Where the term comes from
A research paper called "GEO: Generative Engine Optimization" by Pranjal Aggarwal and co-authors was first posted on arXiv on 16 November 2023 and was accepted at the KDD 2024 conference. We read its arXiv page on 9 October 2026. The authors built a way to test changes to a web page and see whether the page then shows up more in generative answers.
They tested nine kinds of change, on a test engine they built and on Perplexity.ai. In their tests, adding quotations, adding statistics and citing sources helped. Stuffing the page with keywords did not help. It scored below the unchanged page on both engines. The authors also say results differ from one subject area to another.
This is one research study. It is not a rule book, and engines change.
GEO, SEO and AEO
- SEO (search engine optimisation): helping pages rank in the list of links on a search results page.
- AEO (answer engine optimisation): helping a page become the direct answer to a question.
- GEO: helping pages be used and named inside answers that an AI tool writes.
The lines between them are blurry, and people use the words in different ways. For one view, read SEO vs GEO vs AEO.
What Google says
On its page about AI features, Google says there are no additional requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode, and no other special optimisations are needed. It says you do not need new machine-readable files, AI text files or new markup. To be shown as a supporting link, a page must be indexed and eligible to show with a snippet in Google Search. We read this on 9 October 2026.
So for Google, the basics come first. Read about AI Overviews and indexing. Some people add a file called llms.txt for AI tools. Google says it does not need AI text files for its own features. We have not confirmed what other AI tools do with it.
A made-up example
A packaging maker has a page on corrugated box sizes. The page says its boxes are "strong" and gives no proof. Based on what the paper tested, the maker could make three honest changes.
- Name the source for any fact, such as a test method or a standard.
- Add a short quote from a named person, with their permission.
- Add numbers from its own records, with the date they cover.
None of this is a promise that an AI tool will name the page. The page becomes more useful to read and easier to trust.
Common mistakes
- Promising a place inside ChatGPT or any other tool. No one controls that.
- Stuffing keywords. In the study above, it did worse than doing nothing.
- Inventing statistics or quotes. Everything you add must be true and sourced.
- Skipping the basics. If Google cannot index the page, it cannot use it in its AI answers.
- Judging by one question asked once. Answers can change from one day to the next.
Related terms
- AEO (answer engine optimisation): making a page the direct answer to a question.
- AI Overviews: the AI written summary Google shows at the top of some searches.
- llms.txt: a text file that some site owners add for AI tools.
- SEO (search engine optimisation): helping pages rank in search results.
- E-E-A-T (experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness): a set of ideas about what makes a source worth trusting.
To read more, see what is generative engine optimisation. For help with AI search, see our AI SEO work.
Sources
- Aggarwal, P. and others, "GEO: Generative Engine Optimization", arXiv:2311.09735 (arxiv.org/abs/2311.09735), submitted 16 November 2023, accepted at KDD 2024, read 9 October 2026.
- Google Search Central, "AI features and your website" (developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/ai-features), read 9 October 2026.
