GEO vs SEO: what actually differs?
SEO competes for a position on a page of links. GEO competes to be quoted inside a written answer. They share the groundwork -- a readable, well-structured site -- and diverge on what is measured, which sources matter, and what counts as winning.
What is the short version?
SEO asks 'where do we rank for this query'. GEO asks 'how often are we named when this question is answered'. One has a position you can look up; the other has a rate you have to measure by asking repeatedly.
| SEO | GEO | |
|---|---|---|
| What you win | A position on a results page | A mention inside a written answer |
| How many win | Ten links, plus the next page | Usually two to five businesses, no second page |
| How it is measured | Rank for a keyword, roughly stable | Share of answers naming you, across repeated asks |
| Does it repeat? | Same query, near-identical results | Same question, a different list each time |
| JavaScript | Google renders it before indexing | AI crawlers do not execute it at all |
| Key sources | Your site, links to it | Your site, plus directories, reviews and round-up pages |
| Structured data | Helps eligibility for rich results | Tells the model what the business is, rather than leaving it to guess |
| Content shape | Pages that satisfy a query | Passages that answer one question, liftable as written |
What carries over from SEO work you have already paid for?
More than people expect. A fast, crawlable site with clear headings, real content and accurate listings is most of the foundation. If an agency has done that properly, the GEO work starts a long way up the hill.
- Crawlability, page speed and clean HTML -- all still count.
- Accurate name, address and phone across listings -- counts more here than it does for search.
- Genuine content about what you sell -- counts, but the shape has to change.
- Reviews -- count considerably more.
What does not carry over?
Rank tracking, keyword density, link-building for its own sake, and any reporting built around a position number. None of them describe what an assistant does, and a report full of them tells you nothing about whether you are being named.
The habit that transfers worst is optimising a page to rank rather than to be quoted. A page written to hold a reader through eight hundred words of preamble before answering is a page an assistant skips in favour of one that answers in the first sentence.
Should a local business do both?
Yes, and they are not in tension. Keep whoever does your search work. The overlap means most GEO work quietly improves search too; the difference is that nobody was measuring the AI side, so nobody was working on it.
Common questions
Will GEO work hurt my Google rankings?
No. Everything in the foundation -- readable HTML, accurate listings, clear structured data, pages that answer questions -- is what search engines ask for as well.
Can I rank first on Google and not be named by ChatGPT?
Routinely. The most common cause is a site that renders its content with JavaScript: Google runs it and the AI crawlers do not.
Sources
Where a figure here comes from one study we say so, because one study is one study. Where something rests on practice rather than published work, we say that instead.
If this answered one question, these answer the next ones.
What is generative engine optimisation?
Generative engine optimisation is the work of getting a business named in the answers AI assistants write. Where search returns a page of links to choose from, an assistant writes a paragraph and names a handful of businesses in it. GEO is about being one of them.
How does an AI assistant decide which businesses to name?
It searches, reads a handful of pages, and writes an answer from what those pages say. So the question is not 'how do I rank' but 'which pages does it read, and is my business on them'. Usually those pages are directories, reviews and round-ups rather than your own site.
What are the ways to get this done, and what does each cost?
Four realistic options: do it yourself, buy a monitoring tool, ask your existing SEO agency, or hire someone who does this specifically. They differ mainly in who does the work and whether anybody measures whether it helped.