What is GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation), really?
2 June 2026 · 6 min read
Search Engine Optimisation was built for a world where a query returns ten blue links and a human clicks one. Generative Engine Optimisation is built for a world where a query returns one synthesized answer, assembled from several sources — and your job is to be one of the sources the model chose to trust.
The mechanics are different in a specific way: search engines rank pages, but AI engines select and compress passages. A page can rank #1 on Google and never get cited by ChatGPT if it doesn't answer the question in a form a model can lift cleanly — a direct claim, near the top, backed by something checkable.
In practice, GEO work looks like: restructuring content so the answer comes before the story, adding FAQ and Article schema so machines can parse intent quickly, building citation-worthy pages (data, comparisons, definitions) instead of only narrative blog posts, and tracking whether engines actually mention you — not just whether you rank.
None of this replaces SEO. Technical health, backlinks and site authority still feed both channels. GEO is an additional layer of structure and measurement on top, not a replacement discipline.
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