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What does GEO stand for?
Generative engine optimization: optimizing for generative AI engines such as ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity. The goal is for them to understand you and mention you in their answers.
Short answer
GEO (generative engine optimization) means working on your website and your online information so that generative AI engines like ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity understand you, cite you and mention you when someone asks about what you do. SEO aims to show up in Google's list of results; GEO aims to be inside the answer the AI writes. The foundations are the same, and you work on both together.
GEO in one line
SEO helps Google show you somewhere in the list. GEO helps the AI name you inside its answer. They are two ways of searching that live side by side: plenty of people still use Google, and more and more people also ask an assistant directly.
How is GEO different from SEO?
| SEO | GEO | |
|---|---|---|
| Where you show up | In the list of results on Google or Bing. | Inside the answer from ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity or Google's AI answers. |
| What you're after | A click to your website. | Being named, recommended or cited as a source. |
| What the result looks like | A link with a title and a description. | A paragraph written by the AI, sometimes with links to its sources. |
| What matters most | Keywords, links and user experience. | Clarity, direct answers, consistent data and mentions in other sources. |
| How you measure it | Search Console: impressions, clicks and positions. | The same set of questions to each AI once a month, plus traffic from the assistants. |
In practice, what works for one almost always works for the other. A fast, well-structured website with clear copy and tidy data helps both Google and the AIs. The difference is the emphasis: GEO focuses on answering questions in a way that can be quoted, and on your business being described the same way everywhere.
And what are AEO and "SEO for AI"?
You'll come across several names for similar things:
- AEO (answer engine optimization): optimizing for engines that give direct answers. It was first used for Google's featured snippets and voice assistants.
- SEO for AI or LLMO: other names for the same thing as GEO.
- GEO: the term most used today for ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity.
The acronym matters less than the goal: when someone asks about your industry and your area, the answer should include you.
How search is changing: an example
Picture someone who needs to replace the windows of their house in Greater Buenos Aires.
| Classic Google search | Question to an AI | |
|---|---|---|
| What they type | aluminum windows north zone | I want to replace the windows of my house in Malvinas Argentinas without breaking the walls. Who should I ask for a quote, and how long does it take? |
| What they get | Ten results, ads and a map with local businesses. | A paragraph that explains the options and names two or three companies, sometimes with links to their websites. |
| What they do next | Open several tabs and compare. | Message one of the companies named, directly. |
| What you need to be there | Rank your website for those words. | A website that explains the service (without breaking walls), the area and the timeline, and other sources that confirm it. |
The second search has more intent: the person already knows what they want. That's why, even though there are fewer of them than Google searches today, the inquiries that come from an AI tend to be closer to a purchase.
What signals do AIs use to decide who to name?
No AI company publishes a formula, but some signals keep showing up in the answers and in how the search engines they rely on work:
| Signal | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Clarity | A page that says what, where and for whom can be quoted as is. |
| Consistency | The same details on your website, Google Business and directories build trust. |
| Mentions | Other sources (reviews, media, directories) talking about you confirm what your website says. |
| Freshness | Up-to-date prices, hours and dates keep the AI from picking a more recent source. |
| Technical access | If the crawler can't read your website, you don't exist for the AI. |
Why does it matter to a small business in Argentina?
Because the question changed. Before, someone searched "vet north zone" and compared results. Now they can ask "which vet near San Isidro has an emergency service?" and stick with the two or three names the AI gives them. In crowded industries, being in that answer or not changes how many inquiries you get.
There's also a timing advantage: few Argentine businesses are working on this yet, so whoever starts first has a better chance of taking that spot.
What does GEO work include?
- Assessment. Asking ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google what your customer would ask, and writing down who shows up.
- Content that answers. Pages by service, industry or area, with direct answers and real FAQs.
- Structured data. Schema.org with your business, services, hours, area and FAQs.
- Access for crawlers. robots.txt, sitemap, indexing on Google and Bing, and an llms.txt file.
- Consistent data. The same name, phone, area and website on your site, Google Business, Bing Places, social media and directories.
- Measurement. Repeating the same questions every month and checking Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.
Where do I start?
If you're short on time, this is the order we recommend:
- Have your own fast website, with a clear page for each service.
- Add it to Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.
- Complete and tidy up your Google Business Profile.
- Write down the 10 questions your customers ask most and answer them on the website.
- Do a self-check of how ChatGPT names you so you have a starting point.
The full guide, step by step, is in how to show up on ChatGPT.
What GEO is not
- It's not a guarantee. Nobody controls what an AI answers.
- It's not a trick or hidden text to fool the model.
- It doesn't replace SEO: you work on both together.
- It's not only technical: if your website doesn't say clearly what you do, no tweak will make up for it.
At MyLeads we work on it together with SEO, starting with a free assessment. See how in GEO optimization for businesses.