GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)
GEO is the set of practices for optimizing web content and structure for generative AI systems — agents, LLMs, and AI-powered search engines.
Definition
GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) is the practice of making web content and structure readable, actionable, and secure for generative AI systems — including autonomous agents (OpenAI Operator, Claude, local agents), AI-powered search engines (Perplexity, ChatGPT, Gemini), and LLM-based pipelines.
Where traditional SEO targets search engine crawlers to rank in blue-link results, GEO targets AI systems that answer user questions by synthesizing content from multiple sources, browsing the web in real time, or acting on behalf of users.
The three pillars
- Readability: Structured data (Schema.org, JSON-LD), clear semantic HTML, and machine-parseable formats so agents extract facts without guessing.
- Actionability: Clear calls to action, accessible forms, and APIs so agents can complete tasks (subscribe, request an audit, add to cart) instead of only reading.
- Security: Safe exposure of data without leaking sensitive information; explicit permissions via
robots.txt,llms.txt, and Content Signals headers.
GEO vs. SEO
| SEO | GEO | |
|---|---|---|
| Target | Search engine crawlers | AI agents and LLMs |
| Output | Ranking in search results | Citations in AI answers |
| Discovery | Keyword matching | Semantic understanding |
| Key formats | HTML pages | Structured data, plain text, Markdown, APIs |
| Key files | sitemap.xml, robots.txt | llms.txt, robots.txt, sitemap.xml, Content Signals |
GEO is not a replacement for SEO — it is an extension. Sites with a solid SEO foundation are already 70% ready for GEO.
See also
Related concepts: Semantic Fragment, Actionable DOM, LLM Indexing.