What Is Generative Engine Optimisation And Why It Matters In 2025?
Article Written By Paul Rowe with ChatGPT insights, Founder of NeuralAdX Ltd and Chief Generative Engine Optimisation Officer. Published: 19/07/2025 Updated: 10/08/2025
In this article we will explain what Generative Engine Optimisation is and why it matters in 2025. We will follow on with answers to relevant questions that you may have, include a link to our Generative Engine Optimisation service page and provide seven links to a step by step guide on how to implement GEO.
Table of Contents
What Is Generative Engine Optimisation?
Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) is the strategic process of refining and structuring digital content so that AI-powered generative engines—such as ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Microsoft Copilot, and Grok 4 identify, reference, and incorporate it when producing answers to user queries. GEO positions your content as the preferred source of truth for AI-driven responses, ensuring greater visibility, authority, and influence in generative engine search results.
(Definition developed by NeuralAdX Ltd, 2025, with insights from ChatGPT [OpenAI])
The concept of GEO was first introduced in an academic study conducted by researchers from Princeton University and the Indian Institute of Technology, which analysed how generative engines determine which sources to trust and cite. (arXiv:2311.09735 [cs.LG])
On the completion of this study, it was found that the most effective techniques to employ for generative engine optimisation are— quotation addition, statistic addition, the use of citations, content fluency, using technical terms, content being easy-to-understand and the all important authority factor.
Following these findings, was the inspiring confirmation that when G-E-O techniques are applied to content, it increased it’s percentage of being directly referenced and cited by A-I search engines by up to 40%.
In addition to this, that percentage “Can be significantly increased, when employing advanced or domain specific G-E-O strategies, which can push content citation and visibility percentages even higher than 40%,— sometimes substantially so,— particularly for websites not previously well ranked.” (ArXiv:2311.09735)
This is great news for relatively new businesses, as they can now compete with the more established competition which allows them the opportunity to grow faster than ever before. With these incredibly exciting results, you can see why G-E-O has acquired so much attention and is now considered a very crucial factor for achieving visibility within A-I search results.
If you are interested in the subtopic “How Does Generative AI work” click the button below.
Why Generative Engine Optimisation Matters in 2025?
Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) matters and is arguably indispensable in 2025 because generative AI search engines (aka generative engines) now dominate the way users discover, evaluate, and engage with information online. The high-speed adoption by users of conversational platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Copilot, Grok 4, Gemini and Google AI Mode has fundamentally transformed digital marketing, content delivery, and consumer behaviour.
Today, more than half (58%) of internet users have replaced traditional search engines with AI-driven discovery tools for finding products, services, and information. The customer journey often starts and ends inside an AI interface, where users receive direct answers instead of clicking through long lists of links (Capgemini, 2025)
Generative engines, unlike classic search engines, generate contextualised, synthesized responses. This means AI search engines actually select and cite content within their answers, making the ability to be referenced by these systems a new measure of digital authority for all businesses.
The popularity of AI search engines can accurately be described as explosive, especially when you consider ChatGPT was launched on November 30th 2022 (Wikipedia) and achieved 1 million users in 5 days. One month later in December 2022 it had 264.7 million users and in February 2025 it achieved a staggering 5.2 Billion customers (exploding topics)
To enhance this already compelling information, we have researched and cited four current and related statistics from trusted sources across the internet, to further illuminate why generative engine optimisation matters in 2025.
- Perplexity AI is rapidly growing, with over 50 million monthly visits and over 500 million queries per year (Exploding Topics).
- According to Brad Lightcap, OpenAI’s Chief Operating Officer, ChatGPT had 400 million weekly users in February 2025 (exploding topics, 2025)
- 63% of websites already receive traffic from generative search engines(Ahrefs, 2025)
- 64% of customers are prepared to purchase products directly from AI recommendations (masterofcode,2025)
With all the above taken into account, we think it’s rational to believe that if a website or other online content is not generative engine optimised for these AI platforms, they are very likely to lose relevance, reach, and revenue in the rapidly evolving digital marketplace.
Will Traditional SEO be Replaced by GEO?
The direct answer is No – GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) will not replace SEO, but it marks a revolutionary advancement that is reshaping digital visibility. As AI technology evolves, the question of whether GEO will replace SEO has become increasingly relevant. However, evidence shows that GEO complements SEO by helping brands achieve greater visibility across both traditional search engines and AI-driven platforms (Walker Sands, 2024)
Rather than replacing SEO, GEO and SEO work together as part of the evolution of search optimisation. GEO’s innovative approach to AI-powered search results opens entirely new channels for customer acquisition that SEO alone cannot reach. Research shows that 68% of digital marketers now integrate GEO and SEO strategies to stay competitive across all search platforms (GetPassionFruit, 2025)
While SEO remains essential for ranking in traditional search engines and providing the foundation that AI systems learn from, GEO focuses on optimising content for AI-generated responses and direct citations in conversational AI platforms. Understanding this complementary relationship is crucial for businesses that want to maximise digital reach and harness the full potential of this new optimisation era.
