GEO vs SEO: Key Differences You Should Know
You might have heard a lot about SEO, its importance, and how it can help your business grow. The question is, what do you know about GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)? As you might have noticed, AI has secured a prominent role in digital marketing activities. Do you know that up to 47% of Google searches now contain AI-generated summaries, significantly decreasing conventional organic visibility? Also, AI overviews can occupy up to 75.7% of the screen on mobile screens, making organic results hardly noticeable. If you are unaware of what GEO is and the differences between GEO and SEO, here is a guide for you. Take a leap to learn more about it.
What is SEO?
Optimising websites to rank better in conventional search engine results pages (SERPs) is what we call SEO (Search Engine Optimization). Through SEO activities, you can improve your website’s visibility when the audience searches for a particular product or service. This is achieved with several strategies, including the targeted use of keywords, the implementation of high-quality content, and the establishment of backlinks, among others. The focus of SEO is on how search engines, such as Google and Bing, index and crawl websites. It’s essential to ensure the technical setup of your website is robust, featuring a fast-loading speed, mobile-friendly designs, and other key elements.
Some of the common types of SEO include on-page SEO, which focuses on content and structure optimization within your website, and off-page SEO, which deals with backlinking, article submission, and similar aspects. There is one more type known as technical SEO that focuses on crawlability, indexability, site speed, and mobile friendliness. With the help of an SEO service in Kochi, you can optimise your SEO strategies for better online visibility.
What is GEO?
Generative engine optimisation (GEO) is the process of optimising website content to increase its exposure and ranking within AI-powered search engines, such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity, which produce straight replies and summaries. It includes having a clear idea about how these AI platforms work and then creating content that can be easily processed by AI. It is because, in contrast to conventional SEO, GEO places a strong emphasis on content optimization for AI-generated responses, including summaries or direct responses.
GEO is the process of making your website’s content more suitable for being scanned and used as a source by a language learning model (LLM). Key aspects in GEO include semantic relevance, structured content with clear headings, bullet points, and concise language, as well as contextual accuracy, which provides information that directly addresses users’ queries.
Key Differences Between GEO and SEO
Now you know what SEO and GEO mean, let’s have a comparison of GEO vs SEO.
| Key Differences | SEO | GEO |
| Focus of Optimization | Traditional search engines like Google, Bing, and optimization of web pages for higher ranking | Concentrates on maximizing the performance of AI-generated content in search engines. |
| Content Creation | Keyword-optimized human-written content for user engagement | Target search engines driven by AI that produce replies rather than merely results. |
| Tools & Techniques | Google Analytics, SEMrush, Ahrefs, and Yoast SEO | AI-driven tools such as GPT models, text generators, and content optimization software |
| Success Metrics | Measured with the help of metrics like click-through rate, bounce rate, etc | Evaluate how often your content appears in AI-generated responses and its relevance to user inquiries. |
| Strategic Flexibility | can be widely applied to various types of content | may need to be customized for particular domains. |
Do They Work Together?
Despite their different strategies, SEO and GEO can work together. While GEO takes it one step further by tailoring AI-generated content to meet contemporary search engine standards, SEO lays the groundwork for strong organic reach. Roughly 75% of the links included in AI summaries originate from the top 12 natural search results. That implies, even though it is insufficient, traditional SEO is still important. Thus, you must optimize for both AI extraction and rankings. Both SEO and GEO tactics benefit from well-written content. Clear H2s and H3s create ideal extraction locations for AI while also improving SEO readability. Adding FAQ sections with straightforward responses in SEO strategies can help GEO in a way that AI can access them for reference. Also, the E-E-A-T (Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) factors are beneficial for conventional ranking and AI citations. From these examples, you can see that combining GEO with SEO tactics can result in more potent, scalable content that attracts readers and performs well in search engines, as AI continues to play a larger role in content development.
Which One Should You Use: SEO or GEO?
While both seek to improve your internet profile, they serve distinct functions and thrive in different circumstances. Your digital marketing outcomes can be greatly enhanced by knowing when to employ each. If generating long-term organic traffic, establishing brand authority, and achieving high Google ranks are your main objectives, it will be ideal to use Search Engine Optimization (SEO). It works well for blogs, service-based websites, e-commerce platforms, etc. It is particularly useful for long-term, cost-effective growth.
However, when you require quick finding using AI technologies like ChatGPT or Google Gemini, try Generative Engine Optimization (GEO). GEO is perfect for reaching customers where traditional search might not be as prevalent, making sure your brand shows up in AI-generated results, and focusing on extremely targeted or local audiences. Local companies, specialized content producers, and early adopters hoping to maintain their lead in the rapidly changing digital market will find it very helpful. Don’t be confused about what and how to make use of for your business progress, as it can be made easy with the help of an SEO company in Kochi.
Conclusion
Most of you might find it difficult to keep up with the rapid changes in the search landscape. You now compete not only for Google rankings but also for recognition in responses produced by artificial intelligence. Looking ahead, this mix of SEO and generative AI will be crucial to the future of search. Thus, the ideal move is to embrace both SEO and GEO rather than pick one over the other. Generative SEO aims to provide a seamless, integrated experience for both AI and human users, not merely optimize for AI. You can start by optimizing one of your most successful pages for AI extraction. By combining GEO with your conventional SEO techniques, you gain an advantage and provide yourself with the resources you need to keep up in the rapidly evolving digital landscape.
Now that you have understood all about GEO vs SEO, you can confidently embrace the future of search and update your digital marketing tactics. Speak with a top-performing digital marketing agency in Kerala, like Dinero Tech Labs, for more insight and assistance in this field.
Anuja Benny
Anuja is a skilled content writer with 4 years of experience crafting engaging and impactful content. She has a knack for delivering clear and audience-focused writing through blogs, articles, copies, technical writing, case studies, and so on. With a keen eye for detail, she is dedicated to delivering high-quality content to connect with the right audience.
