You’ve probably heard a lot about Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) which uses keywords, links, and content to rank higher on Google. Now, there’s something new called Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO).
What is GEO? How is it different to SEO? And how can small businesses use it?
In this blog, we’ll explain the differences, why it matters in 2025, and how to use both SEO and GEO to make your content more visible.
What is SEO?
SEO is the practice of optimising your website and content so that it ranks well in traditional search engine result pages (SERPs) — i.e., when someone types a query into Google, Bing or other search engines, your pages appear (ideally high up), receive clicks, and drive traffic.
Core elements of SEO include:
- Keyword research and targeting: Find out what people search for. Then create content that answers those searches.
- Technical optimisation: Make sure your website loads fast. It should work well on phones. Search engines should be able to read it easily.
- Link-building and authority: Get links from other websites. This shows search engines your content is trustworthy.
- On-page optimisation: Use clear titles, headings, and descriptions. Add internal links and organise your content properly.
- User experience and engagement: Keep visitors interested. Time on page, clicks, and low bounce rates help your rankings.
What is GEO?
GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) is a newer concept emerging in an era of AI-powered search and answer engines. Rather than simply appearing in a list of search results, GEO is about optimising your content so that it is included, cited or referenced by AI-led or generative systems when they produce answers to user queries.
While SEO is about rankings in a results list, GEO is about inclusion in a generated answer.
Here are some key facets of GEO:
- Target platforms: AI chatbots or answer engines like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and AI-enhanced search features such as Google Search Generative Experience.
- Focus: Making content “AI-readable” and trustworthy enough to be pulled into an answer, rather than simply ranked. For example, being quoted or referenced inside an AI-generated answer.
- Metrics: Instead of simply clicks and rankings, you might be measuring “citations/impressions in AI responses”, share-of-voice within AI-generated answers, and brand presence in AI ecosystems.
- Content structure: GEO emphasises clear structure, context, authority, and semantic richness so that AI models can “understand” and draw from the content.
SEO vs GEO: Key differences (and overlaps)
Key differences
This table shows how SEO and GEO work in different ways and focus on different goals.
| Feature | SEO | GEO |
| Primary goal | Rank high in SERPs, drive clicks | Be included in AI-generated answers or referenced by AI |
| Target platform | Traditional search engines (Google, Bing) | Generative AI/answer engines, AI search features |
| Success metrics | Position, clicks, CTR, bounce rate, dwell time | Citation in AI answer, share of voice in generative context, brand mentions |
| Content optimisation focus | Keywords, backlinks, metadata, on-page factors | Structure for AI extraction (clear headings, lists), semantic entities, authority/authenticity |
| User journey | User clicks, visits your site and consumes content | User asks AI, gets answer which may cite your content (without necessarily clicking through) |
| Mechanism of delivery | Ranked list of links | Synthesised, conversational answer from multiple sources with citations |
Overlaps
Let’s understand what SEO and GEO have in common and where they work together.
- SEO as well as GEO demand qualitative, authoritative content, which is helpful, relevant and trustworthy.
- Technical fundamentals still matter (site performance, mobile friendly, crawlability/schema) because if your content cannot be accessed or understood, neither SEO nor GEO will succeed.
- Both are audience-centric and you still need to match user intent, answer questions, and provide value. GEO doesn’t negate understanding your audience; it extends that understanding into how AI interprets content.
Why the shift matters?
AI-enabled search is changing how users discover information and how marketers need to respond. For example:
- More users may skip clicking altogether and instead ask an AI assistant, receiving a direct answer. This reduces the number of traffic-generating clicks from SERPs and means being cited becomes more important.
- If you’re only optimising for traditional SEO, you may miss out on visibility inside the AI layer — which may become a dominant source of information discovery for certain audiences.
- For your clients, being referenced by AI means you build brand credibility and reach in a new channel, not just organic ranking.
Why this dual strategy matters?
Staying ahead in the crowded online market
Before, small businesses used to ask: “How do we get our website to show up on Google?” — that’s traditional SEO. But today, the question is changing to: “How do we make sure our business shows up in AI tools and chatbots?”
That’s where GEO — Generative Engine Optimisation — comes in. It helps your business stay visible when people use AI assistants to search for products, services, or advice.
By learning how GEO works, you can stay ahead of the curve and make sure your business isn’t left behind as search technology evolves.
Competitive advantage
Covering both SEO and GEO is important. There are many small/medium businesses in the UK which are still not aware of this shift. Including GEO in your strategy can increase your online presence and help your business grow in a better way.
Better ROI
Clicks still matter, but being mentioned in AI answers adds a new kind of visibility. When AI tools cite your content, it shows your brand is trusted — and that trust can turn into more enquiries and leads over time.
For business firms, this means going beyond just ranking on Google. The goal is to create content that AI assistants find useful enough to include in their answers.
When that happens, your brand becomes part of the conversation, reaches more people and builds authority, even without direct clicks.
Content-marketing evolution
- For SEO: you’ll continue to optimise blog posts, landing pages, ensure keyword alignment, backlink outreach, technical health.
- For GEO: you’ll need to craft content with AI-readiness in mind: structured modules, entity mentions, authoritative citations, clear language that an AI model can use as a building-block in answers.
Actionable strategy: How to optimise for both SEO and GEO?
Step 1: Audit existing content
- Identify your top performing pages (for SEO).
- Check which pages are likely to be referenced by AI (e.g., pages with authoritative data, case studies, unique insight).
