
Search Engine Optimisation
SEO has become more of a ‘search-everywhere-optimisation’. This means brands need to optimise their content across multiple platforms beyond search engines like Google and Bing. In 2025, the primary focus for SEO should be on E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authority, Trustworthiness), optimising for zero-click searches, improving site speed, and prioritising mobile-first indexing.
Search Experience Optimisation
Search Experience Optimisation (SXO) has shifted the focus from keywords to user experience. Smooth interaction with search results is the popular choice, and factors like page load speed, mobile-friendliness, and intuitive navigation are key drivers. Businesses should ensure fast-loading sites, optimise for featured snippets, enhance readability with structured headers, and strategically place CTAs for better engagement.
Generative Engine Optimisation
Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) welcomes users to the AI-powered search era. Models like Google’s SGE (now AIO) and OpenAI’s ChatGPT carry the load by shifting focus from just keywords to long-form, high-quality, and structured content for better AI-generated responses. GEO includes conversational queries, contextual relevance, and semantic SEO. These elements power greater visibility in AI-driven results. Hence, users get summarised information without being redirected to external sites.
Search Generative Experience
Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) transforms search by offering AI-generated responses instead of simple links. Presently known as AI overview, SGE requires brands to focus on well-structured, reliable content. By citing their content directly in AI-generated answers, brands can leverage AI-friendly metadata and build brand authority. One vital point for brands to remember is that their content should be referenced directly in AI responses.
Answer Engine Optimisation
Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) primarily asks businesses to tailor content for AI assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant. This is achieved through FAQ-style content, structured data, conversational keywords, and concise, accurate responses. Local businesses, customer support, and product-related searches expect quick answers for higher engagement, and AEO is just the tool needed for the same.
Voice Engine Optimisation
Voice Engine Optimisation (VEO) is essential as voice search adoption rises. Brands should use natural language, long-tail keywords, and question-based queries such as “Who,” “What,” and “Where.” Local SEO is crucial for “near me” searches, while a fast and mobile-friendly site enhances voice search accessibility. VEO is a game-changer for businesses today.
How Google is Changing the Search Experience - The Impact of AIO
2025 is the year when everybody is aggressively chasing generative AI for improved search and discovery. The advent of new generative engines, like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and DeepSeek, seemed like a momentary setback for Google in the search landscape game. However, AI overview (AIO), formerly known as SGE, has turned the spotlight back on Google, the undisputed king of online searches. Initially, this feature was extended only to US users but has now been extended to six more countries. Additionally, AIO presence increased in longer queries by up to 100%, with 25% of searches having keywords of 8 words or more. This reflects a strong upward trend. AIO’s comprehension and intelligence are incomparable, even for precise and complicated queries, along with real-time information and location awareness. Needless to say, AIO is the ultimate trump card for Google to surpass other major players battling the AI-powered search game.
Google’s AI overviews are primarily generative artificial intelligence summaries appearing on Google search results. The screenshot shows links to sources supporting the information displayed, enabling users to explore the topic further. The rising adoption of AI overviews means the time for traditional SEO is up, or so many fear. After all, how users find information online and how websites rank post AI overviews have since changed dramatically. Subsequently, reduced click-throughs and altered website rankings are expected because users find their information in the AI Overviews without having to click through to a website featuring more relevant, contextual, and user-intent-based content. Also, the fact that AI overviews are generative responses means that the demand for generative engine optimisation automatically takes the upper hand for businesses compared to SEO.
That said, Google has redefined the definition for clicks, impressions, and positions, as displayed in the screenshot below:
Aside from rankings, clicks, and impressions, Google’s AI overview is also likely to bring down organic search traffic for websites primarily targeting informational queries, such as ‘How do I change my tires?’. Your marketing strategies need to be more diversified, especially in paid promotional segments. Additionally, brands should prioritise website authority, brand reputation, and thought-leadership content and control their business information to survive and sustain the change.
Google AI Overview Impact on Industries and Solutions
Google AI Overview and other generative engines bring enormous economic potential to industries. This statement is supported by a recent study highlighting an estimated $2.6 trillion to $4.4 trillion annually, generative AI can add to your business. Customer operations, marketing and sales, software engineering, and R&D are primary areas where AI use cases can drive significant improvement and add money back to your business. These measurable outcomes are seen in engaging customer interactions, developing creative content for marketing, and drafting computer code based on natural-language prompts.
