What is GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)?
The discipline of getting cited in the answers from ChatGPT, Perplexity & Google AI Overviews.
Check visibilityGEO (Generative Engine Optimization) is the practice of optimizing content to be cited in AI-generated answers — think ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Google AI Overviews. While classic SEO aims for a ranking spot, GEO aims to show up as a source inside the answer itself. The key levers: clear, evidence-backed statements, clean schema markup, crawler access, and an llms.txt.
GEO vs. classic SEO
SEO
Goal: a good spot in the blue link list. Success = a click to your page.
GEO
Goal: being cited as a source in the AI answer. Success = a mention, often without a click.
The most important GEO levers
Answer first
State the core point up front so it's citable.
Evidence
Data, examples, sources — AI favors what it can back up.
Structure & schema
Headings, FAQs, JSON-LD make content machine-readable.
Access
Allow GPTBot, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot. An llms.txt does no harm, but Google Search does not use it.
Frequently asked questions
Is GEO the same as SEO?
Not quite. GEO builds on SEO: Google itself says the same fundamentals apply to AI answers as to regular search. GEO focuses on making content quotable as a source.
How do you measure GEO success?
By how often a brand or page gets mentioned/cited in AI answers. Klano assigns a GEO score to every article for this.
Don't just understand GEO — act on it
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