How GEO Differentiates itself from SEO

This article, part of a simplified series, aims to demystify Digital Marketing and technical terms used by marketing agencies. It is, by design, a shallow primer, basic introduction. Learn more: Ande Digital: Search Marketing support.

In a similar article GEO vs SEO a Search Marketing Codependency, we suggested that SEO and GEO have a symbiotic relationship or co-dependency. That is, both work together, in unison, even if GEO is, at this point in time, more dependent on SEO. In this article we will try to understand GEO, where it differentiates itself from traditional search, as well as dissecting, analysing an example of a GEO Search result.

What is GEO?

GEO is a cousin of the marketing term SEO which we've briefly discussed in SEO / SEM, what's the difference? Before we go further, this is not a technical deep dive, we are writing for those who may have never heard the expression before, or just beginning to deal with it. We're also going to be looking at it from both a consumer or user perspective as well as business and marketing

GEO means Generative Engine Optimisation. Generative implying that data has been created ( generated) by an AI machine. SEO suggests data produced by a Search Robot. Both are similar in that they scour the web in search for data to answer a question that you, the user typed into the search field.

We all know how search works the result is printed on your screen as a series of links which the bot believes best suit your question. It's then up to you to do the hard yards, read the description and analyse which link you feel best answers your question. It may mean checking several pages.

GEO begins the same way with an imputed question, however the AI will go a step further by analysing the data and printing you a summary of the results. In other words SEO provides you bare links you do the work. GEO does the work for you.

GEO from a Search Request Perspective

From an everyday search request GEO offers 2 major pathways. The most common is from a generic search query, such as: "What is the ice cream market like in China?" In SEO this will produce a series of links to businesses such as research, marketing, data analysis and news media. You do the reading etc.

GEO will display a short overview with a couple of inks to sources and a "more information" button. In the following sample, example of a real time GEO search result, we have coloured the robot text green and the links (non active) blue

Sample of GEO Search Request Result

China's ice cream market is the largest in the world, generating significant revenue and expected to grow steadily. The market is evolving with a focus on healthier options and premium products, driven by changing consumer preferences and increased demand for innovative flavors and textures.
grandviewresearch.com daxueconsulting.com

The More Info button will generate this "Overview:"

Overview of the Ice Cream Market in China
China is the largest ice cream market in the world, having surpassed the United States in 2014. The market reached a revenue of approximately USD 23.2 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.6% from 2025 to 2033.

Key Market Trends

• Consumer Preferences
  Health Consciousness: There is a growing trend towards healthier ice cream options. Brands are focusing on natural ingredients, lower sugar, and dairy-free alternatives.
• Price Sensitivity: Consumers are shifting towards more affordable options, with products priced below RMB 5 gaining popularity. This trend reflects a move away from premium-priced ice creams.

Product Segmentation Segment Revenue Share (2024) Growth Rate (Forecast)

• Bars 32.91% Fastest growing
• Cones Not specified Significant growth
• Cups/Tubs Not specified Steady demand

Major Players in the Market
Domestic Brands:

Yili and Mengniu dominate the market, holding significant shares. They focus on mass-market products priced under RMB 10.

International Brands:

Nestlé and Häagen-Dazs are key players, offering premium products that cater to affluent consumers.

Future Outlook
The ice cream market in China is expected to continue expanding, driven by rising incomes and changing consumer habits. Innovations in flavors, textures, and healthier options will likely shape the future landscape of this vibrant market. grandviewresearch.com kathrynread.com

Some Notes on GEO

• The output is akin to a slimmed down version of a Wikipedia search
• It does offer links to further research, such as: "What are the leading brands in China?"
• It carries a disclaimer: "Auto-generated based on listed sources. May contain inaccuracies."
• It quotes limited sources - in this case only, in the following sample, example of a real time GEO search result, we have coloured the robot text green and the links (non active) Dauxeconsulting is also shown in SEO results

In our experience and research of several major GEO Bots, we found there to be considerable variation, not just in output, but style. Some are definitely more "Human " orientated and sound natural. Others more robotic and come across as arrogant. This was especially noticeable when using the other feature of GEO - "Private Search."

Private Search in GEO

In our view, this is possibly the most useful feature of GEO. We took a topic we understood and posed various questions, such as: "How do I do xysz" or "I'm building an xyz but it prints up an error 675 message. What have I done wrong? Again, we see similarities, in this case to a "Stack Overflow" Forum. Because we knew the answers, there was also more obvious room for misinformation or errors here - on a few occasions one GEO Bot would contradict the data from another.

Our Summary of using GEO Search AI Bots

If we take the premise that the Internet is overall, an insecure, unsafe medium, then we could also argue that GEO AI Search is about as safe and reliable as any other. Having said that, it does seem to be prone to more inaccuracies at this point in time. However as AI learns more these will fade.

Of course it does leave open the opportunity for deliberate misuse and misinformation, but again, we can make that statement about the web generally. So if you’re in a hurry, looking for short (ish) sharp answers, GEO is well worth a try. Just keep an open mind and balance it with SEO search when needed.

Geo from a marketing or Business perspective

As we mentioned above, GEO search bot still scours the web for data related to your potential client's question, but, rather than print up a list of relevant links, it " reads" everything in the web on that subject, then summarises all the data in an essay or article format using one of the AI driven chat bots, such as OpenAi's ChatGPT or Google's Gemini to name a couple.

Objectivity v.s Subjectivity in Search Marketing

At this point in it's development GEO is less objective or more subjective than SEO. This is largely because of the way its algorithms work. SEO searches the web and then prints up results pointing to web pages explicit to and relevant to the searchers enquiry. We've all been doing this for decades.It results in the searcher doing the final legwork and deciding for herself which of the sites offered best suits her needs.

GEO on the other hand produces results drawn form different sources. ( we'll come to that in moment) It shows what the bot calculates to be an accurate assessment or overview / summary of its research presented in one or 2 paragraphs. Very often, the source links that the GEO bot uses do NOT point back to a brand website.

This is important for both searchers and marketers.
Searchers are only presented with a subjective - and sometimes shallow, not always accurate - summary. Ideal for those looking for a very specific, narrow overview of a topic and planning on doing further research.
For marketers and website owners, there is a very real chance that your website might not appear in the list of sources. Therefore searchers might not find your website in AI search.

It's an Algorithm Jim, but not as we know it.

It's worth noting that the sources used by GEO are usually not the top ranked links found in traditional search. This is because GEO and SEO use different guidelines (Algorithms) to present their data.

#SEO for example uses mathematical formulae based around your meta data and content, back links and (to some extend) keywords to create page rank order.
Most GEO Engines (currently) focus on your brands presence in data bases or directories.

If, for example, we were to analyse our ice cream" result above, you'd find that the links flow back to a business directory or listing- NOT to any of the brands themselves. Furthermore, the same, very limited sources ( just ) were used in compiling that report.