Traditional SEO optimises for blue links. Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) optimises for AI citations. Bing Copilot, ChatGPT Search, and Google AI Overviews now absorb a growing share of search queries. The page that gets cited matters as much as the page that ranks.
What is Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO)?
What is GEO in SEO? Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) is the practice of structuring content so that AI language models select it as a source when generating answers to user queries. Traditional SEO earns a ranking position. GEO earns a citation inside the AI's response.
AI search does not show ten blue links. It synthesises one answer from multiple sources. Unranked or uncited content does not exist in that response. Understanding how LLM optimisation works is the technical foundation for effective GEO.
How Does GEO Differ from Traditional SEO?
Traditional SEO and GEO share foundational principles — quality content, clear structure, demonstrable expertise. Their optimisation targets differ.
Traditional SEO optimises for ranking signals: backlinks, keyword relevance, and technical performance. The goal is a high position in the results list.
GEO optimises for citation signals: factual precision, source credibility, answer completeness, and structured formatting. The goal is inclusion in the generated answer.
A site can hold position 1 in traditional results and never appear in an AI answer. A site at position 8 can become the primary cited source. Content quality and answer directness determine citation selection — not ranking position alone.
Why Does GEO Matter in 2026?
AI-generated responses now appear across Bing Copilot, ChatGPT Search, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews. AI search handles an estimated 15–25% of queries. That share grows monthly.
Organic traffic from informational queries is declining. AI citations replace it. A model that attributes its source to your site sends a qualified reader directly to you.
Across my 44-site portfolio, some content pages generate 57 AI citations for every 1 organic click. Content must win citations — not just rankings.
What Content Gets Cited by AI Models?
AI models select sources based on specific content characteristics. Understand each one before optimising.
Factual precision — specific data, named sources, verifiable statistics. Vague generalisations rarely get cited. Concrete claims with evidence get cited consistently.
Direct question answering — content answering the exact query in the first sentence of a section performs significantly better. Content burying the answer after context-setting paragraphs performs worse.
Structured formatting — clear H2 and H3 hierarchies, short paragraphs, and lists allow AI models to extract specific passages without ambiguity.
Entity credibility — content from entities Google and Bing recognise as authoritative on a topic receives citation preference. This is where topical authority and entity SEO converge with GEO.
Comprehensive topic coverage — models prefer sources addressing multiple facets of a topic. A page answering five related questions outperforms five pages each answering one question. Applying the right content patterns for AI search dramatically increases citation rates.
How Do You Start Implementing GEO?
GEO implementation builds on strong semantic SEO foundations. Apply these steps in order.
Audit your answer completeness. Check each target query. Does your content answer the question directly in the first 100 words of the relevant section? Restructure before optimising anything else.
Add structured definitions. Every key term needs an explicit one-sentence definition. Format: bold question, answer sentence immediately following. AI models extract these directly.
Include verifiable data. Cite statistics, specific figures, and named studies. Attributed sources signal credibility to AI systems and human readers alike.
Build entity authority. GEO is partly a function of how well your entity is established in the AI model's training data and knowledge graph. Entity SEO determines which sources AI models recognise as authoritative. Publish consistently. Earn mentions. Build structured entity signals.
Track AI citations. Bing Webmaster Tools provides AI citation data through its Copilot performance reports. Monitor which pages get cited and for which queries. Replicate citation-earning content patterns across other pages.
Does GEO Replace Traditional SEO?
GEO extends SEO — it does not replace it. Pages need to rank to enter the AI's consideration set. Technical performance, backlinks, and keyword relevance still determine access. GEO determines selection from that set.
The most effective approach combines SEO foundations with GEO-specific content structuring. Earn both the ranking and the citation.
Related Articles
- What is LLM Optimisation? — the technical framework GEO builds upon
- Optimise Content for AI Search — 7 practical content patterns for AI citations
- What is Entity SEO? — entity credibility determines which sources AI models cite
- How to Build Topical Authority — topical authority is what makes your content GEO-ready
I track AI citation patterns across a 44-site portfolio and can identify where your content is missing citation opportunities. Contact me for a free consultation.