ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Google's AI features: more and more searches are answered by AI in plain sentences. GEO is the work of making sure your information is found, and comes across accurately, inside those answers.
GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) is the work of raising the visibility of your content inside the answers of search engines that use generative AI. The term was proposed in a 2023 paper, “GEO: Generative Engine Optimization,” which was accepted to KDD 2024. On its benchmark, the paper reports that changing how content is written improved visibility in generative engine answers by up to 40%, and that which methods work best varies by domain.
GEO does not replace SEO. The foundation is the same.
Google says there are no additional requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode, and no special files or markup for AI features. Basic SEO remains the foundation: allow crawling, make content easy to find through internal links, put important content in text, and keep structured data consistent with the visible text (Google Search Central).
An AI answer combines several sources into prose. So the question is no longer only your ranking, but whether you are cited or mentioned in the answer, and whether what it says about you is correct. The paper also names, as a challenge, that content creators have little control over when and how their content appears (the GEO paper).
Google says appearances in AI features are counted in your overall search traffic in Search Console. Its page does not say whether a separate breakdown for AI features is available (Google Search Central). So we combine analytics with direct checks of how you appear in AI search.
We are a company that has done SEO and multilingual content work. Building on that, this is how we approach GEO.
01
We check how you and your competitors are described in the main AI search tools and which sources they cite, then sort out the issues.
02
We structure content to answer questions directly, and state numbers, evidence and sources. Our multilingual content work, in Japanese, English and other languages, applies here.
03
We review and fix the basics Google lists: crawling access, internal links, and structured data that matches the visible text.
04
We make company details, services, prices and address read the same everywhere on your site, and reduce outdated information and pages that contradict each other.
05
We combine Search Console and analytics with checks of how you appear in AI search, and keep adjusting as we see changes.
We cannot guarantee that you will appear or be cited. Google itself says that meeting the requirements does not guarantee crawling, indexing or appearing (Google Search Central).
This page summarizes Google's official page and a published paper. How AI search works, and each company's policies, change often, so check the official pages cited for the latest. For SEO and content work, see also Contents Marketing (SEO).
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