GEO vs SEO: What’s the Difference, and Why Does It Matter for AI Search?

The SEO landscape is changing faster than ever. With generative AI search engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s AI Overviews (Gemini) gaining traction, there’s a new acronym marketers and SEO professionals need to know: GEO, or Generative Engine Optimisation.

At Digital Hothouse, we are quickly adapting to this new search environment, putting in place strategies to help our clients maximise the opportunities that AI search presents, whilst ensuring we maintain our focus on all the elements that have made us one of the leading digital agencies in New Zealand.

Whilst there is a lot of uncertainty around AI Optimisation or GEO, with many asking whether “SEO is dead?”, we are getting on the front foot to talk about why SEO and AI Optimisation are more important than ever. Visibility across all search platforms is crucial to the long-term success of your business. If you are not appearing where people are searching, your brand becomes invisible, so now is the time to act.

So, how does GEO differ from traditional SEO? And why should marketing managers in New Zealand and the UK start caring now? Let’s break it down.

What Is Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO)?

GEO is the practice of optimising your content to appear in answers generated by AI-powered search engines and chatbots. Unlike traditional search engines, which list pages based on ranking algorithms, generative engines synthesise content from multiple sources to provide a direct response.

With GEO, your goal isn’t just to rank; it’s to be quoted, referenced, or summarised in the AI-generated output.

Read more: What is AI Optimisation and Why Does It Matter?

How Does Traditional SEO Work?

Traditional SEO is about getting your web pages to rank on search engine results pages (SERPs). It focuses on:

• Keyword optimisation
• On-page elements like title tags, H1s, and meta descriptions
• Backlinks and domain authority
• Technical SEO and site speed

The ultimate goal? Get users to click through to your website.

Many of these tactics remain a crucial part of GEO – backlinks, page speed, schema mark up and metadata are all important factors that are analysed by AI search engines when deciding whether your website will be cited or not. There are, however, new factors that also need to be considered.

How Is GEO Different From Classic SEO?

Generative Engine Optimisation shifts the goal from click-throughs to citations. Here are the key differences:

While both are important, GEO requires a new mindset: you’re not just publishing for human readers and crawlers anymore, but also for AI models trained to understand context, clarity, and relevance.

Why Is GEO Important Right Now?

Generative AI engines are already changing how people search. A growing number of users are:

• Skipping Google altogether to ask ChatGPT or Perplexity for answers
• Using voice assistants that rely on natural-language processing (NLP)
• Expecting single, clear responses rather than a list of links

If your content isn’t structured for these engines, you may be left out of the conversation, literally.

Brand visibility is quickly going to become a key metric that all digital marketers and marketing executives should be focusing on. Whilst we have always dealt in the currency of clicks and traffic, this is going to change. Visibility and conversions are going to become the new measure of success. The expectation being that whilst clicks from organic search might decline, the quality of traffic from other sources, including AI Platforms, but also Direct traffic through increased brand awareness, will increase, helping to drive up conversions despite falling traffic.

Learn more: Download our Whitepaper “The Future of Search: Beyond Rankings and Traffic”

What Kind of Content Performs Best for GEO?

Content designed for AI engines needs to be clean, clear, and scannable. That means:

• Use natural language questions as headings (e.g. “What is Generative Engine Optimisation?”)
• Answer each question directly in the first paragraph
• Follow with supporting context, examples, and detail
• Use bullet points, tables, and summaries to make it easier for AI models to extract answers
• Include FAQs and How-To sections where relevant

This mirrors how NLP-based systems like GPT-4 or Google’s LLMs are trained to understand and summarise content.

What About Links and Backlinks – Do They Still Matter?

Absolutely. Links remain a signal of authority, even in the context of GEO. However, the difference is that AI engines also prioritise structured, credible content that:

• Answers specific, contextual queries
• Comes from trusted domains or known authors
• Offers unique data (original research, case studies, statistics)

If your content earns backlinks and fits a GEO-friendly format, you double your visibility opportunities.

One other thing to note is that whilst SEOs have always chased high authority backlinks and cursed when their clients only received a brand mention, this is changing. Citations, that is to say, mentions, on high authority websites talking about topics relevant to your business are going to be just as valuable as links in this new search environment, so Digital PR is a key tactic to help increase your visibility across the web.

