SEO has always been about ranking on the search engine result pages (SERPs) and GEO is all about becoming a part of the generated answer with reference link within the answer engines. Lets look at the similarities and difference between the two disciplines -
1. Primary target interface
Search engine optimisation (SEO) is done for search engines like Google and Bing. Generative engine optimisation (GEO) is done for generative AI models like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity and others.
2. Metrics for measuring success
There are so any parameters which can indicate the successful implementation of SEO or GEO strategies in your business. To name a few, CTRs (click through rate), SERP (search engine result pages) rankings, bounce rate would be the parameters for SEO. For GEO it would be citation in AI responses, citation frequency, share of voice and sentiment.
3. Output Goal
Search engine optimisation is done with the end goal of getting the business listed in search engine result pages for the keywords users search. The end goal of generative engine optimisation is to be referred and cited in an answer generated in response to the user’s prompt query.
4. Code and content structure that matters
The technical content and code structure for both SEO and GEO have varied strategies. Some of the basic ones for SEO would be having keywords embedded through out your content, metadata about your content, H1-H6 defined to indicate the structure of your content, mentioning relevant tags.
Basic structure for GEO would have all that basics of SEO, plus it will also require strategies like chunking of content, stripping code of heavy javascripts and css, right schema definition, natural conversational style language in content, citable facts and figures, relevant trust signals.
5. Parameters that increase visibility
There are many parameters which are set for search and answer engines, which make your business website readable and hence visible to them. In SEO, some of the key visibility factors which also increased the chances of ranking were keyword matching, page rank, domain and page authority, quality backlinks and traffic to the pages. Technical factors like site speed, mobile friendliness and XML sitemaps also increased chances of ranking.
GEO is built on the principle of readability and verifiability of the content and then synthesis of the same to form an answer. Machine readable code is important without the fluff of heavy UI UX and real time rendering. Verifiability is important because LLM answer engines are designed to reject anything that would lead to hallucinations and bias. LLM answer engines look for trust and authority indicators. They also look for facts and statistics. List and table formats increase visibility. LLM answer engines prefer to the point, verifiable answers which are readable and citable.
6. The Big Shift From Keywords to Context & Intent
In search engine optimisation, keywords were the key. People would optimise for generic & niche keywords, regional searches, long tail keywords etc. The idea was to get creative with the usage of keywords in order to get ranked in SERPs.
When in comes to GEO, keywords do not play such a big role and answer engines try to understand the context of your query, intent of the user and then synthesise answer by visiting a few top pages. The number of pages visited differ based on the model used for answer engines. When we say context & intent, it means that the answer engines try to get you what you have asked for in order to fulfil your objective. They will not give you links to pages and letting you to find the answers on your own.
7. From Link Economy to Citation Economy
Traditional SEO focused on link economy i.e. trying to get your URL mentioned in search engine result pages. GEO focuses on citation economy i.e. get referred and cited in answers by LLM based answer engines.
In SEO, the end user would never get to read your content unless they clicked on a certain link. In GEO, you get the answer to what you are looking for first. Here it means a certain business may or may not get referred. If you do get cited in the answer, the user would then click (may or may not) on the link for verifiability.
Here we have discussed many similarities and differences between optimising for search engines and for generative answer engines. GEO does not replace SEO, it extends it with some modifications. Eventually, a citation in the generative answer would lead the user to your website where a certain intended sales conversion may happen. Hence, SEO is still quite relevant. GEO just makes sure that you are remembered and recommended in the day and age of AI first web.