GEO (generative engine optimization)

GEO is the work of getting your content used inside the answers generative systems write, rather than ranked in a list of blue links. Success is measured as a mention or a citation in an answer, so the tactics lean towards plain claims, structured pages and outside coverage a model can pick up. The neighbouring terms overlap. AEO came out of the featured snippet and voice era and aims at one direct answer to one question. LLMO is the broader label for shaping what any model says about a brand. AI SEO is the umbrella over all of it, including the use of AI tools in the work itself. Providers use GEO loosely, so treat the word on a sales page as an invitation to ask: which engines does the course cover, and what does a student actually do in the first module? 26 of 44 programs teach it (12 unverified) (checked 18 September 2026).

Example

A tool hire firm wants to come up when someone asks an assistant which cement mixer to rent nearby. The team rewrites each product page so the specs sit in short labelled blocks, publishes a plain hire price table, and gets the branches listed in local trade roundups. Then it logs how often the assistant names the firm.