What Are The Differences Between SEO And GEO?
The digital landscape is rapidly shifting, with users increasingly turning to generative AI engines such as ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Copilot, and Perplexity instead of relying purely on traditional browser based search. These AI-powered platforms deliver direct, conversational answers, fundamentally changing the way users access and consume information. (Databox, June 2025)
While Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) remains valuable for increasing visibility on classic search engines, its effectiveness is diminishing in the context of generative AI platforms. SEO was fundamentally designed to help websites appear in ranked search listings, but AI systems now synthesize responses from multiple sources, often without referencing the original websites in a way that drives traditional traffic or click-throughs. (Full.io)
Because of this, relying solely on SEO means your content will not often surface and be cited for generative AI answers. Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) addresses this shift by focusing on making content clear, factually accurate, and structured for AI to understand, trust, and reference in its generated output. (TMT, 2024)
Optimizing for GEO includes using concise language, structured headings, factual bullet points, and appropriate schema markup so AI systems can easily extract and present your information. These techniques not only make your content more accessible to users, but also ensure it is recognized as a credible source when AI engines formulate answers. (Full.io)
As users continue to migrate towards generative AI search, GEO is becoming not just an advantage, but a necessity for long-term digital visibility and authority. Incorporating GEO alongside SEO prepares your website for the evolving ways audiences search and ensures your expertise remains discoverable even as search habits continue to change. (Databox, June, 2025)
Below we have created a comparison infographic to illustrate the key differences between SEO and GEO to further help you understand the distinctions between the two.
Click on the image below and zoom in for improved clarity :)
How Does SEO Help With AI Search Engine Visibility?
How SEO Helps with AI Search Engine Visibility (50-60% Importance)
SEO ensures your content is discoverable in the web index that AI search engines rely on. Its 60-80% importance reflects its critical role in making content accessible, though it’s less tailored for AI’s answer synthesis. Here’s how it works, step by step:
• Optimizes for Web Indexing:
• SEO uses keywords (e.g., “best laptops 2025”) to ensure search engines like Google crawl and index your content.
• AI search engines pull from this index, so SEO makes your content available for consideration.
• Boosts Site Authority:
• Earns backlinks from reputable sites, signaling trustworthiness (E-E-A-T: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness).
• AI prioritizes authoritative sources, increasing the chance your content is selected.
• Improves Technical Health:
• Ensures fast load times, mobile-friendliness, and clean URL structures, making your site accessible to AI crawlers.
• Poor technical SEO (e.g., slow sites) can exclude content from AI consideration.
• Aligns with Broad Queries:
• Targets high-volume keywords to rank for general topics (e.g., “laptops”).
• Helps AI find your content for broad or related queries, even if not conversational.
• Drives Discoverability:
• High traditional search rankings increase the likelihood AI notices your content.
• Example: A page ranking #1 for “best laptops” is more likely to be considered by AI, though not guaranteed to be featured.
How Does GEO Help With AI Search Engine Visibility?
How GEO Helps with AI Search Engine Visibility (80-95% Importance)
GEO optimizes content specifically for AI search engines, ensuring it’s selected and featured in conversational answers. Its 80-95% importance reflects its direct alignment with AI’s synthesis needs. Here’s how it works, step by step:
• Matches Conversational Queries:
• Targets question-based, long-tail queries (e.g., “What are the best laptops for students?”) in a conversational tone.
• AI search engines prioritize content matching user intent, increasing feature likelihood.
• Structures Content for AI:
• Uses clear formats like bullet points, FAQs, or tables to make content easy for AI to parse and summarize.
• Example: A bulleted list of “Top 5 Laptop Features” is more likely to be cited than dense text.
• Enhances AI Readability:
• Applies schema markup (e.g., FAQ, HowTo) to signal content context to AI.
• Helps AI understand and extract key information for answers.
• Boosts Authority for AI:
• Includes expert citations or primary sources to enhance credibility.
• AI favors authoritative, trustworthy content for synthesized responses.
• Ensures Answer Selection:
• Directly answers queries in concise, conversational language, aligning with AI’s goal of providing quick, clear responses.
• Example: A page answering “Why choose laptops over tablets?” with a clear summary is often featured in AI answers.
Why SEO (50-60%) and GEO (80-95%) Make Sense?
• SEO’s Role: SEO is foundational, ensuring your content is in the web index (50-60% of the battle). Without it, AI can’t find your content, but it doesn’t guarantee selection for answers.
• GEO’s Edge: GEO is more critical (80-95%) because it fine-tunes content for AI’s conversational and synthesis preferences, maximising the chances it’s chosen for answers within AI platforms.
• Overlap: Both share elements (e.g., authority), but GEO’s AI-specific focus gives it a higher impact. The percentages reflect their independent contributions, not a combined total
What is The Perfect Combination of SEO and GEO on a Website?
The perfect combination of SEO and GEO is for a website to be discoverable (SEO) and AI-friendly (GEO).
