The world of search has shifted. Again.
But this time, it’s not a Google algorithm tweak or a new SERP layout. This is bigger and more fundamental.
Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) isn’t just a buzzword, it’s a new reality. And if your growth team is still treating SEO like it’s 2018, you’re not just missing traffic. You’re missing influence.
In this post, we break down the core differences between SEO and GEO, and why the smartest B2B software brands are already planning for both.
What Is SEO?
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is the practice of increasing visibility in traditional search engines like Google. For years, the playbook was simple (but not easy):
- Research keywords
- Optimise your site
- Write content
- Build backlinks
- Climb the rankings
- Get clicks
SEO’s strength was predictability. You knew what people were searching for. You had tools like Ahrefs and SEMrush to estimate volumes. You could reverse engineer what worked. And everything was deterministic - keyword volumes were easy to measure and rankings were precise.
What Is GEO, and why is it different?
Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) is about visibility inside AI generated answers, not just on a list of blue links. When users ask questions in ChatGPT or Perplexity they often get direct and contextual answers, personalised to them - sometimes without any links at all.
And those answers? They’re not always sourced from the biggest domain. Or the page with the most backlinks. They’re generated from what the model believes is most relevant and trustworthy source.
GEO is how you show up in those answers.
SEO vs GEO: The core differences
| Feature | SEO | GEO |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Rank in search engine results | Be cited/included in AI generated answers |
| Audience | Humans searching via Google | LLMs generating responses in tools like ChatGPT |
| Discovery Method | Crawl > Index > Rank | Ingest > Extract > Synthesise |
| Main Metric | Organic traffic, CTR, rankings | Visibility in AI answers, citation frequency |
| Optimisation Tactics | Keywords, content, backlinks, technical SEO | Prompt/intent alignment, content, offsite influence |
| Tools | Ahrefs, Moz, SEMrush, GSC | Peec, ContextualJourney™ |
| Traffic Flow | Click-through to site | Mentioned in answer, may or may not drive click |
| Source of Results | Crawled & indexed website content | Training data built into model, or web search (e.g. ChatGPT & Bing) |
| Update Cadence | Algorithm updates every few months | Model & source updates weekly or even daily |
Why GEO is important now
We’re seeing a shift in buyer behaviour, especially in B2B software purchase journeys:
- Buyers use tools like ChatGPT to compare tools, shortlist vendors, generate RFP questions, shape evaluation scorecards and summarise reviews.
- They don’t always click.
- They trust the answer, not the link.
GEO doesn’t replace SEO, it runs in parallel. But it rewards different actions.
How GEO and SEO work together
Here’s what we’re seeing across our clients at FirstMotion:
-
Great SEO = solid foundation.
- Sites with high authority and well structured content often perform well in GEO too, but not always.
-
But GEO rewards clarity and context, not just authority.
- LLMs extract meaning. They want structure, factual statements, semantically rich formatting, and trusted sources.
-
Offsite brand mentions matter more than ever.
- Tools like ChatGPT pull heavily from G2, Gartner, Reddit, LinkedIn Pulse, Quora, and more.
- GEO success means showing up in the right ecosystem, not just your own site.
GEO vs SEO: FAQs
1. What actually is GEO?
GEO stands for Generative Engine Optimisation, the art and science of being visible in AI generated answers, not just search engine results.
2. Is it called GEO or AIO or LLMO?
There’s lots of noise in the space. You’ll hear terms like AIO (AI Optimisation), LLMO (LLM Optimisation), and AISEO. We call it GEO, and we think that’s the clearest framing for what’s really happening.
3. What is a GEO agency?
A GEO agency helps you understand how generative engines work, mine the prompts your buyers use, analyse where you’re cited (or not), and build a strategy to show up in those answers.
4. How does GEO differ from SEO?
SEO = rank for keywords in Google. GEO = be cited in answers from AI tools like ChatGPT. Different discovery methods. Some different optimisation techniques. Different outcomes.
5. How does GEO change the B2B buyer journey?
AI assistants are now embedded in how B2B buyers research. They’re being used for comparisons, evaluation frameworks, and supplier shortlisting, not just discovery. GEO influences every stage of the buyer journey. AI assistants are buyer enablement co-pilots.
6. What are the best analytics/visibility tools for GEO?
We use Peec AI to track brand visibility across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Google AI Overviews and others. It shows which prompts you’re visible for, which influence sources are cited, and how competitors are performing in AI search.
7. What’s the most important part of a GEO strategy?
Audience intelligence. At FirstMotion, we believe GEO must start with understanding how your buyers behave, what prompts they use, and how they evaluate vendors. That’s why we built our ContextualJourney™ platform, to help us map and enrich ICPs, personas, stages, and prompts to guide everything else.
8. Will AI tools eventually overtake Google?
Not immediately, but the shift is underway. We’re seeing high intent search behaviour migrating to generative engines, but also lots of research and evaluation too.
9. Is GEO just about top of funnel?
Not at all. AI tools are becoming buyer enablement co-pilots - used throughout the journey, from problem identification to supplier evaluation. GEO helps you influence across the funnel - potentially at more opportunities than ever before.
10. Are sources like G2, Gartner, Reddit, and Quora more important for GEO?
Yes. These sources are frequently cited by LLMs. Being present, and well positioned, on them increases your chances of inclusion in generative answers.
11. Do I need to focus on Bing for GEO?
Yes, especially if you want to be visible in ChatGPT with web search enabled, since it pulls results via Bing’s API.
12. How do I figure out what prompts my buyers are actually using?
That’s the art of prompt mining. We analyse buyer roles, intent, and stage of journey to build a Prompt Matrix. You can’t guess your way into AI visibility, in a keyword-less world you need to unlock insights first.
13. What kinds of content get cited in AI answers?
- Structured, well formatted content
- Listicles, comparisons, Q&As, frameworks
- Content hosted on trusted domains
- Clear statements of fact, statistics, or expert insight
14. How often should I monitor AI search visibility?
At a minimum monthly. Models update fast. Tools like Peec let us see which prompts you’re visible for, and when that changes.
15. Can I repurpose SEO content for GEO?
Sometimes, but it often needs reframing. GEO content should answer specific prompts, be highly contextual, and often live in or be repurposed in third party ecosystems too. There will be overlap in a SEO and GEO content strategy, but also some subtle but important differences.
16. Can I track clicks from AI answers?
Sometimes, but often, you can’t. Some AI tools don’t include links to products they recommend in their answers. That’s why we talk about the AI-powered dark funnel.