Being a powerful business differentiator, generative AI search and agents can help the retail sector improve their core areas, such as customer service, marketing, and digital commerce. These prompt engines accentuate briefs, aid in brainstorming campaign concepts, and produce personalised brand content to accentuate customer experiences, power personal shopping advisors, and generate new product content with engaging, human-like conversational interfaces that take the online shopping experiences to a whole new level.
Personalised user/audience experiences are the key benefits to obtain, and industries such as retail, banking, healthcare, and media and entertainment can genuinely encash the same. What Gen AI is doing primarily to help users navigate through all the noise and find information attuned to their search intent. Therefore, a mere SEO-optimised website and content creation no longer meet the target audience’s needs. Leveraging generative search engines and defining marketing deliverables using generative engine optimisation is the need of the hour.
That said, companies should evaluate how Gen AI impacts customer decision-making. The latter’s understanding of brands in this era might prove to be a promising opportunity worth exploring for businesses at scale.
Consumer Decision-Making and Brand Understanding in the Era of Gen AI
Generative AI has become an important touchpoint in the buyer’s journey. Obviously, customer decision-making and brand understanding are likely to be impacted, and they are, in a way. Finding information, making decisions, and interacting with brands are shifting towards tailored, contextually rich responses—something that generative searches like Google AI Overview excel at.
The key driver is a personalised experience, and customers are rooting for generative engines to elevate their query search endeavors.
Generative search can be the best tool, aiding brands in restoring and improving customer relationships when approached strategically. Recent studies have shown that customer satisfaction levels have plummeted.
Artificial intelligence and machine learning systems can be accurately leveraged here to improve every customer touchpoint in their buying funnel. Some pivotal marketing tactics are dynamic ads, interactive content, and humanised customer support chatbots. Obviously, personalised customer data is the missing puzzle piece in the AI customer journey. Here, predictive analytics and sentiment analysis models come into play by analysing your user data, mapping a virtual buyer journey reflecting the original one, and converting negative customer experiences into positive ones through helpful recommendations.
AI customer journey maps treat customers as real people; therefore, errors and negative experiences are rectified by focusing on the correct users.
This is how an AI customer journey map looks compared to the traditional one.
In the words of authors David Edelman and Mark Abraham (Customer Experience in the Age of AI” in Harvard Business Review), “…competitive advantage will be based on the ability to capture, analyse, and utilise personalised customer data at scale and on how a company uses AI to understand, shape, customise, and optimise the customer journey. “
Coming to what customers think of brands in the AI generation era, the points mentioned above still stand.
Their experiences with brands revolve around highly-personalised and context-centric interactions. A brand should be built on relevance and tailored experiences for consumers, and generative AI curates content and recommendations accordingly, matching individual preferences more closely than before. Building trust and emotional connections can be the competitive edge if brands fulfill the popular demand for AI integration in customers’ shopping journeys.
Augmented reality experiences, hyper-personalised content and product recommendations, transparency, and relevance highlight the differences in customer understanding of brands in the AI-gen era compared to traditional approaches.
The dominance of generative AI in these aspects highlights the relevance of understanding generative engine optimisation for companies even more!
Introducing GEO - A New Approach to Internet Searches
Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) focuses on creating content and digital assets that shape AI-generated responses for users. Unlike traditional SEO, which aims to improve page rankings in organic search, GEO ensures brands are referenced within AI-composed answers. This applies to Google and other generative search platforms like ChatGPT, making it essential for maintaining visibility in AI-driven search experiences.
Tracing the Importance of GEO for Brands
Generative AI is all the rage now, and brands are redefining their marketing strategies to optimally leverage the tool and develop a feeling of camaraderie with their customers. Hence, the spotlight is on Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO). Unlike organic SEO, GEO can significantly boost a brand’s visibility and reach through more relevant content for AI-powered search engines like ChatGPT. The latter allows brands to get featured in AI-generated responses prominently, thus attracting a broader audience’s attention and elevating their authority in specific search queries. This is a massive scope for brands because users increasingly use AI for information retrieval. These generative search engines can position a brand as a thought leader in the evolving digital landscape.
