What is GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)?

GEO, short for Generative Engine Optimization, is about being visible in the answers AI engines generate. You no longer aim your content only at a high position in Google, but make sure models like ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Perplexity name and cite your brand when someone asks a question.

How exactly does GEO work?

AI engines build their answer from sources they understand and trust. GEO makes your page one of those sources. In practice, that means:

• Clear, factual answers that a large language model can easily take over.
• A clear structure with questions as headings, so the answer is easy to lift out.
• Enough context and authority around a topic, not one isolated page.

You can read the full approach in our guide to Generative Engine Optimization.

Is GEO the same as SEO?

No, but they reinforce each other. SEO aims at clickable positions in the search results, GEO aims at a mention within the AI answer itself. A strong SEO base helps GEO, because engines often draw from the same trusted pages. The difference lies in the goal: a blue link versus a citation in the answer, for example in a Google AI Overview.

Why is GEO important for B2B?

More and more decision-makers orient themselves through AI engines before they speak to a supplier. If you are named there, you are at the front of the selection process. At Customer Impact we steer on mentions that lead to real enquiries and customers, not on isolated visibility numbers. We work exclusively in B2B, with a small and fast team, and always look at what a mention delivers in revenue, not vanity metrics.