Let’s be honest, whenever something new crops up in digital marketing, someone slaps a new acronym on it and suddenly the old rules are “outdated.” GEO, or Generative Engine Optimisation, is getting this treatment right now. But is it just another way to talk about classic SEO, or are we actually navigating new territory? The answer is a bit of both. The roots haven’t changed, but the way we play the game is shifting in some pretty noticeable ways.
How is writing for GEO similar to SEO?
This is where some digital marketers like to draw battle lines, but let’s cut through the noise. The best GEO content uses all the same skills we’ve sharpened for SEO over the years. You still need to write clearly, answer real questions, and make it easy for both humans and algorithms to find the information. Structure matters. Authority matters. If you’re crafting practical, well-organised content, you’re already on the right track. Bottom line, what worked for SEO is a great foundation for your GEO efforts. Understand the questions your prospects are asking about your service or product, and make sure you answer them.
The similarities don’t stop there. Both GEO and SEO like content that’s broken up into easy-to-grab chunks with FAQ sections or direct answers. Schema markup and structured data aren’t just nice to have anymore, they’re what makes your answer easier for AI to extract. Focus on answering the question rather than adding loads of waffle to hit that 1,000 word count.
So, what’s the difference?
Here’s where things start to feel different. Traditional SEO was all about ranking in Google search results. In the GEO world, it’s about getting your content pulled into AI-generated answers and your brand cited.
So, what’s new? Two things stand out. First, GEO pays a lot more attention to whether your content is fresh and relevant right now, not just whether you’ve built up authority over years.
Second, it’s not just about your own site anymore. AI engines love pulling in answers from Medium, Reddit, YouTube, and forums that attract real conversations from real people who talk about your brand. Turns out, the more your content and brand shows up on these platforms, the more likely it is to surface in AI answers.
What do GEO algorithms look for that SEO never really cared about?
This is the fun part for the digital marketing geeks among us. GEO is less about exact keywords or sheer link-building and more about the fact-checking, context, and freshness that AI models thrive on. AI doesn’t just crawl for keywords, it actually tries to understand what your content says, whether you’re citing reliable sources, and if your info has substance.
What does “optimised GEO content” actually look like in practice?
Here’s the golden question. When writing for GEO, start with an answer. Don’t bury useful info under loads of leading paragraphs. Use headings and make your sections clear so AIs (and actual humans) know exactly where to look. Keep your writing straightforward, use examples, and reference sources that a machine will recognise and trust. Don’t just rely on your website’s blog and resources section, post on Medium, join discussions on Reddit, and share videos on YouTube.
Even better, get your customers doing it for you. The more places you’re cited, the more you pop up when someone asks an AI like ChatGPT or Perplexity a question. If you spot a trending topic in your industry, jump on it: being current is a massive win in the world of GEO.
So, do you need to forget everything you know about SEO?
Nope, not even close. Doing the basics right is still key. But if you want to get cited in next-gen search or show up in AI-generated answers, you’ll want to focus more on being timely, diversifying publishing platforms, and giving direct, well-organised answers.
The world of search is changing fast, and so are the rules about who gets picked to answer the questions people care about. If you’re ready to adapt, you’re already halfway to GEO success.
Hang on. Isn’t Google search results still the place to be?
Google is still the dominant force in web traffic, and it's likely to stay that way for years, even with the rapid growth of AI search engines. Right now, the numbers are pretty stark. According to recent Harvard and OpenAI research, Google handles about 14 billion searches per day while ChatGPT only processes 66 million "search-like" prompts. That's roughly 210 times less than Google. Saying that, our favourite monitoring tool SERanking, has some pretty cool stats like:
Between January and April 2025, ChatGPT’s share of total internet traffic doubled, from 0.0793% to 0.1587%. That’s remarkable growth for a platform already sitting on such a dominant market share. See more at https://seranking.com/blog/ai-traffic-research-study/
If you are looking to up your SEO, GEO, or all your digital marketing efforts for that matter, why not check out what we can offer, your digital marketing agency in Hampshire.