GEO: What is Generative Engine Optimization? (2025)

The way we search for information is changing. Many people today use AI tools like ChatGPT and Google Gemini to get answers, instead of just searching on Google. That’s why it’s no longer enough to think about classic SEO. With Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), it’s about making your content easy for AI to find and use in their answers.

What is Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)?

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is about optimizing content for AI-powered search engines and assistants. Where classic SEO focuses on ranking high in Google, Bing and other search engines, GEO focuses on making your content easy to understand and use for AI models like ChatGPT, Google Gemini (SGE), Bing Copilot and the like.

In short: SEO helps you get found in search results – GEO helps you get cited in AI-generated answers.

Why is GEO important in 2025?

Search behavior is changing significantly. More users today ask questions directly to AI assistants, rather than clicking through a results page. This means that an increasing portion of traffic never reaches the websites themselves.

Experts estimate that up to 25% of organic traffic through classic searches will decline by 2026. If the content is not optimized for AI platforms, it simply risks being overlooked.

GEO helps you:

• Ensuring that AI can interpret and use your content in its responses
• Increasing the likelihood that your company will be mentioned in AI’s output
• Maintaining visibility even as the user journey changes

SEO vs GEO – differences and similarities

SEO: classic search engine optimization
SEO is about optimizing content, structure and technical factors so that a website ranks high in search engines. Typical activities include keyword analysis, link building, technical optimization and content production. The goal is clicks and traffic to the website.

GEO: optimization for AI platforms
GEO has a different focus: creating content that AI can easily cite in its responses. This requires clear structure, context and credibility. AI assesses which sources are most relevant to use, and therefore often chooses content that is accurate, well-documented, and easy to reproduce.

Complementary strategies
SEO and GEO are not mutually exclusive – quite the opposite. SEO ensures continued visibility in traditional searches, while GEO opens the door to being chosen as a source in the next generation of search. A strong digital strategy combines both approaches.

Mini-case: Backlino has tested ChatGPT and Google 

The experiment
Backlinko invented a fictitious SEO term, “NexorbalOptimization”, and published it on a page that only Googlebot was allowed to index. Bing, Claude and other search platforms had no access to the page. After a short time, ChatGPT was able to reproduce the term directly – which showed that the model used data retrieved directly via Google.

The result

• ChatGPT (with browsing) was able to find and cite the term.
• Other AI models without Google access responded with “not found”.
• Conclusion: Content in the Google index becomes quickly accessible to AI models.

Insights for GEO
This test confirms that SEO and GEO are related:

• Without a strong SEO foundation → no content for AI to retrieve.
• GEO initiatives increase the likelihood that your content will be chosen as an answer.
• Visibility in Google is still the cornerstone, but now also a direct access ticket to the AI ​​assistants’ answers.

Quote from Backlinko
“If ChatGP