For over a decade, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) was the default strategy for online visibility for businesses and brands. However, since the start of the AI era, with the launch of ChatGPT by OpenAI in 2022, a new force is rising fast — Generative Engine Optimization (GEO).

As generative AI platforms like ChatGPT and Google Gemini become content gateways for millions, creators and businesses need to adapt to ensure that their services and products are discovered online.

Let’s break it down.

How GEO & SEO Are Different

SEO is designed to rank content on traditional search engines like Google. You focus on keywords, backlinks, metadata, and structured web pages to climb Google’s results page.

GEO, on the other hand, is about making your content discoverable and usable by generative AI tools. Instead of optimizing for search crawlers, you’re optimizing for AI models like ChatGPT, Preplexity, or Claude, that generate answers, summaries, and recommendations through reference links.

While SEO brings clicks, GEO brings direct inclusion in AI responses.

Why GEO Is Important

Google’s dominance is slipping. According to Statista, Google’s desktop search share dropped from 87% in 2015 to 79% in 2025. At the same time, ChatGPT alone receives over 5.19 billion visits monthly, and user numbers grew from 1 million in 2022 to 400 million in February 2025.

People no longer just search — they ask. And AI gives answers.

That means if your content isn’t being surfaced by tools like ChatGPT, you’re missing the future of search.

How GEO Works

GEO is about training the AI — not with code, but with content. These models learn from the web. They don’t index in real-time like Google but draw on:

• Web pages used in training data
• Popular, frequently cited sources
• Structured, well-labeled content
• Feedback loops (like upvotes, shares, or copy-paste actions from users)

Generative engines also use custom instructions and memory to improve user-specific suggestions. The more AI can understand, extract, and reuse your content — the better.

Key Factors for GEO

To rank on generative engines, focus on:

1. Clarity over cleverness – Use simple, direct language. AI favors unambiguous writing.
2. Conversational formatting – Write in Q\&A or bullet style that AI can easily parse.
3. Topical authority – Cover related topics in-depth. AI models favor comprehensive domains over shallow articles.
4. Original insights – AI pulls from the commons. Stand out with data, experience, and unique takes.
5. Structured content – Use H2s, lists, summaries, and FAQs. These make your content easy to embed into AI responses.
6. Multimodal assets – AI now processes images, videos, and infographics. Use them well.

Also Read: AI is Coming for the PR Industry: What Professionals Must Do

Research Surrounding GEO

Stanford and MIT researchers have noted how LLMs like ChatGPT rely heavily on content that’s well-structured, widely shared, and educational. OpenAI’s documentation confirms that ‘high-quality web content, open datasets, and user interactions’ shape what the model can recall and synthesize.

A growing number of tech blogs and content marketers now use AI optimization audits, testing prompts to see whether their sites appear in ChatGPT-generated answers.

How to Optimize Your Content for GEO

Here’s what to do today:

Write for prompts. Frame your posts around real user queries. For example:

“What’s the best time to post on TikTok for business?” becomes a great blog title.

Answer with clarity. Always provide concise answers first, then expand with examples.

Use schema markup. Add structured data (e.g. FAQ, How-to) to your site — AI engines love this.

Test your visibility. Try asking ChatGPT or Perplexity questions your audience might ask. If your content isn’t referenced, tweak your structure.

Embed your brand in answers. Include your name, company, or tool in clear contexts. This helps AI associate your brand with specific solutions.

Publish consistently. The more fresh, relevant, and niche-specific your content, the more likely AI will remember and reuse it.

This is not to say that SEO dead. But it’s no longer enough. In a world where 400 million people ask AI tools for answers, GEO is the new front page.