Book a call

SEO vs GEO: getting found on Google and in AI search

· 2 min read · AELAAN

Your customers still search. They just don't all search the same way any more. Some type a few words into Google and scan the results. Others ask ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity a full question and read a single answer. If your brand only shows up in one of those places, you're invisible to the people using the other.

That's the difference between SEO and GEO.

What SEO does

Search engine optimisation gets your pages ranked when someone searches. It comes down to three things:

  • Relevance. Pages that answer the exact question people type, in the words they use.
  • Authority. Other trusted sites linking to you and mentioning you.
  • Experience. Fast, clear, mobile-friendly pages that people don't bounce off.

Do it well and you earn traffic every month without paying for each click.

What GEO does

Generative engine optimisation makes your brand the one AI assistants mention and recommend. These tools don't show a list of links. They write an answer, and they build it from sources they trust.

To be part of that answer, your brand needs:

  • Clear, quotable facts. Who you are, what you do, who it's for, and what makes you different, written plainly on your own site.
  • Consistency everywhere. The same story on your website, Google Business Profile, LinkedIn, directories and reviews.
  • Third-party proof. Reviews, press and mentions on sites the models already read.
  • Structure. Headings, FAQs and schema markup that make your content easy to understand and cite.

Where they overlap

Most of the work serves both. Helpful, specific content written for real questions ranks on Google and gets picked up by AI. A strong reputation off your own site lifts both too. The difference is the goal: SEO wins the click, GEO wins the recommendation.

Where to start

  1. List the questions your customers ask before they buy, then answer each one properly on your site.
  2. Fix the basics: page speed, titles and descriptions, and a clean site structure.
  3. Tell the same story everywhere your brand appears online.
  4. Earn mentions through reviews, partnerships and press.
  5. Measure both: rankings and traffic for SEO, plus how often AI tools name you for your key questions.

Want to know where your brand stands today? Book a strategy call and we'll show you where to start, or see everything we do.