What is GEO? – Generative Engine Optimization explained clearly and why you should prioritize it in your marketing

ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity, Claude – Which of these do you already use in your day-to-day work? Several in combination? Then you’re like me.

If not, it’s high time, because these AI tools are fundamentally changing the way people search for information.

Here’s the sobering truth: your perfectly optimized website, which has been ranking on page 1 of Google for years, is now getting less organic traffic. And this is a trend that can no longer be reversed. As early as 2026, search traffic from traditional search engines is expected to plummet by 25% (Gartner forecast).

Not because your content has become bad, but because more and more people are asking their questions directly to AI systems – and never visiting your website.

The good news is that you don’t have to throw your entire content strategy overboard. Many GEO optimizations can be implemented on existing content in just a few simple steps and will also help your SEO.

Let’s work together to make sure your brand stays visible in the AI era. Ready to take the first step into the future of search engine optimization?

The problem: SEO alone is no longer enough

Imagine a potential customer asking ChatGPT: “Which CRM software is best for small businesses with remote teams?” AI-based search engines provide a detailed answer with specific recommendations – without the user ever opening a search engine or visiting your website.

The figures speak for themselves:

• ChatGPT has 122 million daily users
• Perplexity answers over 100 million questions per week
• Google AI Overviews is already reducing clicks on organic search results by 34.5%

While you focus on keywords and backlinks, your competitors are already optimizing for a completely new way of searching for information. They are making sure that their brands appear in AI-generated answers – where your target group’s attention is increasingly going.

The answer: Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)

GEO is the answer to this change. Instead of just hoping that people will find and click on your website in search results, you make sure that AI systems recognize your content as a trustworthy source and cite it in their responses.

A study by Princeton University with 10,000 search queries shows: With the right GEO strategies , you can increase your visibility in AI-generated answers by 30-40%.

This means more brand awareness, more trust and ultimately more qualified leads – even without users visiting your website directly.

What is GEO? – The definition

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is the optimization of your content so that AI systems such as ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews or Perplexity recognize your website as a trustworthy source and cite it in their responses.

The goal: Instead of just ranking in search results, you want to appear directly in the AI search results – where your target group consumes the information.

An example: You used to want to rank number 1 on Google for “best CRM software”. With GEO, you ensure that ChatGPT suggests your company by name as the solution for the question “Which CRM software do you recommend for small teams?”.

The decisive difference to SEO:

• SEO goal: People visit your website
• GEO goal: AI systems recommend your brand directly in the response

The concept is that simple. Now let’s delve deeper…

SEO vs. GEO – What’s the difference?

Aspect	SEO (Search Engine Optimization)	GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)
Main objective	Improve rankings in search results	Quoted / recommended in AI responses
Target platforms	Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo	ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, Gemini, Claude, etc.
Performance measurement	Clicks, traffic, conversions	Citations, brand mentions, referral traffic
Content focus	Keyword-optimized texts	Structured, quotable content
User behavior	Click on link → Website visit	Direct response without visiting the website
Optimization approach	For search engine algorithms	For AI language models
Time horizon	Medium-term (3-6 months)	Long-term (6-12 months)

So will GEO replace SEO in the future?

GEO is like SEO, only for AI

Steffen Raebricht

That’s how my dear business partner Steffen put it pragmatically.

The most important insight first: GEO and SEO are not competitors, but partners. Here you can find out why you need both strategies:

There is a strong correlation between SEO and GEO visibility

A recent analysis by Seer Interactive shows a 65% correlation between Google page 1 rankings and mentions in AI search engines. This means specifically:

The better your SEO performance, the more likely you are to be cited in AI responses.

Why is that? AI systems with web access (such as Perplexity or ChatGPT Search) often use the same quality signals as Google:

• Trusted domains
• High-quality, structured content
• Strong backlink profiles
• Current, relevant information

Common ground: E-E-A-T as a success factor

Both classic search engine optimization and generative engine optimization are based on the same quality principles:

🎯 Experience: Demonstrate practical experience with the topic

• SEO advantage: Google prefers authentic, experience-based content
• GEO advantage: AI systems cite sources with proven practical experience

🧠 Expertise (specialist knowledge): Show in-depth knowledge in your field

• SEO advantage: technical depth improves rankings for complex search queries
• GEO advantage: AI prefers expert sources for precise answers

👑 Authoritativeness (authority): Establish yourself as a recognized source

• SEO advantage: Authoritative domains rank better
• GEO advantage: AI prefers to quote established, trustworthy brands

🛡️ Trust: Build credibility and transparency

• SEO advantage: Trust signals are an important ranking factor
• GEO advantage: AI systems must be able to justify their sources to users

You can find out more about E-E-A-T here.

