What Is GEO, And Is It Real?

Recently, there has been a lot of discussion around the rise of GEO, otherwise known as optimisation for LLMs, and what it means for SEO going forward, with the topic as a whole dividing the SEO and marketing community. 

Some people believe GEO is the future of digital strategy, helping businesses thrive in this era of generative engines by providing visibility across multiple channels. People in favour of GEO also argue it helps future-proof your strategy, with AI continuing to develop, your strategy can grow alongside it, as generative engines take over ‘old-fashioned’ search engines like Google. 

However, others argue that GEO is a myth, and the idea that it is a completely new discipline is completely untrue. AI search is just SEO in disguise, LLMs (large language models) are not independent search engines, and use SERP’s such as Google to find information, highlighting the importance of SEO, and debunking this ‘SEO is dead’ idea that has been shoved down our throats. 

The recent rise of AI overviews has been used as another reason why GEO is taking over SEO, with searches now showcasing AI results at the top of pages. However, according to Search Engine Journal, they only appear on 21% of searches (almost all of which are informational). 

AI Overviews also appear on Google itself, so they are using Google’s algorithm for the results to be made. This means you need to do good SEO to use AIO. SEO is not dead. In fact, SEO creates the foundations of visibility in AI searches and here’s why GEO is basically SEO. 

What is GEO? 

GEO (or generative experience optimisation) is a new term that some SEOs and marketers have started using since LLMs have entered the scene. It involves structuring and optimising content for it to be understood and therefore recommended by AI-driven tools, such as ChatGPT or Gemini. You may also know it as AIO, AEO, and probably dozens of other names I’m not aware of. 

Regardless of the name, good GEO content includes: 

• Clear, factual and well-structured copy 
• High-performing content is usually cited by SERPs 
• Content that includes pros and cons, FAQ’s and comparisons
• Research, citations, and links to reputable resources 

GEO relies on meaning, structure and intent; instead of aiming for clickable, blue links, you are trying to influence the summaries and recommendations generated by LLMs like ChatGPT. GEO is being presented by many as the future and taking over the industry, with SEO being outdated and a dying formula. However, this is just bollocks, and to put it simply, GEO is just SEO rebranded. 

GEO is SEO, a statement backed up by Google itself. Gary Illyes, a Google search analyst, said that to rank in AI overviews, all you need to do is normal SEO. Danny Sullivan, a director within Google search, stated that good GEO is good SEO.

All the GEO features, such as the importance of well-structured, factual content, are not at all exclusive to GEO. Good SEO work is, of course, also going to be well structured and feature good quality, factual content. FAQs are often mentioned as one of the best forms of GEO content; well, they have been used consistently and successfully in SEO for years now. 

GEO is not this innovative new idea some seem to be portraying it as; it is taking ideas from the past and reusing them. 

The myth of GEO 

The GEO model is one with many flaws, which displays why it won’t work long term, unless we eventually switch completely to using LLMs. One flaw is its very small percentage of direct conversions to websites. Studies show that conversions from channels are still in favour of SERPs, for example: 

• Google-60+% of traffic (with around a 2.6% potential conversion from these)
• Bing- 5-10% (again roughly 2.6% potential conversion) 
• Other search engines (such as Yahoo, DuckDuckGo, etc.) 2% 
• ChatGPT-0.5% (slightly higher potential conversion of 4%) 
• Gemini-0.05% 
• Copilot- 0.05% 
• Perplexity, Claude, and other smaller LLMs- 0.01%
• 32% of traffic from social, email, paid, etc 

What GEO brings is some visibility, which is useful to an extent, but not enough. Visibility is also very hard to measure on AI tools, as there is no clear ranking system like search engines have. This shows why it makes so much more sense to focus on SEO. 

There is no successful GEO without successful SEO, especially in the long term. Whilst companies may find temporary success, it is unsustainable due to the instability of AI rankings. Search engine results change much more gradually than AI overviews, which can instantly switch. There is no ranking like there is with search engines, so there is no position to hold or aim for. 

AI search is just SEO in disguise, LLMs (large language models) are not independent search engines, and use search engines such as Google to find information, highlighting the importance of SEO, and debunking this ‘SEO is dead’ idea that has been shoved down our throats. With the rise of AI overviews, which, according to Search Engine Journal, only appear on 21% of searches anyway (almost all of which are informational). 

SEO is not dead. In fact, SEO creates the foundations of visibility in AI searches. 

How do LLMs Work? 

LLMs work in a very similar way to traditional search engines, pulling in lots of real-world information and bringing it together by looking up things the system sees as necessary to search. 

So, how do specific LLMs work and where do they get their data from? Here’s what we’ve found as per each developer: 

• ChatGPT -Bing and Google indexes are used as part of citations 
• Gemini – Google 
• Copilot – Bing 
• Perplexity – Bing and Brave 
• Claude- Brave search

Obviously, what you get will always depend on the question and its complexity – and with more complex questions, you’ll need a deeper search. The LLM will then show the semantically relevant, top search results based on the original question. It breaks down pages into the most relevant snippets to create the most clear and concise results that will give relevant answers. 

