GEO vs SEO: What’s Changing in How People Search Online

Search behaviour is no longer what it used to be. For years, marketers and businesses have focused on one key goal: climbing Google’s search rankings. By targeting the right keywords, building authoritative backlinks, and improving on-page experience, SEO delivered measurable results. For a while, that was enough. 

But in 2025, user behaviour is evolving at a speed that even the best SEO campaigns can struggle to match. Search engines are now powered by artificial intelligence.  

Platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s Search Generative Experience are not just offering links. They are generating answers. 

This shift has changed how people find, consume, and trust online content. A growing share of queries are being answered instantly through AI-generated summaries. 

No clicks. No visits to your website. And no traditional ranking involved. If your content is not optimised for this environment, you may never be seen. 

This is where Generative Engine Optimisation, or GEO, becomes essential. GEO ensures that your content is eligible to be used, cited, or referenced directly by AI search tools. 

In this guide, we’ll break down: 

• What SEO is and why it still matters 
• What GEO is and how it’s changing the game 
• How search behaviour is evolving 
• Why this shift should be on your radar 
• And most importantly, what you can do about it 

Let’s make sure your content shows up where it matters—on both search results pages and in AI-powered responses. 

What is SEO? A complete overview of traditional search optimisation

SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is how we help search engines understand, index, and trust our websites. The aim? To appear when someone types in a relevant search query on Google or Bing. 

Key components of SEO: 

• Keyword Research: Pinpointing the words and phrases your audience is actually typing into search bars. 
• On-Page Optimisation: Integrating those keywords naturally into titles, headings, and body content. 
• Backlink Building: Getting reputable sites to link to your content, signalling authority and trust. 
• Technical SEO: Making sure your site loads fast, works on mobile, and doesn’t confuse search engines. 
• User Experience (UX): Keeping users engaged with smooth navigation and clear structure. 

Why SEO works: 

Google uses hundreds of ranking factors to figure out what content deserves to show up. If your page ticks the boxes—useful content, strong authority, and a technically sound setup—you’re in the running. 

SEO is still a powerful tool. But with AI search entering the picture, it’s no longer the whole story. 

What is GEO? Understanding Generative Engine Optimisation 

GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) is all about making sure your content is included in AI-generated responses. That means platforms like ChatGPT, Bing Copilot, and Google’s SGE can pull from your content when answering questions. 

These tools don’t list results. They build answers using bits of information from across the web. GEO ensures your content is one of those sources. 

What makes content GEO-ready? 

• Clear Writing: Simple, factual language that AI can understand and use without confusion. 
• Smart Formatting: Structured layouts like bullet points, subheadings, and FAQs. 
• Reliable Sources: Evidence, data, and citations that boost your credibility. 
• Entity Accuracy: Precise references to names, places, products, and timelines. 
• Structured Data Markup: Schema like Article, FAQ, or HowTo that guides AI to the right parts of your content. 

Why it matters: 

AI doesn’t browse the web. It pulls from sources it can trust and process easily. If your content is too complex or poorly structured, it’s left out. 

Unlike SEO, GEO isn’t about being ranked. It’s about being included in the answer. 

GEO vs SEO: How the two strategies compare 

Category	SEO	GEO
Objective	Rank in search results	Be used in AI-generated answers
Platform Focus	Google, Bing (classic)	ChatGPT, Google SGE, Perplexity
Content Style	Long-form, keyword-optimised	Clear, structured, fact-based
Technical Focus	Speed, mobile UX, indexability	Formatting, schema, factual precision
User Interaction	Clicks and site visits	In-response mentions
Success Metrics	Traffic, conversions, backlinks	Mentions, visibility, trust

They target different outcomes, but they can work together.  

SEO brings users in.  

GEO ensures you’re found in the answers people are already reading. 

How search behaviour is shifting: From browsing to direct answers 

The search journey today doesn’t look like it did five years ago. It’s quicker, more conversational, and far less reliant on links. 

People aren’t just typing in keywords anymore, they’re asking full questions and expecting instant, accurate responses. And they’re getting those responses from generative AI tools, which don’t wait for you to click a result.  

They answer right there and then. Here’s what else is changing: 

AI-generated answers are reducing clicks 

Google’s SGE and platforms like ChatGPT now provide full responses at the top of the page or within the interface itself. Many users get what they need without ever clicking through to a website. 

Zero-click searches are becoming the norm 

Over 65% of Google searches now end without a single click. This means traditional SEO efforts often fall flat when users never reach your site. 

Voice search is accelerating the shift 

Tools like Siri, Google Assistant, and Alexa don’t read a list of options, instead, they pull one answer and deliver it confidently. If your content isn't selected, you're out of the conversation entirely. 

Chat-style interfaces change expectations 

Users now expect search to feel natural, like asking a friend. Platforms like Perplexity.ai and Bing Copilot prioritise concise, conversational answers. Pages written like textbooks rarely get picked. 

The result? Visibility no longer depends only on where your website ranks in Google. It also depends on whether your content is included in the answers AI tools are giving users directly. 

Why this matters for your brand 

This change in behaviour doesn’t just affect how people search. It impacts your brand’s ability to be seen and trusted. 

If your content isn’t structured in a way that AI tools can read, extract from, and cite, then it won’t appear in AI-generated responses.  

This means you’re effectively invisible in one of the fastest-growing areas of digital search. 

Let’s make it clear: 

• If your content isn’t GEO-optimised, it’s not getting picked up by AI tools. 
• If it’s not being picked up, it’s not being cited. 
• If it’s not being cited, your brand is missing out on high-trust visibility. 