The reasons are summed up in the following points:
Increased Reach
Content optimisation for AI engines allows brands to tap into a broader audience on AI platforms that seek information beyond traditional searches.
Improved User Experience
GEO supports relevant and personalised responses, as users prefer for their queries. This opens the scope for crafting a better user experience with potentially higher engagement.
Competitive Advantage
Undoubtedly, the early adopters of GEO are already positioned higher on the competitive scale.
Brand Authority
AI generative engines consistently highlighting your brand in responses means your brand’s trust and credibility have been set in stone with potential customers.
Enhanced SEO Strategy
GEO can complement traditional SEO strategies by boosting content to a more prominent position in AI-driven search results.
GEO Vs. SEO - Key Differences in a Nutshell
Traditional SEO involves keyword research and placements, link-building, and optimising other ranking factors to achieve a higher website position on SERPs (search engine results pages). Generative engine optimisation takes a high road to delivering content that profoundly resonates with users. It is important to remember that generative search engines do more than merely retrieve information. For instance, Google’s AI Overview and others synthesise information from several different yet related sources to generate a comprehensive response to user queries. Since citations, quotations, and statistics from relevant sources are part of the responses, utilising GEO methods can prove a striking game-changer for brands looking for enhanced visibility in AI search results.
Let’s understand the differences from a more profound level:
Is GEO the Endgame for SEO - Understanding Why SEO is Losing its Trust
As predicted by Gartner, traditional search engine volume will likely drop 25% by 2026. Organic and paid search have fallen in disfavor since Gen AI search engines emerged as better substitutes. Subsequently, keyword strategy and website domain authority scoring will be impacted heavily because priority has increased for utility, quality, and uniqueness of content. For example, watermarking is emphasised to authenticate high-quality content. This follows government regulations across the globe that will hold companies accountable for marketing content assets generated by AI. Quality-rater elements like expertise, experience, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness are more important in the content segment.
The transition from traditional search engines means an end to the conventional SEO – maybe not!
Since organic and generative searches aim to dish out the right content to the target audience at the right time, a cross between SEO and GEO is a suitable strategy for marketers today!
Therefore, to summarise, SEO is not going anywhere anytime soon! It will remain relevant in 2025 and beyond, but what businesses expect from SEO is a new transition in terms of improved SEO techniques with the help of GEO. The latter will guide marketers in matching their content better in a way that AI understands and processes.
There might be a substantial drop in organic searches, as Gartner predicted, but this will not entirely put SEO out of action.
Do Companies Struggle to Adopt GEO Best Practices?
Search generative experience is a forward-thinking approach, and GEO is the show’s captain. However, the transition to generative engine optimisation is not a smooth journey. The uphill task is challenged, from the inherent bias within AI systems to the tools for momentary hallucinations and many others. However, a few of the noteworthy challenges worth mentioning here are:
The Speed refers to the rapid rate at which AI algorithms change every day. What does this mean for businesses and content creators? Well, the obvious answer is to keep up with rapid change, stay alert and flexible, and always be ready to incorporate fresh changes in order to maintain authority and relevance.
Technical implementation hurdles are another set of challenges marketers confront when effectively implementing GEO strategies. This underscores the importance of proper and adequate technical improvements for optimisation and increasing source visibility in generative engine responses.
The third but slightly off-the-context challenge is the unsolicited usage of companies’ proprietary content in Google’s search function, as claimed by Chegg, a publicly traded education technology company. The latter has sued Google and held its AI Overviews responsible for impacting Chegg’s traffic, revenue, and acquisitions. Another allegation raised against the search engine giant is its unchallenged monopoly power within Search and the anti-competitive conduct to throw companies like Chegg out of the game.
Finally, the third allegation is that Google reaps the financial benefits of Chegg and similar companies’ content without spending a dime.
The lawsuit’s outcome is still pending; however, Google didn’t hesitate to justify its position by claiming that all its efforts are directed towards making Search more helpful for users and better for businesses to have their content readily discovered.
