SEO(search engine optimization)
Also called: organic SEO
Definition
SEO, short for Search Engine Optimization, covers the techniques that improve a site's position in the results of search engines like Google or Bing. It works on the site's technical setup, its content and its popularity, measured in particular by the links it receives.
SEO and GEO aren't opposites. Many generative engines rely on a search index to find their sources, so a well-ranked page is more likely to be read. But GEO adds a question SEO doesn't ask: once the page is read, does the AI include your brand in its answer?
Example
A site can rank first on Google for “best CRM for small businesses” and never be named by ChatGPT on the same question, because the answer relies on third-party comparisons where it doesn't appear.
What it means for your AI visibility
Keep your SEO: it feeds your AI visibility. But measure the two separately. A good position on Google says nothing about what AI engines answer, and the reverse is true too.
Related terms
- GEOGEO covers the practices that make a brand visible in the answers of generative AI such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude or Perplexity.
- AI SEOAI SEO is the everyday name for the work that makes a brand visible in the answers of AI assistants.
- Zero-click searchA zero-click search ends without the user clicking a link, because the answer appears directly: a snippet, an AI Overview or an AI answer.
- Google AI OverviewsAI Overviews are the AI-generated summaries Google shows at the top of its search results, with links to their sources.
- E-E-A-TE-E-A-T stands for the four qualities Google looks for in content: experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness.
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