Generative engine optimization (GEO) focuses on AI systems that write answers by combining several sources, such as AI overviews, chat search and research assistants. The aim is for your page to be retrieved and then used, and ideally cited, in the generated answer.
In practice it means content that is specific, factual and easy to lift accurately: original data or first-hand experience, clear claims with sources, good structure, and pages that load and can be crawled. Basics of search engine optimization still matter, because many AI tools rely on search results to find pages in the first place.
GEO and answer engine optimization are used almost interchangeably. Be wary of anyone guaranteeing results: how these systems choose sources is not public and keeps changing. Measure what you can through AI visibility checks and referral traffic.
Related: AI Search, AI Citation, AI Crawler.