Different target groups, different touchpoints

The reality: Not all of your potential customers are already using AI tools for their search. That’s why you need both strategies for your online presence:

• SEO reaches: Traditional Google users who want to do thorough research. In addition, Google is still primarily used for transactional and commercial search queries.
• GEO reaches: Tech-savvy users who prefer quick, direct answers

GEO builds on SEO successes

The optimum sequence:

1. Stabilize SEO first: Ensure good rankings and high-quality content
2. Then add GEO: Optimize this content for AI citation
3. Dovetail both strategies: Use GEO insights for better SEO content

Why this order? Many GEO strategies only work with a strong SEO foundation. For example:

• AI systems with web access will only find your content if it is indexed and easy to find
• You build authority and trust through classic SEO measures
• Structured data (important for GEO) based on technically clean SEO work

The bottom line: Generative Engine Optimization is not an SEO replacement, but the logical evolution of your content strategy for the AI age.

Comparison of Google and AI search user figures

Apart from that, despite the current hype, we must not forget who the primary traffic driver is. And that is still Google. A look at the daily user numbers makes this pretty clear.

How do LLMs process and evaluate information?

Large Language Models (LLMs) use statistical patterns from their training data to generate the most likely and relevant answer. They do not really “understand”, but recognize complex relationships between words and concepts.

The 3 types of AI models in detail

1. training-based systems (Claude, Llama)

These systems work like a huge, very well-organized library in their “head”.

How they process information:

• Only use knowledge from their training phase (usually up to a certain deadline)
• Generate answers based on statistical patterns in this data
• Cannot retrieve new information from the Internet

How they evaluate information:

• Confidence-built authority signals from the training data
• Frequently cited and linked sources have more “weight”
• Consistency of information across multiple sources increases relevance

Your GEO strategy:

• Long-term presence on established platforms (Wikipedia, Reddit, specialist media)
• Thought leadership through consistent expert content
• Digital PR for sustainable brand mentions

2. search-based systems (Google AI Overviews, Perplexity)

This AI search works like a very intelligent researcher that searches the Internet in real time.

How they process information:

• Perform live search queries (mostly via Google/Bing APIs)
• Analyze the top search results for relevant information
• Synthesize an answer from several current sources

How they evaluate information:

• Use classic SEO ranking factors as a basis
• Prefer well-structured content with clear headings
• Building authority through E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness)
• Statistics, quotations and sources significantly increase credibility

Your GEO strategy:

• Classic SEO: Technical optimization, keywords, structured data
• Question-answer format: Place direct answers after headings
• Authority signals: incorporate quotes, statistics, expert opinions
• Schema markup: For better data comprehensibility

Practical example: In “Best CRM software 2025”, Perplexity provides specific providers such as HubSpot or Salesforce and quotes current test reports from G2 or Capterra.

3. hybrid systems (ChatGPT Search, Google Gemini)

The most flexible systems – they decide according to the situation whether to use internal knowledge or current web data.

How they process information:

• Basic knowledge: From internal training data
• Current data: Via live web search for time-critical requests
• Contextual decision: The best data source is selected depending on the question being asked

How they evaluate information:

• Combine the evaluation criteria of both other systems
• Particularly important: Consistency between internal knowledge and current web data
• Time-critical information (prices, news) is called up live

Your GEO strategy:

• Holistic approach: SEO + long-term authority
• Consistent brand message across all channels
• Regular content updates for topicality
• Multi-platform presence (own website + third-party platforms)

Practical example: ChatGPT Search explains CRM basics from its model knowledge and adds current prices and provider comparisons from Bing search results.

The decisive difference: information evaluation

Training-based systems evaluate according to:

• Frequency of mention in training data
• Authority of the original sources
• Consistency across different texts

Search-based systems evaluate according to:

• Current SEO rankings and visibility
• Structured data and clear information architecture
• Relevance to the specific search query

Hybrid systems evaluate according to:

• Situational combination of both approaches
• Topicality vs. established knowledge
• Trustworthiness over time and context

Outlook: How will Generative Engine Optimization develop over the next few years?

Probably the most significant change we are facing is multimodal integration.

In future, AI responses will no longer consist solely of text, but will include text, images, videos and product recommendations will be combined. This means a fundamental change for your content strategy: text-only content will no longer be enough to be prominently quoted in AI responses.