Here is the ideal structure:
• Homepage:
• SEO: Include primary keywords in title, meta description, and H1 (e.g., “Best Laptops 2025 – Your Guide to Top Picks”).
• GEO: Add a concise summary answering “What do we offer?” (e.g., “Find the best laptops for students, professionals, and gamers.”).
• Content Pages (e.g., Blog Posts, Guides):
• SEO: Use keyword-optimized titles, headers, and meta descriptions. Ensure 1,000+ words with backlinks to authoritative sources.
• GEO: Start with a conversational summary (e.g., “Why choose laptops? Here’s why…”), use bullet points or FAQs, and add schema markup.
• Technical Setup:
• SEO: Optimize for fast load times (under 2 seconds), mobile-friendliness, and clean URLs. Use sitemaps and robots.txt for crawlability.
• GEO: Multimodal content and Implement schema markup (e.g., FAQ or Article) across key pages to aid AI parsing.
• Authority Signals:
• SEO: Build backlinks from high-authority sites (e.g., tech blogs linking to your laptop guide).
• GEO: Include expert citations or bios to boost credibility for AI selection.
• Navigation and UX:
• SEO: Use clear navigation menus and internal linking to related content (e.g., link “Best Laptops” to “Laptop Buying Tips”).
• GEO: Ensure scannable content (e.g., lists, tables) for AI to extract answers easily.
Why This Structure Works:
• SEO (50-60%): Ensures your website is indexed, authoritative, and discoverable by AI search engines. Without SEO, your content may not be found, even with perfect GEO.
• GEO (80-95%): Makes your content AI-friendly, increasing the chance it’s featured in conversational answers. GEO builds on SEO’s foundation by providing AI search engines with everything they are looking for, which gives your content the maximum opportunity to be the AI generated answer to users queries.
How Do I Implement GEO Myself?
To implement GEO into a website or other online content, it would be wise to start by focusing on the seven most effective techniques, which have been proven by esteemed researchers at Princeton University and the Indian Institute of Technology. (arXiv:2311.09735v3 [cs.LG)
We have created seven individual pages for you which will explain step by step what you need to do for each technique. The title and link for each of these pages has been placed in the box below for your convenience.
Alternatively, you can visit our Generative Engine Optimisation Service page, and allow us do all the heavy lifting for you.
- How To Build Authority For Generative Engine Optimisation
- How To Implement Citations For Generative Engine Optimisation
- How To Implement Fluency Optimisation For Generative Engine Optimisation
- How To Implement High Quality Quotations For Generative Engine Optimisation
- How To Implement High Quality Statistics For Generative Engine Optimisation
- How To Implement Technical Terms For Generative Engine Optimisation
- How To Make Content Easy To Understand For Generative Engine Optimisation
When should A Company Implement Generative Engine Optimisation
As of the current date 01/06/2025 social awareness and use of AI search engines (such as chat GPT, perplexity, Claude, Grok, Microsoft co-pilot and Google overview/AI Mode) has continued to significantly increase, even to the point that the dear reader of this text will likely have knowledge and insight on the exact tools we are mentioning.
If we look at one study which polled 1041 students “We find that the student use of AI has surged in the last year, with almost all students (92%) now using AI in some form, up from 66% in 2024” (Freeman, 2025)
Plus the fact that this intelligent technology “understands context, delivers nuanced answers, and engages with users conversationally”(Stihec, 2024) so it will in it’s own way build a rapport. like that of a secretary to a director, this alone will be a very strong anchor for the user to stay with this form of search as it will make their daily life easier and more much efficient in a world where time truly is money.
This real world example highlights just one area of society that AI search engines are rapidly growing in popularity and in this reference to users who need and value quality content to aid with academic achievements.
These AI search engines use parsing technology to answer quickly, directly and in accordance with verified sources that have (E-E-A-T). This translates to delivering more trust and accuracy in the results that are received by the user which in turn reinforces the continued use of the product.
In synopsis, with only the small amount of factual evidence presented on this website page, one can see that Generative Engine search (AI Search) is rapidly growing and becoming the new way to search online due to it being far superior to traditional browser search.
With these factual realities, it would be 100% lucid thought to conclude that Generative Engine Optimisation should be applied asap to all business websites. This will ensure each business owner is adapting and integrating into to this newly arising era of AI Generative Engine search dominance.
How Is Generative Engine Optimisation Implemented
Generative Engine Optimisation is implemented manually by a very skilled “Generative Engine Optimisation officer” who will need access to your website or other online content to make the necessary upgrades for it to be primed for AI search engines (generative engines).
We will leave as much as possible of the existing SEO content that has served you well and seamlessly integrate the newly sourced and created GEO content. This will provide you with optimal results as both strategies will be working together
A detailed explanation of the seven key areas that we will focus on to achieve GEO can be found on our Generative Engine Optimisation Service page
For A Deeper Technical Understanding of GEO (aka AI Search) Watch This!