This has real consequences. You lose out on valuable brand impressions. You miss opportunities to build authority. And you fall behind competitors who are already adapting their strategies to include both SEO and GEO. 

Practical steps to prepare for GEO 

You don’t need to overhaul your entire site overnight. But there are some important steps you can take to start making your content more AI-friendly. 

1. Review your content for clarity 

Start with your best-performing content. Read it through the lens of someone skimming for facts.  

Are the takeaways easy to find? Are the sentences short and precise?  

Cut out unnecessary language. Break up the text with clear headings. And make sure each statement can stand on its own. 

2. Add schema markup 

Structured data is your content’s way of talking to machines. Use common types like FAQ, Article, and HowTo schemas to highlight key information.  

These help AI tools identify useful sections quickly and improve the chances of your content being selected. 

3. Reformat for readability 

Chunk your content into digestible pieces. Use bullet points to list features or steps. Use numbered lists to show sequences. Highlight key terms and statistics.  

This makes it easier for both humans and AI to understand and extract relevant information. 

4. Monitor AI mentions and test visibility 

Search your brand name or key content topics in ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Bing Copilot. Is your content being referenced? 

Try asking the same questions your audience would ask. If you’re not seeing your content show up, it’s time to investigate why. 

5. Partner with professionals who understand GEO 

At Inspire Digital, we help brands get their content ready for both SEO and GEO.  

From technical audits to structured rewrites, we make sure your content performs across all the places your audience is searching—from traditional browsers to generative engines. 

What success looks like: measuring impact in a GEO-first world 

Success in search used to mean one thing: showing up on page one of Google.  

Now, it’s more complex. In a generative-first search environment, your content can be included in responses users read without clicking anything. Measuring that kind of impact requires a broader view. 

Here are the metrics that matter when evaluating GEO performance: 

1. Citations in AI-generated responses 

If tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Google SGE are referencing your content, by name, quote, or paraphrased fact—it’s a sign that your content is being read, understood, and trusted by the model. It also shows that your content structure and clarity are working as intended. 

2. Visibility in answer outputs 

Even without a link, being named or used in an AI response boosts brand recognition. Users are more likely to recall your brand later if they’ve seen it used in what they perceive to be an authoritative answer. 

3. Mentions across different queries 

Track how often your content is selected for similar or related questions. This helps you understand where your authority is strongest and where you might need to improve content clarity. 

4. Brand searches and direct visits 

Users who encounter your brand in an AI answer may return later via direct search or branded queries. This “delayed discovery” shows up as indirect traffic but is still a result of strong AI presence. 

5. Share of voice in AI search 

This refers to how often your content appears compared to competitors when similar prompts or topics are searched. A high share of voice signals that your content is considered more useful or trustworthy than others in your niche. 

Pro tip from Inspire 

Don’t rely on standard analytics alone. Start manually testing your most valuable queries in tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity.  

Note which answers cite or reflect your content. If you’re not showing up, review that content for structure, clarity, and source strength. We also recommend creating a lightweight AI visibility tracker—log prompts weekly and measure changes over time. 

Common mistakes to avoid with GEO 

GEO is still a new concept for many teams, and early attempts can easily fall flat if the basics aren’t done right. Here are the most common missteps—and what to do instead. 

Writing that’s too complex or vague 

AI engines need clarity. If your content includes too many buzzwords, long-winded explanations, or unclear claims, it’s more likely to be skipped. Write plainly, explain terms where needed, and always prioritise factual value over cleverness. 

Tip: Read your copy out loud. If it’s hard to say, it’s probably hard for AI to parse. 

Poor content structure 

Long blocks of uninterrupted text don’t work well for AI extraction. If there are no subheadings, lists, or clear sections, your content will be harder to summarise and quote. 

Tip: Use headers to break up topics. Add bullet points for key facts and numbered steps for guides. AI models treat each structural signal as a cue to extract and reuse. 

Lack of references 

Statements without support are often ignored. GEO rewards content that backs up claims with statistics, sources, or named entities that AI models recognise and trust. 

Tip: Where possible, cite known sources. For example, use data from government sites, industry leaders, or established publications. 

Letting content go stale 

Content from years ago, even if it was great at the time, often fails to appear in current responses. AI models favour information that is recent, maintained, and clearly up-to-date. 

Tip: Regularly refresh high-traffic or high-authority content. Even small edits, like updating statistics or clarifying wording, can improve AI pick-up. 

Ignoring the technical foundation 

You still need a healthy site. If your pages load slowly, are not indexed properly, or have broken elements, even the most AI-friendly content can be missed. 

Tip: Keep technical SEO clean. Check crawlability, fix broken links, compress images, and ensure mobile optimisation. GEO builds on these basics. 

Let’s prepare your content for what users expect today 

Search is no longer limited to keywords and clicks. People are turning to AI tools for quick, clear, and useful answers. If your content isn’t part of those answers, you’re not in front of the audience that’s already asking. 

SEO still matters. It drives visibility in traditional search engines. But to stay relevant, your content also needs to be recognised by AI platforms that are shaping how people access information. 

At Inspire Digital, we help you cover both. We don’t just focus on keywords or rankings. We look at how your content is built, how AI interprets it, and how it performs across platforms that now dominate the search experience. 

If you want your content to be found, used, and trusted—by real people and by AI—get in touch.  

We’ll help you audit, improve, and future-proof your content with the right structure, clarity, and data. 

Let’s make sure you’re showing up in all the right places. Talk to us at Inspire Digital and we’ll help you get there.