Infographics, explanatory videos and interactive elements will become decisive factors for citation. So start preparing your most important content visually today – because the AI systems of the future will prefer this multimodal content.

At the same time, personalization will increase dramatically. AI systems are developing into highly personalized assistants that tailor answers based on individual user behaviour, location and personal preferences.

This development makes one-size-fits-all content increasingly ineffective. In future, you will need differentiated content for different user groups and contexts – a technical expert will receive different answers than a beginner, a Munich resident different than a Hamburg resident.

Develop detailed buyer personas specifically for different AI use cases and consider how the needs of your target groups differ in different situations.

The third major trend is the growing relevance of voice search in the professional sector. While voice assistants have primarily been used in the private sphere to date, they are becoming increasingly precise and are also conquering the B2B sector.

This requires a different approach to content optimization: instead of optimizing for typed keywords, you need to be prepared for natural, spoken questions. People speak differently than they type – they use complete sentences, ask more direct questions and use more colloquial language.

Market forecasts: the figures speak for themselves

• Gartner: 25% fewer traditional search queries by 2026
• McKinsey: Generative AI will generate an economic value of 2.6-4.4 trillion dollars by 2030
• Ahrefs: AI overviews already reduce clicks by 34.5% today
• Evergreen Media forecast: The first big “GEO winner” will emerge by 2026 – a company that has grown primarily through AI visibility. I think that’s a bit ambitious, but it certainly won’t take too long!

What this means in concrete terms for various sectors

1. B2B companies: Early GEO adopters become market leaders in AI recommendations
2. E-commerce: product recommendations in AI responses are becoming decisive for sales
3. Consulting: Thought leadership in AI responses is becoming a decisive differentiating factor
4. Local service providers: voice search and location-based AI recommendations will dominate

Conclusion: Should you invest in GEO now?

The honest answer: Yes, but with a strategy.

Generative Engine Optimization is not a fad, but a fundamental change in information search. Those who act now will secure a competitive advantage.

Our clear recommendation according to company size

For start-ups and small companies (1-20 employees)

Recommended investment: 10-15% of your marketing budget

Why start now:

• First mover Advantage in your niche
• Less competition than with established SEO
• Better chances of AI recommendations against large competitors

Concrete first steps:

1. Optimize your 3 most important contents for GEO (sources, statistics, structure)
2. Build strategic partnerships for reciprocal mentions
3. Build a strong SEO base if not already in place

For medium-sized companies (20-500 employees)

Recommended investment: an additional 15-20% of your SEO budget

Why you shouldn’t wait:

• Your competitors are already experimenting
• You have the resources for systematic GEO optimization
• ROI is measurable and plannable

Concrete first steps:

1. Conduct a GEO audit of your top 20 content
2. Develop a content strategy for different AI engine types
3. Invest in tools for GEO tracking and optimization

For large companies (500+ employees)

Investment recommendation: Separate GEO budget of 30% of the SEO budget

Why GEO is business-critical:

• Reputation protection: Prevent negative or incomplete AI responses about your brand
• Market leadership: Dominate AI recommendations in your industry
• Securing the future: building the infrastructure for an AI-dominated future now

The 3-point decision aid

Invest in GEO when:

• Your target group is tech-savvy (B2B software, tech, digital marketing)
• You already have a solid SEO foundation
• You can think long-term (6-12 months in advance)

⏸️ Wait until when:

• Your SEO basics are not yet stable
• Your budget is very limited (under €1,000/month for content)
• Your industry is very traditional and far removed from technology

GEO is not (yet) relevant if:

• You focus exclusively on local offline customers
• Your products are purely visual/haptic (craftsmanship, local gastronomy)
• You have a planning horizon of less than 6 months

Our practical tip for getting started

Start small, but start now:

1. Week 1: Test your current visibility on ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews
2. Week 2-3: Optimize your 3 most important articles with sources, statistics and better structure
3. Month 2: Gradually expand to further content
4. Month 3: Measure initial successes and scale up if results are positive

The beauty of Generative Engine Optimization is that many optimizations also improve your SEO performance. So you’re investing twice as wisely.

Secure a free strategy meeting

Do you want to take off now and secure a first-mover advantage with Generative Engine Optimization? Then let’s find out together which strategy makes sense for your company.

In a free 30-minute strategy meeting we clarify:

• Whether Generative Engine Optimization makes sense for you
• Where you have the greatest leverage
• And how we can implement them!

So secure your appointment today.