If you’ve been following the digital marketing world, you’ve probably heard the terms SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) and GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) being tossed around. But you might still be asking: what’s the difference? And why does it matter?
In simple terms, SEO helps your website rank higher on search engines like Google and Bing, while GEO helps your brand show up in AI search results, like those provided by ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Google Gemini. Both play crucial roles in today’s rapidly changing digital landscape
This isn’t a competition between SEO and GEO, it’s about using both to make sure your brand is visible everywhere: from traditional search results to AI summaries.
Why SEO Still Matters in Today’s World
No matter how advanced AI gets, SEO isn’t going anywhere. In fact, it’s still the backbone of your website’s visibility. Without proper SEO, AI tools can’t even find your content to summarise it in the first place.
Why does SEO still matter? Because it gets your website to rank on Google, which is still where most users start their search journey. Despite the growing influence of AI search tools like ChatGPT and Google Gemini, traditional search engines still hold a significant portion of the market. In fact, Google maintains about 90% market share in global search, while AI-driven search tools have only begun to carve out a smaller space, with AI search traffic making up around 6% globally as of early 2025
SEO is about optimising your website’s content and technical structure to make sure it’s seen and understood by search engines. From using the right keywords to having clear meta tags and building a strong link profile, SEO makes sure your content has a foundation that AI tools can later build on when they pull information for their answers.
While AI search is on the rise, traditional search engines are still the starting point for the majority of online users. That means SEO remains a cornerstone for visibility, even as AI-driven tools become a growing part of the search landscape.
What Is GEO and How Is It Different from SEO?
Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO), also know as AI SEO is the practice of optimising your content to appear in AI-generated results, such as summaries from ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity. Unlike SEO, which focuses on ranking in traditional search engines, GEO ensures that your brand is featured in AI search and summaries, where users consume information without clicking on any links.
So, what makes GEO different from SEO? While SEO aims to get your website listed in search results, GEO focuses on getting your content selected by AI tools for direct answers. This means optimising your brand’s presence for the AI search, ensuring that your message remains visible, accurate, and trusted in these summarised AI responses.
For example, while SEO might involve ensuring a page ranks for a keyword like “best marketing strategies,” GEO would focus on optimising that content to appear as the top answer when an AI like ChatGPT is asked, “What are the best marketing strategies?”
Why SEO and GEO Are Both Necessary
Think of SEO as the foundation and GEO as the next level. SEO ensures your content ranks in traditional search engines, while GEO ensures your content is included in AI-generated answers.
If you’re focusing only on SEO, you’re missing out on AI-driven visibility. And if you’re focusing only on GEO, your content won’t have the SEO foundation needed to rank on Google. You need both to stay visible across all search platforms.
SEO and GEO Work Best Together
- SEO gets you found on Google and other search engines.
- GEO ensures your content is visible in AI-driven answers.
Together, they give you complete visibility across both traditional and AI search platforms.
How to Optimise for Both SEO and GEO
At Mitchell & Stones, we integrate SEO and GEO strategies to help businesses stay ahead of the curve. Here’s how we approach it:
- AI Trust Building: We ensure that your content is trustworthy and factually consistent, so it’s reliably surfaced by AI systems.
- LLM-Tailored Content: We optimise your content for Large Language Models (LLMs) to ensure it’s easily understood and summarised by AI tools.
- Technical AI Optimisation: From metadata to backend enhancements, we ensure that your content is relatable with LLMs and easily accessible to AI tools.
- Performance Monitoring & Adaptation: Just like Google’s algorithms, AI models evolve. We constantly monitor your content’s performance and adapt it to maintain visibility in the AI search landscape.
By combining these strategies, you can make sure your brand is visible in all the right places, whether a user is searching on Google or asking an AI tool for information
When to Seek Expert Help
Mastering both SEO and GEO can be complex. If you’re finding it difficult to navigate this evolving landscape, partnering with GEO and SEO experts who understand the nuances of both can make a huge difference. A well-rounded approach ensures your content is seen by your target audience, whether they’re searching on Google or interacting with AI assistants
Stay Visible in the AI Era
As the world of search evolves, businesses must optimise for both SEO and GEO to stay competitive. If you’re ready to ensure your brand stays visible across both traditional search engines and AI platforms, get in touch with us.
Book a Discovery Call today and let’s talk about how we can tailor a detailed SEO and GEO strategy that keeps your brand visible everywhere.
