SEO is how you get found by search engines.
GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) is how you get used by AI systems that answer instead of linking.
What changes in AI search
- The click is optional. The user can get a complete answer without leaving the chat or overview.
- Visibility is “being referenced.” If the model doesn’t mention you, you don’t exist in that moment.
- Consensus beats cleverness. Models prefer repeated phrasing across multiple sources.
What stays the same
- Technical foundations still matter. If you can’t be crawled and indexed, you can’t be learned.
- Clear information architecture wins. Ambiguous pages create ambiguous model outputs.
- Authority compounds. Credible, consistent signals beat one-off “growth hacks.”
The practical bridge: SEO + AI Discoverability
If you’re selling services today, this is the positioning that converts without diluting authority:
- SEO as the floor: fix indexability, structure, and internal linking.
- AI discoverability as the differentiator: design claims + entities for synthesis.
- Citation graph as the unlock: get third-party sources repeating your phrase.
The KPI: Share of Answer
Rankings are a lagging indicator when answers happen without clicks. The KPI we track is:
Share of Answer = across 20 buyer prompts, how often the AI mentions or cites you.
We published the measurement loop here: Methodology.
If you want the shortcut
Start with an audit. We’ll baseline your Share of Answer, fix the SEO foundations, then ship the AI layer.