But at the end of the day, they all appear to be looking all over SERPs to learn and get their answers. 

How Can I Optimise for GEO and SEO? 

SEO is constantly evolving and changing, meaning if you’re still doing old school SEO now, it’s not going to be relevant, and you aren’t going to see results. Here are some of the best strategies to optimise GEO results within a strong SEO campaign: 

• Answer the core question immediately and directly within the opening few sentences. This means answers are quickly extractable for LLMs and feature strong SEO relevance, 
• Use question-based headings. This helps you align with searches for SEO, whilst also making your content easier for LLMs to chunk into answers 
• Go deep into topics, rather than focusing solely on keywords. This gives you more authority on the subject, and the completeness is optimal for AI overviews. 
• Add facts, numbers and specific examples. Verifiable content is very strong. 

When it comes to SEO, knowing what to avoid in your writing is just as crucial as knowing what to include. Here are some common errors that will limit the effectiveness of your SEO campaign: 

• Making ‘search first’ content with the sole intention of gaining traffic will mean you are appealing to bots, not people. Produce content that helps people. 
• Being generic. Repeating content already published on many pages isn’t going to help you stand out, in both search and generative engines. 
• Massive lumps of text. Texts that haven’t been broken down are both overwhelming to read for your audience and hard to extract for LLMs.

Tracking both SEO and GEO performance 

When tracking SEO and GEO, it is important to separate vanity metrics from valuable SEO metrics; focusing on the wrong analytics can result in misleading reports and a lack of sales.

What Metrics Do I Track For SEO? 

SEO is much easier to track than GEO, meaning there is a lot more to look out for but also a lot more vanity metrics. Vanity metrics bring no sales and money into the company. Below are some examples: 

• Sessions – one session is a visit to your website. This means someone who clicks on the website and immediately bounces is measured the same as someone who clicks onto 5 different pages from the first page, staying on the website for half an hour. Sessions can be effective when paired with other metrics, but as a standalone piece of data, they don’t provide much value. 
• Improved bounce rates – bounce rate is how many people click off your website after one page; therefore, a lower bounce rate suggests readers are more engaged and interested in the page. However, once again, whilst looking impressive, they are ultimately not providing value. If bounce rates improve, but conversions, revenue, and sales don’t, it is just a vanity metric. 
• Improved engagement rates – quite similarly, this metric shows the audience is spending more time on the page, the bounce rate is lower, and they have interacted with the page more. However, it doesn’t prove that customers are more satisfied or likely to convert. Once again, if engagement rates increase but conversions, revenue and sales stay the same, then this metric is just there to look good. 

Now that we know what invaluable metrics are, let’s have a look at what does matter:

• New users – the number of first-time visitors to your site. A high number of new users shows your SEO strategy has been effective, as people are discovering your site and you are clearly ranking highly in relevant searches. 
• Conversions – the most important metric, how many times are your customers completing the desired action? Conversions are directly related to the business’s goals, thereby providing value to the business in a way no other metric does. All the other metrics mentioned before are futile if not paired with an increase in conversions. 
• High-intent keywords and top 3 Positions – It’s a good indicator of whether you should be seeing spikes in traffic. If you’re ranking well for top 3 positions for terms that convert, you can expect more traffic of value.

How Do I Track GEO? 

Tracking on LLMs is different from search engines, as there aren’t really any reliable trackers for visibility or keywords available.

Platforms like Ahrefs and SEMrush, and many more, have started to promote their citation trackers, but they all show different data and there’s really no way to decipher which one is worth its very costly price. 

Instead, you need to track whether users are actually coming to your website once they see you in LLMs as click through is more important than just being cited. 

The best way to do this is by looking at “session source” dimensions for referral traffic in GA4 and filtering to specific AI websites (ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, Perplexity, you name it). 

If you note that those domains are appearing in this session source list, it referral traffic suggest you are appearing well in AI searches and, most importantly, the results are bringing people to your website. The numbers may be small, but worth tracking! 

Finding Your SEO (GEO) Agency 

GEO is a myth. Focusing on good SEO has always been and will continue to be the best digital marketing strategy available, despite constant claims that it is dead and something else is taking over. 

Don’t believe these companies that are trying to sell you GEO packages with the selling point that it is the future. It isn’t. Whilst the future may one day be around LLMs, right now we’re still very far away and most LLMs use SERPs to draw out websites worth citing – meaning SEO is still your gateway to being seen in ChatGPT, Gemini, or any other LLM. 

Finding your way around SEO, and the constant changes and algorithm updates thrown our way, can be daunting – but it doesn’t have to be! If you’re not sure where your brand stands in the eyes of Google or LLMs, get in touch for a free audit. Our Mission Control is ready to help you launch your brand beyond the orbit.