SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is a long-standing digital marketing practice that focuses on improving website rankings in traditional search engine results pages (SERPs) to drive organic traffic. GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation), on the other hand, is a new strategy that aims to optimise content for AI-powered tools and search engines with the goal of getting content cited and summarised directly within AI generated responses.
To learn more about the differences between SEO and GEO, keep reading this blog!
How Does SEO Work?
The purpose of SEO is to get content ranked higher on traditional search engine results pages (SERPs) with the goal of increasing quality, relevant, organic traffic to a website. This is usually done through a combination of on-page optimisation and off-page optimisation.
On-page optimisation involves optimising a web page’s content, keywords and meta data so that it is more relevant to search engines and users. Off-page optimisation usually involves building a website’s reputation by acquiring quality backlinks from other relevant websites.
How Does GEO Work?
The purpose of GEO is to get content recognised, cited and used by AI-powered generative search engines and tools. This practice has surged in popularity in recent years as people are increasingly turning to conversational AI models like ChatGPT instead of traditional search engines for information. GEO helps to ensure that brands appear in these AI-generated answers, ensuring continued visibility and authority in the AI-driven world.
GEO focuses on ensuring content is clear and factual, with structured headings and bullet points so that it is easy for AI to interpret. Content should also be written to directly answer specific questions in a natural, conversational tone, so that it aligns with how users ask AI for information.
AI models have also been shown to favour high-authority and trustworthy sources, so GEO – like SEO – aims to build content that demonstrates experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness, also known as the E-E-A-T framework – something that has been used by Google for the past decade to assess the quality of online content.
Is GEO the New SEO?
SEO will never be completely replaced by GEO, instead GEO is becoming a new complementary and core component of the strategy.
As AI tools become more prominent, generative searches will continue to replace an increasingly significant amount of traditional search engine volume, meaning that understanding GEO is no longer optional, but essential for business success.
Although the new ‘AI Overview’ section is often seen at the top of the SERP, overtaking the traditional organic results, it is still important for your business’s visibility that your content is optimised for both AI understanding and the traditional SERPs.
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If you’re in need of support with your website’s SEO and GEO, you’re in the right place! At Designer Websites, we offer SEO services that include optimising for generative search engines, get in touch with our team to learn more!
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