GEO in Practice: How to Get Started Today

If you’re a marketing manager in NZ or an SEO lead the UK, here are practical ways to begin optimising for GEO:

1. Rewrite key pages with question-based subheadings. Think about how users search in natural language.
2. Include short summaries or TL;DRs at the top or end of articles.
3. Add FAQ sections to product and service pages.
4. Use schema markup, particularly for FAQs and How-To content.
5. Create original content (whitepapers, research, expert insights) that can be cited.
6. Monitor generative engines like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity to see how your brand appears.

Digital Hothouse’s dedicated AI Optimisation service helps businesses take these steps with confidence.

Real Example: GEO in Action for a Local NZ Brand

Whilst GEO is in its infancy, we have already been working towards implementing some of the tactics that are going to be crucial to increasing visibility moving forward.

We have a client in the hospitality sector that was ranking really well in organic search; however, they were struggling for visibility in ChatGPT and Perplexity.

After conducting some research, we updated the content on their key landing pages, optimising the content for key entities that were relevant to their service offerings, and then deployed some additional schema markup to highlight these entities.

In addition, we focused on a couple of high-value Digital PR pieces that enabled us to increase their brand mentions in articles about the topics we were specifically targeting.

This resulted in a significant uplift in visibility in those AI platforms for the search queries we were targeting.

AI Optimisation is an ongoing process as we work through a priority list of tasks for all our clients; however, we are seeing some quick wins from some of the work we have already implemented, and some of the bigger tactics we are undertaking should see further visibility improvements over time as well.

GEO and Traditional SEO: Do You Need Both?

Yes. Think of GEO as the evolution of SEO, not a replacement. Traditional SEO still ensures your content is:

• Indexed correctly
• Visible on standard search engines
• Technically sound and fast to load

But GEO ensures you remain relevant in AI-driven experiences, where citations and brand mentions matter more than rankings.

Just like mobile optimisation was a non-negotiable shift 10 years ago, AI search optimisation is the shift of today.

Learn more

To understand the mechanics of GEO, it helps to explore:

• Search Engine Optimization: Classic SEO principles that still form the foundation.
• Natural-language Processing (NLP): The tech behind how LLMs interpret queries.
• Generative Artificial Intelligence: The driver of AI-based content creation and search.

Conclusion: GEO Is the Future of Search Visibility

As LLM-powered search becomes mainstream, marketing teams who adapt to GEO early will have a distinct competitive edge. It’s not just about where you rank anymore; it’s about whether you show up at all in a world of AI-generated answers.

If your content isn’t structured, optimised, and trusted, it’s likely to be left out of the conversation.

At Digital Hothouse, we’re helping forward-thinking NZ and UK businesses adapt their strategies for the future of search. From site audits to full GEO content overhauls, our AI Optimisation team can help you be the answer your audience is looking for.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is GEO in SEO?

GEO stands for Generative Engine Optimisation. It’s the process of tailoring your content to be included in AI-generated responses from tools like ChatGPT or Google AI Overviews.

Is GEO replacing traditional SEO?

No, GEO builds on traditional SEO. Think of it as an expansion that ensures visibility in both classic SERPs and AI-generated environments.

How do I know if my brand is showing in AI answers?

Ask relevant questions on tools like ChatGPT or Perplexity and see what sources they cite. You can also use brand monitoring and content tracking tools.

Does schema markup help with GEO?

Yes. Structured data makes it easier for AI tools to understand your content, increasing your chances of inclusion.

Can smaller businesses benefit from GEO?

Definitely. GEO is about authority, structure, and clarity, not budget size. SMEs with strong content can perform very well in AI-driven search.

Need help building a GEO strategy?
Contact Digital Hothouse for a tailored approach to AI search optimisation built for the future.

About the Author
Paul Thornton is the Managing Director and Founder of Digital Hothouse. With over 20 years of experience in digital marketing, Paul launched the agency in 2010 after working both client-side and in traditional agencies. Frustrated by the industry’s focus on short-term gains and rigid contracts, he set out to build something different – an agency focused on long-term relationships, transparency, and results. Paul’s core expertise lies in SEO, PPC, and web analytics, and his hands-on approach continues to drive growth for clients who have been with Digital Hothouse since day one.