By PDS Team
What is generative engine optimization? Generative engine optimization (GEO) is the work of making your content easy for AI-powered search tools to find, understand and cite when they write an answer. Instead of only aiming for a blue link on a results page, you also aim to be one of the sources an AI answer draws on and links to.
The term comes from a 2023 research paper, and it now covers features such as Google’s AI Overviews and AI Mode as well as chat-style assistants. This guide explains where GEO came from, what Google itself says about AI search, and the practical steps that matter for a business website in India.
What is generative engine optimization (GEO)?
GEO is the practice of shaping your content so that generative AI search engines are more likely to use it, and show it, in the answers they create.
A traditional search engine returns a ranked list of pages. A generative engine reads several sources, writes its own summary and usually shows links to some of the pages it used. That changes the question you ask about visibility. It is no longer only “where do I rank?” but also “is my page one of the sources behind the answer, and is my brand mentioned?”
People also call this AI search optimisation, GEO SEO or LLM optimisation. The names vary, but the goal is the same: clear, trustworthy content that an AI system can quote accurately.
If you want a team to plan and run this work for you, our GEO services start with how your brand currently appears in AI answers.
Where did the term GEO come from?
The term was introduced in a research paper called “GEO: Generative Engine Optimization” by Pranjal Aggarwal and co-authors, first posted on arXiv in November 2023.
The authors point out that generative engines give users direct answers but leave website owners with little control over whether or how their content appears. They proposed GEO as a framework to help content creators improve visibility in these AI-written responses. They also built a test set called GEO-bench, with 10,000 queries across different subjects, and later presented the work at the KDD 2024 conference.
What did the researchers test?
The paper compared nine ways of rewriting a web page, then measured how much of the page showed up in the AI answer. The methods were:
- Authoritative (a more confident, persuasive tone)
- Statistics Addition (adding relevant numbers)
- Keyword Stuffing
- Cite Sources (referencing credible sources)
- Quotation Addition (adding quotes from relevant sources)
- Easy-to-Understand
- Fluency Optimization
- Unique Words
- Technical Terms
In the authors’ words, “Statistics Addition and Quotation Addition show strong performance improvements across all metrics.” They also report that “simple methods like Keyword Stuffing traditionally used in SEO don’t perform well.” Their abstract states that GEO can “boost visibility by up to 40%” in their tests, and that the best methods vary by subject area.
Treat these as research results from a specific test setup, not a promise for your site. The useful lesson for businesses is the direction: well-sourced, specific, clearly written content did better than content padded with keywords.
How is GEO different from SEO?
GEO builds on SEO rather than replacing it, because AI search features still rely on pages that search engines can crawl and index.
| Question | Traditional SEO | GEO |
|---|---|---|
| Main goal | Rank pages in search results | Be used and cited in AI-written answers |
| Where results appear | List of links and rich results | AI Overviews, AI Mode and AI assistants |
| What helps most | Relevant content, links, technical health | The same basics, plus clear facts, sources and direct answers |
| How you measure it | Rankings, clicks, impressions | Clicks plus brand mentions and citations in AI answers |
The overlap is large. A page that Google cannot crawl, or that is thin and vague, is unlikely to do well in either.
What does Google say about AI Overviews and AI Mode?
Google says there are no extra requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode, and that the usual SEO best practices still apply.
Google’s Search Central page “AI features and your website” explains that a page must be indexed and eligible to be shown in Search with a snippet to be used as a supporting link. Google also describes a “query fan-out” technique, where AI Overviews and AI Mode may run several related searches across subtopics to find supporting pages. That means a page can be shown for a question it does not target word for word.
For Indian users, both features are live. Google began rolling out AI Overviews in India in English and Hindi in August 2024. On 24 June 2025, Google brought AI Mode to India as an experiment in Search Labs, in English.
Google’s guidance also covers controls. The nosnippet, data-nosnippet and max-snippet rules, and noindex, limit how your content is shown in these features, just as they do for normal snippets.
How do you optimise your website for generative engines?
Start with crawlable, people-first pages that answer real questions clearly, then make your facts easy to find and verify.
- Check access. Make sure robots.txt does not block important pages and that they are indexed in Search Console.
- Answer first. Open each section with a one-sentence answer, then explain. AI systems and readers both find this easier to use.
- Be specific. Use real details from your own business: services, locations, processes and policies. Avoid vague claims.
- Cite sources. Link to official documentation or original research when you state a fact, and only use numbers you can back up.
- Show who you are. Keep your About, Contact and author information complete and consistent across the web.
- Use structured data honestly. Google asks that markup matches the visible content on the page.
- Keep listings current. For local businesses, an up-to-date Google Business Profile supports how you appear for local questions.
Many of these steps overlap with answer engine optimisation, which focuses on direct answers and question-led content. Our answer engine optimisation services cover that side in more detail.
How do you measure GEO results?
Measure GEO with a mix of Search Console data, site analytics and regular manual checks of AI answers for your key topics.
Google says that sites appearing in AI features are included in the overall search traffic in Search Console, in the Performance report under the “Web” search type. There is no separate AI Overviews filter there, so watch clicks, impressions and the pages that earn them.
Beyond Google, keep a short list of the questions your customers ask and check how AI tools answer them each month. Note whether your brand is mentioned, which sources are cited and whether the facts about you are correct. A structured AI visibility audit does this across many queries and shows where competitors are cited instead of you.
Generative Engine Optimization FAQs
Is GEO replacing SEO?
No. GEO depends on SEO. Google says pages must be indexed and eligible for a snippet to appear as links in AI Overviews and AI Mode, so crawling, indexing and helpful content still come first. GEO adds a focus on clear answers, sources and brand consistency so that AI systems can use your content accurately when they write a response.
Do I need special markup or files for AI search?
Google says there are no additional technical requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode. Normal structured data is still useful when it matches the visible content of the page. Spend your effort on clear, accurate pages that Google can crawl, rather than looking for a special tag that guarantees a place in AI answers.
Can I stop my content from appearing in AI Overviews?
Yes, partly. Google says the nosnippet, data-nosnippet and max-snippet rules, and noindex, control how your content is shown in its AI features. Be careful, though, because the same rules also limit or remove your normal snippets in Google Search, which can reduce clicks from regular results.
How long does GEO take to show results?
There is no fixed timeline. Google has to recrawl and reprocess your updated pages, and AI answers can change from one search to the next. Most businesses should review progress over a few months, comparing Search Console data and repeated AI answer checks for the same set of questions, rather than expecting changes in days.
Does GEO work for small and local businesses?
Yes. Local businesses often have an advantage because they hold specific facts that AI answers need, such as services, areas covered, timings and policies. Publishing those details clearly on your site and keeping your Google Business Profile accurate gives AI features reliable information to work with when someone asks a local question.
Is keyword stuffing useful for AI search?
No. In the original GEO paper, keyword stuffing was one of the nine methods tested and it did not perform well compared with methods such as adding statistics and quotations. It also makes pages harder for real visitors to read. Write naturally for people and include specific, sourced information instead.
Need help with generative engine optimisation?
If you want your business to be cited when people ask AI search tools about your services, our GEO services can help you plan content and fix the technical basics behind it. We work with businesses in Noida, Delhi NCR and across India. Contact our team to talk about your website.
