What Is Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) and Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) in SEO 2025?

As search behavior evolves, SEO is no longer enough on its own. Two newer concepts are rising fast: Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) and Answer Engine Optimization (AEO). These are about being visible not just in ranked search results, but in AI-generated answers, instant answers on SERPs, featured snippets, and generative search engines like ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity.

• According to Search Engine Land, GEO is defined as “the process of optimizing your website’s content to boost its visibility in AI-driven search engines such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini …”
• Zero-click searches (queries where the user gets their answer without ever clicking through now represent around 60-63% of Google searches in recent studies (SparkToro)

A strong understanding of GEO + AEO is essential for brands and studios who want to stay visible both in classic SEO and in this new generation of search.

What Is GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) refers to optimizing content so that it’s more likely to be retrieved, cited, or integrated in responses by generative AI/search engines, not just traditional search engines. It involves structuring, wording, formatting, citation-worthiness etc.

Key numbers & findings

• According to the arXiv paper “GEO: Generative Engine Optimization” (Gao, Liu, Si, Meng, Xiong, Lin, 2024), applying GEO methods increased visibility by up to ~40% across diverse queries in generative engines.
  For comparison, traditional SEO adjustments often yield only single-digit improvements in organic rankings, which shows how powerful GEO can be in AI-driven search.
• In real-world application, visibility improvements of ≈ 37% were observed for Perplexity.ai for certain queries using GEO-aligned content
• Also, Search Engine Land in “How to win with generative engine optimization while keeping SEO top-tier” points out that many existing SEO practices still apply, but tweaks are needed to adapt for generative search (e.g. aiming for content that can be pulled into AI summaries)

What Is AEO (Answer Engine Optimization)

Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) is about crafting content to directly satisfy questions so that AI / search engines can use them as direct answers.

This includes featured snippets, FAQ sections, list-format, question-answer format.

• It’s older than GEO in some senses; featured snippet optimization is a classic AEO tactic.
• AEO is becoming increasingly important as zero-click searches rise. According to a Semrush study, mobile searches show the highest share of zero-click results — about 57% — compared to desktop.
  On mobile, users often spend slightly more time deciding on their next step, likely because scrolling through results is easier. In this context, being the direct answer can be more valuable than holding the #1 ranking.

GEO & SEO: Similarities

While GEO and SEO are different in some respects, they share many foundational elements. Combining them effectively leverages what works already, while adapting to new dynamics.

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) has long focused on keyword targeting, content quality, site structure, backlinks, technical performance. GEO builds on SEO, adding tweaks so that content is more “AI-friendly” — meaning more likely to be selected, summarized, or cited by generative engines.

Many SEO best practices remain relevant under GEO; it’s more an augmentation than a wholesale replacement.

How they overlap:

1. High-Quality, Authoritative Content
   • SEO and GEO both reward content that is accurate, well-researched, well written.
   • For GEO, being seen as a trustworthy source (citations, references, clarity) increases the chances AI systems will cite you.
2. Keyword / Intent Optimization
   • SEO uses keywords / search intent to match what users type.
   • GEO also requires understanding user queries and intent; but often the wording matters more (natural language, question-format) so AI can interpret correctly.
3. Structured Content & Clear Formatting
   • SEO best practices already include headings (H1, H2, etc.), bullet lists, tables.
   • GEO & AEO both favour content that is scannable: clear headings, FAQs, concise paragraphs so AI can extract answer easily
4. Technical Foundation
   • Fast page speed, mobile-friendly, good site architecture = SEO basics.
   • Additionally for GEO, you may need metadata or formats that help AI reading / scraping, schema markup, clear signals of authorship/trust.
5. Updates & Freshness
   • SEO values up-to-date content.
   • In GEO / AEO, freshness can also matter because generative engines tend to prefer more recent and reliable sources.
     

What Are the Differences Between GEO / AEO vs Traditional SEO

Although there’s overlap, GEO and AEO bring new requirements, new opportunities, and new challenges. They shift what “visibility” means: not just a spot in the search results, but being cited in excerpts, summaries, in the body of generative AI responses.

Also, there are trade-offs (for example, less control over wording once content is summarized, reliance on external citations, etc.).

