Generative engine optimization (GEO)
Generative engine optimization (GEO) is the work of making a business and its pages easy for AI search answers to find, trust and cite.
GEO, also called AEO or AI search optimization, targets the answers written by Google AI Overviews and AI Mode, ChatGPT search, Perplexity and Copilot rather than a ranked list of links. Google's own guidance (May 2026) is that optimizing for its AI features is ordinary SEO: a page must be indexed and eligible to show a snippet, and no special markup, file or chunking is required. Other engines retrieve from their own indexes, so their crawlers must be able to reach the page.
For a local business the inputs are the records AI answers draw on: a complete Google Business Profile, consistent citations on the directories each engine trusts, reviews, and a website that states its facts plainly. Measure it with citation reports such as Bing's AI Performance report and repeated prompts, never with a single score.
Where this applies
The ranked citation sites for the markets and industries this term shows up in.
See it in action
Citation Builder ranks the citation sites that put generative engine optimization (geo) to work for your business, and builds your optimized citations.
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