Does this lawsuit impact GEO adoption? Well, the future has the answer. Until then, let’s return to understanding how GEO functions.
How does GEO Work?
Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) primarily pushes your content’s visibility higher in AI-driven search engines. Content generation should be attuned to ranking mechanisms to gain the maximum attention. While traditional SEO focuses on keyword-based rankings, GEO highlights content suitability for matching responses based on contextual relevance, search intent, and conversational engagement.
AI search engines function on vast datasets to make sense of user queries and extract information from high-quality, structured, authoritative content. Here, GEO ensures content is AI-friendly. This is achieved through natural language, direct answers, data-driven insights, and credible sources. By structuring information logically and focusing on user intent, GEO increases the chances of content being featured in AI-generated responses, improving discoverability and engagement.
The Core Principles of Generative Engine Optimisation
The foundational principles of GEO are the first step for brands in embracing the benefits of generative search engines. So what are they?
Understand Search Intent
Fine-tune content with user intent, focusing on informational, navigational, and transactional queries. This improves relevance and engagement.
Meet Google’s E-E-A-T Standards
Demonstrate first-hand experience, expertise, authority, and trustworthiness through transparent, data-heavy content supported by reliable sources and author credentials. This enhances content reliability and establishes brand credibility.
Conversational Language
A natural, human-like tone mimicking real conversations generates engaging, easy-to-read content. This improves user experience and, additionally, gets high AI-generated recommendations.
Direct Answers and Actionable Advice
Clear, concise responses to user queries foster actionable takeaways. Also, a sound structure and straightforward information increase the readability score for better search visibility.
Long-Tail Keyword Targeting
Precise, intent-based keywords capture niche queries and improve ranking. Keywords should align with complex search patterns and voice search behavior, especially when relevant traffic is the focus.
Data-Driven & Structured Content
Support claims with statistics and data visualisations to add credibility to your content. Also, refine content readability through headings, bullet points, and logical flow. AI can easily read and index such content.
Source Citation
Authoritative sources validate information and build trust. Focus on credible research, studies, and industry experts to strengthen content reliability and search engine credibility.
Contextual Relevance
Content should remain contextually relevant by incorporating various aspects of a topic. Well-rounded, contextually rich information improves comprehension and AI-generated recommendations.
Content Quality and Authority
In-depth, well-researched, and high-quality content adds more value. You can establish domain authority through accurate, insightful information and improve trust and better search performance.
Strategies for Effective Generative Engine Optimisation
How to develop an effective strategy to leverage the benefits of GEO fully? Here are the points to remember:
Focus on User Intent
Your content should directly reflect user queries and carry the essence of their search intent.
Use Conversational and Natural Language
The content tone should mimic human conversation. This will make your words more engaging and easily readable by AI-driven search engines.
Provide Clear and Direct Answers
Common questions prefer concise, well-structured responses. Only then can AI easily extract and present the most relevant information.
Optimise for Long-Tail Keywords
Specific, intent-based keywords match complex and conversational search queries. Hence, content discoverability is highly improved.
Structure Content for AI Readability
Clear headings, bullet points, and logical formatting make information easy for AI models to parse and interpret.
Ensure Contextual Depth and Relevance
Topics should comprehensively address different aspects of user queries to enhance credibility and engagement.
Cite Authoritative Sources
Establish authority and strengthen content reliability through trusted sources, industry reports, and expert insights referenced.
How to Measure GEO
You can refine content for better AI-driven search visibility when you track the effectiveness of generative engine optimisation (GEO). Learn to evaluate its impact by understanding the key metrics to check:
- 1. AI Search Visibility – Check the frequency of your content featured in answer boxes and summaries.
- 2. User Engagement Metrics – Clicks, time on page, and interaction rates help gauge audience interest and content relevance.
- 3. Query Relevance — Assess whether your content aligns with AI-generated queries. Search intent match rates can give you a fair idea.
- 4. Traffic Sources – If AI-driven platforms drive organic traffic to your website, you should start optimising them accordingly.
- 5. Content Performance – Impressions, rankings, and conversion rates help measure GEO’s overall impact on discoverability.