- Use tools or manual checks to see if your brand/content is cited in AI assistants (this is still emerging, but you can check if your domain appears in AI overviews or answer snippets).
- For those pages, plan updates: ensure they are technically sound, content is structured clearly, and ready for GEO treatment.
Step 2: Keyword + intent mapping
- Traditional SEO: identify keywords, include them in titles, headings, meta, content.
- GEO: Go deeper with query intent, especially conversational and follow-up questions (e.g., “How can I make my website appear in local searches? Or How can I make my business more visible online without paying for ads?”). This style mirrors how users may ask an AI assistant.
Step 3: Content structure for dual optimisation
- Use clear headings (H1, H2, H3) which help both SEO crawlers and AI models to parse (extract data).
- Include bullet-lists, numbered steps, summary tables — these formats make content easier for AI to extract.
- Within content include concise, self-contained paragraphs (AI likes passages it can lift verbatim).
- Use schema markup (structured data), clear metadata, internal linking.
- Mention entities (people, brands, places) with authority, link externally where relevant — this builds authority signals for both SEO and GEO.
Step 4: Authority & trust signals
- SEO: build a strong backlink profile, good domain health, social signals, etc.
- GEO: beyond backlinks, you need to demonstrate trusted source signals — authoritative brand mentions, citations on other reputable sites, press coverage. Research shows AI-answer engines prefer earned media sources.
- Gather customer testimonials, case studies, original data, and publish them so your content becomes a source rather than just a regurgitation.
Step 5: Monitor & measure correctly
- For SEO: Track rankings, organic traffic, click-through rates, conversions.
- For GEO: Emerging metrics might include number of times your content is cited in AI answers, share-of-voice in AI conversation space, brand mention counts in AI contexts. Tools are still evolving.
- For your business: Track both how your website performs on Google (search rankings, visits, enquiries) and how visible your content is in AI tools. This helps you understand how people find you — whether through search results or AI answers — and where to focus your efforts next.
Step 6: Continuous adaptation
- The search space is changing rapidly: Updates in AI-search, generative models, how users ask questions.
- Keep content fresh: Update older pages, refresh authority, monitor new AI channels (e.g., voice assistants, chatbots).
- Be ready to experiment: GEO is less mature than SEO, so test what works, learn from data, and refine.
Practical example for your sectors
Here’s how SEO and GEO can work together for your business.
Example 1: Website Development and Maintenance
SEO angle:
Make sure your website clearly says what you do and where you are.
Use simple titles like “Bookkeeping services for small businesses in Manchester” or “Affordable bookkeeping services in the UK.”
Add clear headings, short service details, and your contact info on every page.
Use your town or area name in your text, and keep your Google Business Profile up to date so people can find you easily.
GEO layer:
Add short summaries and simple FAQs to help AI tools understand your website better.
For example:
- “We provide effective bookkeeping services for small businesses.”
- “We manage your bookkeeping so you keep on top of your business.”
Add FAQs like “What information do I need to provide for you to complete my bookkeeping?” or “Do you offer payroll services?”
These short answers help AI tools like ChatGPT or voice assistants show your business when people ask questions like “Who provides accounting services for small businesses near me?”
Outcome:
SEO helps people find your business on Google. GEO helps your business appear in AI chat results or voice searches — so more people can discover you in new ways.
Example 2: Content Marketing and SEO Services
SEO angle:
Write blogs and pages using words your customers search for — like “bookkeeping tips for small businesses” or “low-cost accounting support for UK startups.”
Use clear headings, short paragraphs, and link between your pages to help Google understand your site.
GEO layer:
Create content that’s easy to read and helpful.
Start with a short summary, use numbered lists or simple stats, and add FAQs like “How can an accountant help my business?” or “Why is cash flow important?”
AI tools prefer this kind of content because it’s clear and gives direct answers — making it easier for them to mention your business in replies.
Outcome:
SEO brings visitors from Google searches. GEO helps your business get noticed by AI tools — giving you more chances to be seen by new customers.
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What this means for your business?
The way people search online is changing — and your small business needs to keep up. You don’t have to become a marketing expert, but understanding how SEO and GEO work together will help your business stay visible everywhere people look for answers.
Here’s what you can do:
1. Review your website regularly
2. Create useful, easy-to-read content
3. Keep your website technically sound
4. Build your online reputation
5. Track your progress
6. Keep improving
Search technology changes quickly. Review your website and online profiles every few months. Update your pages when services or prices change, and refresh older content so it stays accurate and helpful.
By combining SEO and GEO, your business doesn’t just show up on Google — it becomes part of the answers people see across AI tools, voice assistants, and future search platforms.
Limitations and things to watch
1. GEO is still new
2. AI tools aren’t fully transparent
3. Clicks still matter
4. Quality beats quantity
5. Measuring GEO is tricky (for now)
There aren’t yet clear tools to track how often AI assistants use or mention your content. So, while you can monitor website visits and search rankings, think of GEO results as a bonus that will become clearer over time.
In short: SEO and GEO are both worth investing in, but the landscape is changing fast. Keep things simple — stay helpful, stay visible, and keep improving your content as technology evolves.
GEO isn’t a replacement for SEO — it’s the next stage in how people find answers online. While SEO helps your content rank on Google, GEO makes it easier for AI tools to find and cite your work. Both matter if you want lasting visibility.
Want your content to rank and be noticed by AI search? Don’t choose between SEO and GEO — combine them. We can help you create content that ranks higher, gets cited more, and keeps your brand seen everywhere your audience searches.
