What is Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) or as it is also called: Answer-Engine Optimization (AEO)? As you may already know from your own experience, more and more people are using AI, such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or Copilot, as a search engine instead of Google. This means that we must also optimize websites for AI. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a technology also referred to by terms such as LLMs (Large Language Models) or GenAI (Generative AI). While much optimization overlaps with SEO (Search Engine Optimization), several things must be fundamentally different if we want to optimize a website for AI. The term used for this is Generative Engine Optimization (GEO).
Website visitors are increasingly AI agents, rather than humans
It is becoming easier to build an AI Agent (App) without any coding knowledge. Such an App can perform certain tasks for you, such as scouring the internet to find the best deal and presenting it to you. Consequently, your website visitor is increasingly becoming such an AI agent (an App) instead of a human.
The traditional SEO Marketing funnel (“Awareness → Consideration → Conversion”) assumes that a human is browsing the website at their leisure. That assumption becomes obsolete when your website visitor is an AI agent. Therefore, we must build websites that are readable by AI Agents (Apps). If your prices are hidden behind a “Contact us” wall, the Agent cannot process this, and you will miss the boat. We must publish structured data (Schema markup, JSON-LD) that clarifies: “For example, I am a yacht marketing expert, and this is my rate.” If the website is not “machine-readable,” an AI Agent cannot include it and present it to the user.
Conversion is increasingly taking place within the AI agent, rather than on your website
It remains important to get as many people to your website as possible, but it is becoming more important to be mentioned within the AI agents. That is where the decision will increasingly be made. Conversion will take place less frequently on your website; instead, the AI agent can find the best deal itself and even complete the purchase. The chat interface will no longer be just a search bar; it will be the browser, the comparison tool, and the checkout.
Authority in a specific area, instead of keywords
AI Agents do not search for literal keywords; they understand semantics and relationships. It is therefore important to build authority in a specific area. A “shallow” data source will be skipped, and the AI agent will prioritize competitors who offer a complete web of information. The era of “keyword stuffing” is over.
Brand mentions, instead of just backlinks
In traditional SEO, hyperlinks on major platforms pointing to your website were good for your ranking, especially on websites seen as authorities in a specific field. In GEO, mentions or a news article about your brand are more important than just a link. They care less about who links to you, and more about how you are spoken about on high-authority websites. Digital PR is becoming more valuable than technical link building.
