GEO & AI Search
Is GEO Just Rebranded SEO? The Real Differences
Quick Answer
GEO is not rebranded SEO. While both share foundational principles, they target different destinations: SEO optimizes for ranking position, GEO optimizes for AI citation. The user journey, success metrics, and query patterns are fundamentally different. Think of it as evolution, not rebranding.
You're in a marketing meeting. Someone mentions GEO—Generative Engine Optimization.
A colleague rolls their eyes. "Isn't that just SEO with a trendy name?"
It's a fair question. With 84% of marketers now recognizing the term GEO (according to Search Engine Land research), the skepticism is understandable.
Let's look at what actually changed—and what didn't.
The Rebranding Accusation
The criticism has merit on the surface.
GEO and SEO both care about:
- ✓ Quality content
- ✓ Authority and credibility
- ✓ Clear structure
- ✓ User intent
So why introduce a new term?
Search Engine Land's editorial stance: "You can call it AI SEO, GEO, AEO, LLMO, or something else entirely—the terminology is secondary. What matters is what's happening: clicks and traffic have been vanishing since the emergence of AI Overviews and answer engines. That's not fear-mongering. It's observable data."
The name matters less than the reality: the destination changed.
What Actually Changed (The Data)
Here's what the data shows:
34.5%
click-through rate drop
for top-ranking content due to AI Overviews
The shift isn't theoretical. It's structural.
The Andreessen Horowitz perspective:
"Traditional search was built on links; GEO is built on language. We're entering Act II of search."
When query behavior changes this dramatically—from keyword fragments to full conversational questions—the optimization approach must adapt.
5 Real Differences Between GEO and SEO
Difference #1
The Goal
SEO
Get found in search results
Earn a click to your website
GEO
Get cited in AI answers
Become part of the answer itself
Why it matters: Users read AI-cited content directly within a conversational interface—they may never visit your site at all.
Difference #2
Success Metrics
SEO
Click-through rate
Rankings, traffic, time on page
GEO
Citation frequency
Reference rate, brand mention in AI outputs
Why it matters: You can rank #1 on Google and still be invisible to ChatGPT. New tools like Profound, Goodie, and Daydream track AI citations specifically.
Difference #3
Query Type
SEO
Keywords and short phrases
"best CRM software"
GEO
Full conversational questions
"What's the best CRM for a 10-person B2B sales team with a $500/month budget?"
Why it matters: Longer, more specific queries require content that addresses nuanced use cases—not just broad keyword coverage.
Difference #4
Authority Signals
SEO
Backlinks as proof
Domain authority, link profiles
GEO
Entity recognition + content clarity
Schema markup, semantic structure, factual accuracy
Why it matters: AI systems weight content structure and entity establishment differently than Google's PageRank. Clean HTML and well-labeled sections help AI parse your content.
Difference #5
Business Model Dependency
SEO
Ad-supported ecosystem
Google profits from clicks and ads
GEO
Subscription ecosystem
LLM platforms profit from user satisfaction
Why it matters: Different incentive structures create different optimization targets. AI platforms have no ad revenue to protect—they just want accurate, helpful answers.
What Transfers (And What Doesn't)
If you have SEO experience, here's the honest breakdown:
✓ Transfers Directly
- • Content quality principles
- • Understanding user intent
- • Technical site structure
- • E-E-A-T concepts
- • Keyword research methodology
- • Analytics and measurement mindset
✗ Requires New Learning
- • Entity establishment tactics
- • AI-specific schema markup
- • Citation tracking tools
- • Answer-first content formatting
- • Multi-platform optimization
- • LLM-specific ranking factors
The 60% rule:
About 60% of SEO skills transfer directly to GEO. The remaining 40% requires new tactics—but your foundation makes learning them significantly faster than starting from scratch.
The Verdict: Evolution, Not Rebranding
Here's the honest answer:
GEO is neither a revolution nor a rebrand. It's a reality check.
It forces marketers to confront what their brands stand for, what information about them exists in the world, and whether that information is trustworthy enough for both people and machines to believe.
The skeptics aren't entirely wrong—much of GEO builds on SEO fundamentals. But dismissing it as "just rebranding" ignores the structural shift in how people find information.
Consider the industry data:
84%
of marketers recognize GEO
42%
use GEO as their primary term
121%
quarter-over-quarter search increase
Whether you call it GEO, AEO, or "AI SEO," the optimization target has expanded. You now optimize for two audiences: search engines AND AI systems.
The question isn't whether GEO is "real." It's whether you're optimizing for where your audience is actually searching.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GEO just rebranded SEO?
No. While GEO shares foundational principles with SEO (quality content, authority, structure), it targets a fundamentally different destination. SEO optimizes for ranking position in search results. GEO optimizes for citation in AI-generated answers. The user journey, success metrics, and optimization tactics diverge significantly.
Do I need to learn GEO if I already know SEO?
Yes, but you have a significant head start. About 60% of SEO skills transfer directly to GEO. However, GEO requires new tactics around entity establishment, AI-readable formatting, and optimizing for citation rather than clicks.
Which is more important: SEO or GEO?
Both matter for 2025 and beyond. Research suggests users now navigate between traditional search and AI platforms during a single research journey. The smartest approach is integrating both rather than choosing one.
Why are there so many names (GEO, AEO, LLMO)?
The field is new and terminology hasn't standardized yet. Research shows GEO leads in awareness (84%) and usage (42%). Whatever you call it, the core discipline is the same: optimizing for AI search visibility.
Stop Guessing. Start Knowing.
The GEO vs SEO debate matters less than knowing where you actually stand.
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