{"id":12214,"date":"2025-10-03T14:14:43","date_gmt":"2025-10-03T12:14:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/legacy-12214"},"modified":"2026-10-15T23:34:47","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T21:34:47","slug":"geo-why-we-need-generative-search-engine-optimization-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kloos.vonblock.com\/en\/blog\/geo-why-we-need-generative-search-engine-optimization-now\/","title":{"rendered":"GEO: Why we need Generative Engine Optimization now"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Type a keyword into the search bar, hit enter, click one of the 10 blue links and land on the website you were looking for: this is how users have been searching the internet for years \u2013 and SEO experts have optimized websites accordingly. Then came AI chatbots, and started answering user questions directly. Google’s AI Overviews in particular are leading to significantly fewer clicks on search results. To stay visible, SEO needs reinforcement: GEO. Generative Engine Optimization ensures that brands appear within the answers provided by generative AI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The times are changing: SEO needs a boost<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It used to be simple: if you wanted to be found online, you optimized your content for Google. But today, Google Search faces real competition. Many users no longer start their research with a classic search query but by asking ChatGPT or another AI chatbot<\/strong>. Overall, the trend is clear: users want quick answers from AI, without having to click on a link or spend time on lengthy research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Google isn\u2019t taking this threat to its search monopoly lying down, of course. Since March 2025, the search giant’s AI Overviews<\/strong> have been available in German-speaking countries. These AIOs provide users with instant answers \u2014 not just a list of blue links. This ensures that Google remains the go-to destination for information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Figure 1: Answer in the AIOs above the classic 10 blue links.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Google also announced that it would transition to its own \u201cAI Mode<\/strong>,\u201d gradually replacing the familiar 10 blue links with AI-generated answers. The introduction of featured snippets<\/strong> back in 2014 was Google’s first step away from being a pure search engine toward becoming an answer engine. With AI Overviews, this evolution continues. Instead of quoting snippets of text, AIOs now generate complex, AI-created responses to specific questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This shift is reshaping the customer journey<\/a>. Many users no longer scroll to the traditional search results below. For companies, that means rethinking online visibility<\/strong>. Websites now need to be optimized not only for search engines, but for generative AI as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Websites now need to be optimized not only for search engines, but for generative AI as well.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

That doesn\u2019t mean SEO or classic Google Search are dead. In fact, Google Search<\/strong> grew by more than 20% in 2024, and Google recorded about 373 times as many search queries as ChatGPT. But to future-proof your brand, brands should pair SEO with GEO\u2014ensuring visibility both in traditional search results and AI-generated answers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What exactly is GEO?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

GEO stands for \u201cGenerative Engine Optimization\u201d\u2014the optimization of websites so they appear in the answers of generative AI systems<\/strong>. Other terms such as AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) or LLMO (Large Language Model Optimization) are also sometimes used to describe optimization for AI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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GEO makes your brand, your service, or your products visible across generative AI outputs.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

While traditional Search Engine Optimization (SEO)<\/a> aims to achieve top rankings in organic search results, GEO focuses on how content is processed and displayed within the outputs of chatbots, AI assistants, and AI-generated responses to search queries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The goal of GEO is to make sure your company or brand appears in the responses of generative AI\u2014either as a cited source<\/strong> or through a brand mention<\/strong>. To achieve this, content must be structured in a way that AI systems can understand it, consider it quotable, and include it in their outputs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How does GEO work?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Generative AI such as ChatGPT is either a training-based system<\/strong> (e.g., Claude, Llama), a search-based system<\/strong> (e.g., Google AI Overviews, Perplexity), or a hybrid system<\/strong> (e.g., ChatGPT Search, Gemini).\u00a0 Systems that rely solely on their training data are difficult to influence. However, models that use external sources (e.g., search engines) offer the opportunity to increase visibility in AI-generated responses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, when ChatGPT is asked, \u201cWhat is SEO?\u201d, it searches its training data, i.e., its internal knowledge database (Figure 2). When it comes to \u201cencyclopedic\u201d or factual knowledge, chatbots usually rely on their training data, so publishers have little opportunity to generate traffic from them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Figure 2: ChatGPT\u2019s answer to the question \u201cWhat is SEO?\u201d.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The situation is different for more complex or up-to-date information<\/strong>. When asked about GEO agencies in Vienna, for example, the chatbot provides a list of agencies including sources or websites. In this case, it searched the internet for up-to-date information (Figure 3).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Figure 3: ChatGPT’s response to the question about GEO agencies in Vienna.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Similarly, AI Overviews use Google\u2019s search index <\/strong>to retrieve up-to-date information. In the background, the AI breaks down the user’s specific query into several related search queries (\u201cfan-out\u201d), retrieves the best results of these search queries, and summarizes them concisely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, an AI system could break down the user’s question \u201cHow does AI influence online marketing?\u201d into the following sub-questions<\/strong> to better understand the topic:<\/p>\n\n\n\n