How it works
A generative engine is a search or assistant product that writes an answer by combining what it finds on several web pages. The term GEO comes from a research paper that studied how changes to a page affected its visibility inside such answers. In everyday use GEO and AEO describe nearly the same activity, and many people use them interchangeably. GEO is the name that came from research, and AEO is the one more common in marketing.
The research tested edits such as adding citations, quotations from relevant sources and statistics. It found that some of them increased how prominently a page appeared in generated answers, with effects that differed by subject, while stuffing a page with keywords did little. The practical reading is modest. Content that is specific, sourced and clearly written is easier for a system to use than content that is vague. That was already good practice for human readers.
Creators should hold the idea loosely. The engines differ from one another and change often. Results from one benchmark do not transfer neatly to live products, and visibility inside an answer is difficult to measure. Google says its AI features need no special optimization beyond established SEO. The useful habits are the unglamorous ones: publish original, accurate material, cite primary sources with dates, keep pages crawlable and earn mentions on other reputable sites.
A worked example
A creator has a page on platform fees for selling templates and improves it with the GEO research in mind.
- Replace the phrase fees are high with the actual fee structure, each item linked to the platform's own pricing page and dated.
- Add a short quoted line from each platform's terms where the exact wording matters.
- State who wrote the page and when it was last checked.
- Ask three AI assistants a question the page answers. Note whether it is cited and whether the answer is correct, then repeat a month later, because results shift.
An illustration, not a real account. Any numbers in it are made up to show the method, and are not benchmarks.
Common mistakes
- Treating GEO as a new discipline that replaces SEO. The foundations are shared.
- Adding invented statistics or quotes to look citable. That is fabrication, and it spreads errors.
- Reading a benchmark result as a promise about live products.
- Paying for guaranteed placement in AI answers. Nobody can guarantee it.
Questions people ask
What is the difference between GEO and AEO?
In practice very little. Both aim to have your content used and cited in AI-generated answers. GEO is the term from academic research, and AEO is more common in marketing.
Where does the term GEO come from?
From a research paper titled GEO: Generative Engine Optimization. It is linked in the sources on this page with its date and its headline result.
Does GEO work?
The research found measurable effects in a benchmark, and they varied by subject. Whether a given tactic works on a given live product is harder to show. Clear, specific, well-sourced content is the safest investment, because it also serves human readers.
Sources
The paper that named GEO reported that its methods can boost visibility in generative engine responses by up to 40% on its own benchmark, and that the efficacy of the strategies varies across domains.
arXiv (Pranjal Aggarwal and others): GEO: Generative Engine Optimization 16 November 2023
Google says the best practices for SEO remain relevant for AI features in Google Search.
Google Search Central: AI features and your website updated 10 December 2025
Every link was opened on 13 October 2026. Products and policies change, so check the source before you rely on a figure.