What is GEO? Generative engine optimization explained
Answer
GEO, or generative engine optimization, is the work of getting your brand named and cited inside the answers that AI engines write, such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude, Google AI Overviews and Google AI Mode. The term comes from a paper by Pranjal Aggarwal and five co-authors, first posted to arXiv on Nov. 16, 2023 and accepted to KDD 2024. GEO builds on SEO, because Google's AI features guide, last updated Dec. 10, 2025, says a page must be indexed and eligible for a snippet to appear as a link.
What GEO means in plain terms
A generative engine is a search tool that writes an answer instead of listing links. It reads several sources, then summarizes them. The paper behind the term describes these systems as ones that "synthesizing information from multiple sources and summarizing them using LLMs."
GEO is the work of being one of those sources, and of being named in the summary. A buyer asks ChatGPT which crypto tax tool to use. The engine writes three sentences and names two companies. GEO is the work of being one of the two.
It covers three things:
- Letting AI crawlers reach your pages.
- Writing pages an engine can quote in a sentence or two.
- Earning mentions on the other sites that engines read.
It also needs a way to measure the result, because AI answers change from run to run. We cover that below.
What is SEO for AI called?
There is no single agreed name. People searching for "what is SEO for AI called" will meet five labels for overlapping work:
- GEO, for generative engine optimization.
- AEO, for answer engine optimization.
- LLM SEO.
- AI SEO.
- AI search optimization.
GEO is the name with an academic source. We use "AI SEO" for our own service, described on our page about AI SEO for crypto, fintech and AI companies. The label matters less than the job: get a brand into the answer.
Where the term GEO comes from
The paper is titled "GEO: Generative Engine Optimization." It was first posted to arXiv on Nov. 16, 2023, revised on June 28, 2024, and accepted to KDD 2024. Its authors are Pranjal Aggarwal, Vishvak Murahari, Tanmay Rajpurohit, Ashwin Kalyan, Karthik Narasimhan and Ameet Deshpande.
The abstract says GEO can boost visibility by up to 40% in generative engine responses. It also says the results vary across domains. The figure comes from the authors' own benchmark of queries. Treat it as a result from one test set, not a promise for your site.
Nobody owns the term now. Agencies, tool vendors and journalists all use it.
How an AI engine builds an answer
The steps differ by engine, but the shape is common. The engine takes a question, searches for pages, reads what it finds and writes a reply with links or names.
Google describes one part of this in its AI features guide, last updated Dec. 10, 2025. AI Overviews and AI Mode "may use a query fan-out technique," which means issuing multiple related searches across subtopics and data sources. One buyer question can turn into many searches. Your page can be picked for a sub-question the buyer never typed.
The engine also has to be allowed in. OpenAI's crawler page, checked Oct. 29, 2026, says OAI-SearchBot is used to surface websites in ChatGPT's search features, and that sites opted out of it will not be shown in ChatGPT search answers. If a CDN or robots.txt rule blocks that crawler, ChatGPT search answers will not show the page.
GEO vs SEO vs AEO
SEO earns a ranked link and a click. GEO earns a mention or citation inside an AI answer. The two share a base: a page has to be crawlable, indexed and clear before any engine can use it. Google's AI features guide says there are "no additional requirements" and no "other special optimizations necessary" to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode. It also says you need no special schema and no AI text files.
That keeps GEO close to good SEO. What changes is the target and the measure. A position on a results page becomes a name in a reply. A click becomes a citation.
We cover the SEO comparison in full in GEO vs SEO: what's the difference?
AEO vs GEO
Answer engine optimization, or AEO, shapes a page so an engine can lift it as the direct answer to a question. That includes Google's featured snippets and People Also Ask boxes. GEO aims at engines that write a full reply and name brands inside it. The two overlap heavily, and the page work is the same: lead with the answer, give a sourced fact, keep one question per page.
For AEO on its own, read AEO vs SEO: what's the difference?
What GEO work looks like
- Open the door. Check robots.txt and your CDN rules for AI crawlers, starting with OAI-SearchBot and PerplexityBot. Our free AI crawler check shows which ones your site blocks.
- Choose the questions. List the questions your buyers ask an AI engine before they pick a vendor. Record what each engine says today.
- Answer first. Put the answer in the first two sentences of the page. Give each figure its source and date in the same sentence.
- Earn mentions elsewhere. Engines read third-party pages as well as yours. Find the sites they already cite for your topic and earn a place there.
- Measure again. Ask the same questions on the same engines, repeat the runs and compare.
What Intrica's own data shows
Two things only we have published. Each links to its source.
ChatGPT leans on the brand's own site
We asked four AI engines whether 13 crypto exchanges are safe, Aug. 11 to 21, 2026, with 5 runs per prompt. 52.1% of ChatGPT's sources (359 of 689, Aug. 21 run) were the exchange's own site. On Perplexity, Gemini and Google AI Overviews the share was 8.2% to 10.2%. Engines differ a lot in where they look, so one GEO plan does not fit all of them. See the exchange safety study.
A fixed method for AI answers
We fix the buyer questions first, run each engine on its own, repeat every question several times, count a miss as a miss, check each finding by hand and report always, usually, sometimes or never named. Read the steps in how we measure AI answers.
How to measure GEO
Rankings and traffic will not show GEO progress. Engines write each answer fresh, so one run proves little. SparkToro reported on Jan. 28, 2026 less than a 1 in 100 chance that ChatGPT or Google's AI gives the same list of brands in two responses.
We use Answer Share: out of the buyer questions you care about, how many name you, on each engine. The free Answer Share checker asks ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews and Google AI Mode up to three of your questions and shows who gets named and cited instead. Cited and named are counted apart, because an engine can use your page without naming you.
Find out whether AI engines name your company today.
Frequently asked questions
What does generative engine optimization mean?
It means working to get a brand named and cited inside answers written by AI engines. "Generative engine" is the paper's term for a search tool that synthesizes an answer from several sources.
Is GEO the same as SEO?
No. They share a base, since pages must be crawlable and indexed. SEO aims at a ranked click. GEO aims at a mention in an AI answer. GEO vs SEO has the detail.
What is SEO for AI called?
GEO is the most common name. You will also see AEO, LLM SEO, AI SEO and AI search optimization. They describe overlapping work.
What is the difference between AEO and GEO?
AEO shapes a page to be the direct answer, including in featured snippets. GEO aims to get a brand named inside a full AI reply. The page work overlaps.
How does generative engine optimization work?
You let AI crawlers in, write pages that answer a question in the first two sentences, earn mentions on sites engines already cite, and measure the result with repeated runs of fixed questions.
Sources
- GEO: Generative Engine Optimization · arXiv (Aggarwal et al., KDD 2024), Nov. 16, 2023, revised June 28, 2024Supports: the origin and definition of GEO and the reported gain of up to 40% on the authors' benchmark.
- AI features and your website · Google Search Central, Dec. 10, 2025Supports: query fan-out, no extra requirements, no special schema or AI text files, and the indexed and snippet eligible rule.
- Overview of OpenAI Crawlers · OpenAI, checked Oct. 29, 2026Supports: OAI-SearchBot and ChatGPT search eligibility.
- AIs are highly inconsistent when recommending brands or products · SparkToro, Jan. 28, 2026Supports: the less than 1 in 100 chance of the same brand list twice.
- Sources ChatGPT cites for crypto exchange safety · Intrica Research, Aug. 2026Supports: 52.1% own-site share on ChatGPT against 8.2% to 10.2% elsewhere.
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