Top Tools to Measure GEO
Points to Consider When Measuring GEO with Tools
The measurement of GEO goes beyond traditional SEO metrics. It focuses on how AI systems interpret and present your content.
Here are key aspects to track for AI-driven search success:
- 1. User Intent Understanding – Evaluate content as per user queries, beyond just matching keywords.
- 2. Conversational Tone – Keep your tone natural and engaging to sound like regular human interaction.
- 3. Structured Data Implementation – Schema markup can help AI understand and categorise your content accurately.
- 4. Citation and Source Credibility – Know the frequency of your content, citing authoritative sources to enhance trust.
- 5. Depth of Information —Does your content provide comprehensive insights, or is it curated on surface-level details? Make sure of this.
- 6. AI-Friendly Keyword Usage – Analyse if your content includes natural, conversational phrases users commonly search for.
- 7. Visibility in Generative Responses – Monitor the frequency of your content's appearance in AI-generated summaries and answers.
- 8. Content Diversity – Use varied formats like lists, tables, and multimedia to cater to user preferences.
- 9. Brand Consistency – Verify that AI-generated responses align with your brand voice and messaging.
- 10. AI-Powered Analytics Tools – Leverage tools to assess conversational tone, relevance, and structured data usage.
- 11. Citation Tracking Tools – Measure how often your content comes up as a reference in AI-generated content across platforms.
- 12. Generative AI Analytics – Keep your strategy refined by checking performance insights from AI-driven search engines.
- 13. AI-Focused Keyword Research – Identify long-tail keywords to align with conversational search patterns closely.
Final Tip: Since AI search engines evolve rapidly, continuously track and adjust your content strategy to stay ahead.
‘Traditional SEO will still remain relevant’ - Here’s Why
Contrary to popular belief, generative engine optimisation is not an SEO replacement; however, its fast adoption cannot be undermined, especially when AI-driven search platforms are on the rise. Traditional SEO will always retain its former position among digital marketers, but it will be more refined and blended with GEO best practices, so companies can benefit from both GEO and SEO.
Navigating the Future of Search with a Blend of GEO and SEO Strategy
You can’t add exclusivity to SEO or GEO, especially when strategising for digital marketing in the AI gen era. Instead, blending both can add the proper traction to your online presence. The nuances between these two strategies should not be overlooked when targeting the maximum online visibility of your brand. Unarguably, SEO remains the primary essence of traditional search engines, but GEO is rapidly becoming the catalyst for brands seeking a competitive edge in AI-driven search. Leveraging content optimised for both will give your users the trusted assurance of being a credible source of information. The future of search is truly here. It depends on how well you adapt to the change to stay relevant and thrive.
How to Build Content for Both SEO and GEO
Both SEO and GEO ensure your content ranks high on search engines. A blend of both will allow your content to stay relevant and AI-friendly for generative responses. Here’s how to achieve such an endeavour:
- 1. Understand User Intent – Your content should satisfy keyword-based searches (SEO) and AI-driven queries (GEO).
- 2. Use Conversational Language – A natural and conversational tone elevates readability for human users and AI-generated responses.
- 3. Optimise for Long-Tail Keywords – Specific, intent-driven queries are targeted for better search rankings and AI visibility.
- 4. Provide Direct and Structured Answers — Sound formatting with clear headings, bullet points, and summaries is the best tip for easy AI parsing.
- 5. Leverage Structured Data – Schema markup implementation helps AI to understand and categorise content more effectively.
- 6. Cite Authoritative Sources — Refer to credible sources to build searchers' trust. Additionally, such citations improve AI-generated citation potential.
- 7. Ensure Content Depth and Relevance — Cover topics comprehensively. This will enhance both organic rankings and AI-driven engagement.0
- 8. Monitor Performance Metrics – Track traditional SEO analytics (traffic, rankings) and GEO-specific insights (AI citations, query matches).
The Final Takeaway
Contrary to popular belief, generative engine optimisation is not an SEO replacement; however, its fast adoption cannot be undermined, especially when AI-driven search platforms are on the rise. Traditional SEO will always retain its former position among digital marketers, but it will be more refined and blended with GEO best practices, so companies can benefit from both GEO and SEO.
