GEO vs. SEO: The New Rules of Optimization

SEO vs. GEO: Different Questions, Different Answers

Let’s start with a quick definition refresh. SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the practice of optimizing your website to rank higher in search engine results (like Google’s page 1) for specific queries. It’s about keywords, backlinks, meta tags, and making Google (and Bing, etc.) see your site as a relevant result for a given search.

GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) is newer. It’s about optimizing your content so that AI-powered search engines and assistants (the ones that generate answers like ChatGPT, Google’s Search Generative Experience, Bing’s AI, etc.) include information from your business in their generated answers. Instead of just ranking a link, the AI might weave details about your business into a conversational answer.

What Stays the Same, What Changes

The arrival of GEO doesn’t throw out everything we know about SEO. Many fundamentals overlap:

• Relevance still rules: Whether it’s Google’s algorithm or an AI model, content that directly answers a user’s query is key. Good, helpful content wins in both worlds.
• Authority matters: Search engines look at backlinks and citations; AI engines look at the sources of information they trust. Having a strong domain (lots of quality backlinks, good reputation) helps with SEO and indirectly helps with GEO since AI prefers citing authoritative sources.
• Technical cleanliness: A well-structured site with proper HTML, fast loading, and schema markup benefits SEO and provides clarity for AI-driven systems too.

Now, what’s different?

• Format of delivery: In SEO, you optimize to be a link in a list. In GEO, you optimize to have your information included in an answer. This means your content might be quoted or summarized rather than clicked. For instance, Google’s AI Overview might take a sentence from your site to include in its answer about your industry, without the user necessarily clicking through.
• Context and completeness: AI-generated answers try to give a complete, context-rich response. GEO involves providing context that might not strictly be on one page. For example, if someone asks, “Is Smith’s Auto Repair open late and do they fix transmissions?”, an AI might pull your hours from your Google listing and a line from your website about transmission repair. It’s aggregating info. Traditional SEO would rely on the user clicking your site for each piece of info.
• Engagement signals vs. training data: SEO rankings can be influenced by user behavior (click-through rates, time on site) and freshness of content. AI answers, meanwhile, depend on their training data or real-time index. GEO strategy means ensuring the data AI trains on or references is up-to-date and accurate (think: your latest facts, reviews, etc., are in places AI looks), whereas SEO might be more forgiving if your site has authority even with slightly older content.

Optimizing for Both Worlds

Practically speaking, how do you cater to both SEO and GEO? It starts by not putting all your eggs in one basket. Here are some tips:

1. Continue Solid SEO Practices

You still want to rank on traditional search results. Ensure your website follows SEO best practices: relevant keywords in your content (written in a natural, reader-friendly way), descriptive title tags and meta descriptions, mobile-friendly design, fast page speeds, and quality backlinks from other sites. These create the foundation. If an AI engine is deciding which sources to trust for an answer, being prominent in standard search is a good sign you’re worth citing.

2. Embrace Structured Content and Schema (for GEO)

As we discussed, adding schema markup (FAQ schema, business details, etc.) helps AI understand and grab your info. Also, structure your content in a way that’s “snippet-friendly.” This means clear headings, concise paragraphs that answer a question directly, and possibly even summary boxes or bullet lists that an AI could easily lift as an answer.

For example, if you have a page about AC repair, include a short section that directly answers “How long does AC repair take?” or “What’s the cost range for AC repair in Corpus Christi?” with schema markup. This could end up being featured in a generative answer about AC repair services.

3. Monitor Your Presence in AI Answers

Just like you (or your SEO team) track Google rankings, you should start paying attention to how and where you show up in AI-driven results. This is new territory, but you can do some DIY sleuthing. Use tools like Bing’s AI chat or Perplexity to ask questions relevant to your business. See if you’re mentioned. If not, note who is, and examine why. Do they have a “facts page” that the AI pulled data from? Are they mentioned in a Wikipedia article or a major news piece? These clues tell you how to bolster your own GEO.

Also, keep an eye on Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) or other emerging AI search products. As these roll out, see if an AI summary appears above the normal results for your important keywords, and if so, whether your content is reflected in that summary.

4. Encourage Reviews and External Mentions

SEO has long valued backlinks (other sites linking to yours) as votes of confidence. GEO similarly values external validation, but it might come in the form of mentions rather than links. If your business is frequently mentioned in local news or has lots of online reviews highlighting certain services, an AI might incorporate that info (e.g., “XYZ Plumbing, a highly-rated local plumber, offers 24/7 service…”).

Encourage customers to leave detailed reviews. If an AI is formulating an answer about “best plumber in Corpus Christi,” it might weigh not just who has the best star rating, but who has reviews mentioning “emergency service” or “weekend availability,” if that’s part of the question. Those details could make it into the AI’s answer.

Where RDS Comes In

Navigating SEO vs. GEO isn’t an either/or scenario — you need a strategy for both, and that’s where we can help. In our approach:

• We perform a dual audit: checking your traditional SEO health (site structure, keywords, backlinks) and your AI visibility (how and if you appear in AI-generated answers).
• We optimize your website content to satisfy both algorithms — ensuring it’s rich and helpful for SEO while structured and clear for GEO. That means adding schemas, Q&A sections, and fact sheets that feed AI answers without sacrificing the quality that ranks in Google.
• We monitor developments in AI-driven search. As Google, Bing, and new players evolve their generative search results, we keep you ahead of the curve with timely adjustments (so you’re not left wondering why traffic dipped when an AI box showed up above the search results).
• We help bolster your off-site signals — from managing review campaigns to earning press mentions — so both human searchers and AI algorithms see you as the trusted local expert in your field.