For twenty years, getting found meant ranking: a list of ten blue links, and a fight for the top spot. Today a growing share of people skip the list and ask an assistant such as ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity instead. The assistant answers in a few sentences, and it names a handful of brands it trusts.
That shift has a name: Generative Engine Optimization, or GEO. It is the work of making sure the answer includes you.
SEO ranks pages. GEO earns mentions.
The two overlap, but the goal is different.
Classic SEO
- Goal: rank a page for a keyword
- Output: a list of links
- Win: a click to your site
GEO
- Goal: be named in the answer
- Output: one written recommendation
- Win: being the brand the assistant suggests
What assistants look at
Assistants do not rank pages the way a search engine does, but they do form a picture of your brand from what is publicly written about it. A few things consistently help:
- A clear description of who you are. Plain language on your own site that says what you do, for whom, and how you are different.
- Consistent facts everywhere. The same name, category and claims on your site, profiles and listings.
- Credible third-party mentions. Reviews, articles, directories and communities that talk about you.
- Fresh, specific content. Pages that answer real questions in detail, not thin keyword pages.
Where to start
You do not need to rebuild your marketing. Start by finding out what assistants say today.
- Ask three or four assistants the questions your customers ask, such as "best [your category] for [your audience]".
- Note whether you are named, how you are described, and who is named instead of you.
- Fix the gaps: clarify your own pages first, then build the mentions that are missing.
