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Glossary

GEO

Also: Generative Engine Optimization

Writing to be quoted by AI models, not only found by search engines.

SEO is the work of appearing in a list of results. GEO is the work of being the source an assistant uses when somebody asks a question and gets a finished answer, with no list at all.

What changes in practice: the model quotes visible text, not hidden tags. It leans on clear structure, direct definitions, stated dates and authorship, and pages whose subject is obvious. A well-written summary at the top of a piece is worth more than ten repeated keywords.

The two overlap heavily, and almost everything that serves one serves the other. The underlying difference is the recipient: a search engine sends people to your page; a model reads your page and answers in its place.