List of Differences:

1. Visibility Type
   • SEO: Your goal is ranking in the organic list of search results.
   • GEO/AEO: Visibility happens via AI answers, snippets, instant answers – sometimes without click-through.
2. Content Format and Style
   • SEO: Emphasis on optimized content with keywords, possibly long-form, in-depth.
   • GEO/AEO: More emphasis on concise, direct answers; FAQs; structured data; natural question/answer style.
3. Citation / Authority Requirements
   • SEO: Backlinks, domain authority, etc.
   • GEO/AEO: In addition to SEO authority, being considered a credible source, using references or data, external citations can boost the chance of being used in AI-generated content.
4. Measurement of Success
   • SEO: Rankings, organic traffic, backlinks.
   • GEO/AEO: Also track how often content is cited in AI responses, presence in featured snippets, impressions in generative AI, possibly zero-click visibility.
5. User Behavior / Clicks
   • SEO: Traffic (clicks) still a core metric.
   • GEO/AEO: Many queries may result in no click; the value sometimes is in brand visibility, trust, or “being the source” even without traffic.

How to Create a Strong Strategy for Combining GEO & SEO

To succeed in 2025 and beyond, brands should integrate GEO into their SEO strategy, not treat it as a side project. That means aligning content creation, technical SEO, and content formats to simultaneously satisfy traditional SEO signals and the requirements of AI-driven answer engines. This dual strategy ensures you don’t lose visibility in classic search while gaining in the new generative/AI contexts.

List of Strategic Steps:

1. Audit your existing content
   • Identify pages or posts that already perform well in SEO and see which ones could be optimized for generative answers (e.g. convert FAQs, add summary sections).
2. Keyword / Query research including AI/Answer-oriented queries
   • Look not only at popular keywords but also question formats (“how to”, “what is”, “best way to…”)
   • Use tools / analyzers that show what featured snippet / answer boxes are being shown for these queries.
3. Structure content for scannability & AI consumption
   • Use clear headings, bullet lists, short paragraphs.
   • Include FAQ sections.
   • Use schema markup (FAQ, Q&A, HowTo, etc.).
4. Build authoritativeness & trust
   • Include citations, data, quotes, references.
   • Update content regularly.
   • Ensure technical site health (SSL, speed, UX) so AI engines trust you.
5. Optimize for AI engines & monitor signal
   • Monitor how content is being cited in generative AI (tools or manual checks).
   • Adjust style so that your content is included in summary answers, not just buried pages.
6. Balancing traffic + branding vs clicks
   • Accept that many AI responses / zero click may reduce traffic but increase visibility/trust.
   • Use content to drive branding and consideration even when direct clicks are not happening.

To succeed in 2025 and beyond, brands should integrate GEO into their SEO strategy. For a step-by-step approach, see our guide to SEO, GEO & AEO strategy in 2025.

How Generative AI / Answer Engines Work

• Generative AI engines (e.g. Google SGE, ChatGPT, Perplexity) work by pulling information from multiple sources, ranking them by trust, and synthesizing a single answer. They choose content that is fresh, structured, and authoritative.
• They prioritize content that is factually correct, well structured, has clarity, trust signals, and relevance to the user query.
• They may also use freshness, domain reputation, and format signals (bullet points, lists, direct answer sections) to decide what content to include.

How Does GEO Work?

• A content creator defines visibility metrics for generative engines (not just page rank) — e.g. percent of queries where content is cited, position within AI responses etc. (the arXiv paper discusses a “visibility metric” tailored for generative engines).
• Content is optimized using methods such as style adjustments, summary or answer sections, citations, rewriting so that key content is extractable by AI models.
• Existing SEO foundations (good keywords, mobile-friendly, speed, internal linking, schema) are leveraged, with extra attention to being machine scannable, clear structure, trustworthy data / source citations.
• Ongoing monitoring: evaluating which content is being cited, making adjustments (e.g. rewriting to better match AI extraction patterns).

Why GEO Is Important

Users today expect fast, clear answers — especially on mobile and through voice search. Being included in those instant answers positions your business as authoritative and top of mind.

For many companies, getting cited in an AI summary or featured snippet can be just as valuable as — or even more valuable than — ranking #1 on Google, because visibility in the answer itself is what captures user attention.

For example, a small business could appear in a ChatGPT or Google SGE response when someone searches “best interior designer in Lyon” — even if their website doesn’t hold the top spot in traditional search results.

And the stakes are high: according to SparkToro, over 60% of searches now end without a click. If your business isn’t visible in those zero-click answers, you risk losing more than half of your potential visibility.

To make sure your business is prepared, download our SEO + GEO Checklist PDF — a quick reference guide to keep your content aligned with AI-driven search and zero-click visibility.