Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is the practice of making your content easy for AI search engines to understand, trust, and cite when they generate answers.
If classic SEO is "rank a page for a query," GEO is "become the source an AI uses to answer the query."
What you'll learn
- What GEO is (in plain English)
- How GEO differs from traditional SEO
- The "cite-worthy content" playbook you can apply today
- A beginner GEO checklist you can copy/paste
Why GEO matters now
People increasingly ask questions in AI interfaces (and AI features inside search) and expect a complete answer, not a list of links.
That changes what "winning" looks like:
- You still want organic traffic.
- You also want AI visibility: mentions, citations, and referrals from AI answers.
- You want your site to become a default source for your niche.
GEO vs SEO
GEO doesn't replace SEO. It builds on top of it.
What stays the same
- Crawlable pages, good site structure, and fast load times
- Helpful content that actually answers the question
- Authority signals (brand, trust, references)
What changes
AI systems tend to prefer sources that are:
- Explicit: clear definitions, direct comparisons, step-by-step instructions
- Structured: headings that match questions, scannable sections, tight formatting
- Comprehensive: covers the "fan-out" follow-up questions
- Credible: grounded claims, examples, consistent author/date signals
In practice: GEO means fewer vague paragraphs and more quotable blocks.
How AI engines choose what to cite (a simple mental model)
Most generative answer systems behave like this:
- Interpret intent
- Retrieve candidate sources
- Extract relevant chunks
- Synthesize an answer
- Add citations/attribution (when available)
Your job is to publish pages that contain high-quality chunks that are:
- easy to extract
- unambiguous
- directly relevant
- trustworthy
The GEO playbook (Rankwise-style)
1) Choose "answerable" topics
Best GEO opportunities include:
- "What is X?"
- "X vs Y"
- "How to do X"
- best practices / checklists / templates
- troubleshooting and common pitfalls
If you're stuck: start with the top 10 questions prospects ask before buying.
2) Write for fan-out questions, not just one keyword
When someone asks "What is GEO?", the follow-ups are predictable:
- How is GEO different from SEO?
- What should I do first?
- How do I measure success?
- What content format works best?
A GEO-friendly page pre-answers those.
3) Use "answer-shaped" sections (the citeable unit)
A citeable section is usually:
- A heading that matches a question
- A short direct answer (2–4 sentences)
- A list/table/steps that are easy to lift
Rule: make every H2 stand on its own.
4) Add structure humans and machines love
- Clear H2/H3 hierarchy
- Lists and tables where appropriate
- A "common mistakes" section
5) Prove it with examples
Even one concrete artifact makes content feel grounded:
- template
- screenshot
- before/after outline
- mini case snippet
6) Tie it into a topic cluster
GEO content works best in a connected ecosystem:
- a pillar topic hub
- supporting guides
- internal links between them
Start here:
- /resources/topics/ai-search-geo
- /resources/guides/topic-clusters-strategy
- /resources/guides/internal-linking-best-practices
GEO checklist (copy/paste)
Content quality
- Answers the query in the first ~10 lines
- Each H2 answers a specific sub-question
- Includes at least one template/table/checklist
- Avoids fluff and vague claims
Structure
- Headings are specific ("How does GEO differ from SEO?")
- Skimmable on mobile (short sections, lists)
- TOC is useful (3+ meaningful headings)
Trust
- Author shown
- Updated date is accurate
- Claims are grounded (examples, specifics)
Linking
- Links to parent topic hub
- Links to 3–6 related resources
- Includes one clear next step CTA
Common mistakes
Mistake: generic headings
"Overview" and "More info" aren't helpful.
Fix: use headings that match real queries:
- "How do you measure GEO?"
- "What makes content cite-worthy?"
Mistake: one long text blob
Fix: break into answer-shaped blocks, steps, and tables.
Mistake: scaling thin pages
Fix: use quality gates (see /resources/guides/programmatic-seo-fundamentals).
Next steps
- Understand citations: /resources/learn/understanding-ai-citations
- Connect your site: /resources/learn/connect-wordpress
- Launch your first campaign: /resources/learn/first-campaign
- Optimize answer structure: /resources/guides/optimizing-for-chatgpt