GEO vs SEO: How to Get ChatGPT and Google AI to Recommend Your Business
By Range Zhu, CTO, 3J Effect·Published ·Last updated
What Generative Engine Optimisation is, how it differs from SEO, and the concrete steps that make AI tools more likely to cite your business.
When a customer types "best digital marketing agency in Sydney" into Google, they get a list of links. When they ask ChatGPT, Perplexity or Google's AI Overview the same question, they get a short answer that names a few businesses. GEO is about being one of those names.
What is GEO?
Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) is the practice of making your content easy for AI systems to find, understand, trust and quote. The term comes from a Princeton-led research paper (Aggarwal et al., KDD 2024), which found that GEO methods could increase visibility in generative engine responses by up to 40% in controlled benchmark tests.
How GEO differs from SEO
| SEO | GEO | |
|---|---|---|
| Goal | Rank as a link | Be quoted in an answer |
| Reader | Search engine crawler | Crawler plus language model |
| Wins with | Keywords, links, speed | Clear facts, sources, structure, reputation |
They overlap a lot. Good SEO is the foundation for GEO.
Six steps that make AI more likely to cite you
- Make content readable without JavaScript. Many AI crawlers do not run scripts. If your page text only appears after JavaScript loads, the AI sees an empty page.
- One topic per page. A page called "Services" is vague. A page called "Custom CRM Development in Sydney" is quotable.
- Answer questions directly. Start sections with the answer, then explain. Add a FAQ with FAQPage schema.
- State facts about your business consistently. Name, address, phone, services and service area should match across your site, Google Business Profile and directories.
- Cite credible sources. Link to the original publisher for any statistic, and never publish numbers you cannot verify.
- Earn mentions elsewhere. AI tools trust what others say about you: reviews, client websites, LinkedIn articles and community discussion.
How to measure GEO
Each month, ask ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Google the same 20 questions your customers ask, and record whether you are mentioned. Combine that with Google Search Console data and your enquiry count.
FAQ
Is GEO replacing SEO? No. GEO builds on SEO. Most of the work helps both.
Can I just add an llms.txt file? llms.txt helps describe your site to AI tools, but it does not replace real, well-structured page content.
Does GEO work for Chinese-language content? Yes. Bilingual pages with correct hreflang tags let you reach both English and Chinese searches.
See how we apply this in our Digital Marketing service.
About 3J Effect. 3J Effect Pty Ltd is a Sydney technology company based in Norwest NSW, offering digital marketing (GEO + social media), custom software development and AI personal assistants. Call +61 484 456 666 or email info@3jeffect.com.au.