Do I need to do both GEO and SEO?

Yes, most businesses benefit from both. SEO builds the foundation of indexed, authoritative content. GEO adds optimization for AI search citations. Many GEO tactics like structured data, clear headings, and FAQ sections also improve traditional SEO, so the two strategies reinforce each other.

Which is more important for new startups?

Start with SEO fundamentals like proper site structure, keyword targeting, and consistent publishing. Layer GEO tactics on top as you build content. For startups in competitive spaces, GEO can provide faster visibility since AI search has less competition than traditional search results.

Will GEO replace SEO?

GEO will not replace SEO but will become equally important. Traditional search still drives the majority of web traffic, and the indexed content you build for SEO is the same content AI models draw from. Think of GEO as an evolution of SEO rather than a replacement.

What Is the Difference Between GEO and SEO?

GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) is the practice of optimizing content for AI-powered search engines that generate answers, while SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the practice of optimizing content to rank higher in traditional search engine results pages. Both aim to increase your content's visibility, but they target fundamentally different systems with different mechanics, and understanding the distinction is becoming critical for any team investing in organic growth.

The Core Difference

The simplest way to understand the difference: SEO helps you rank on a list. GEO helps you get cited in an answer.

When someone searches "best project management tools for startups" on traditional Google, SEO determines which pages appear in the ranked list of results. The user sees titles and descriptions, clicks one, and visits that page.

When the same person asks that question to ChatGPT, Perplexity, or triggers a Google AI Overview, something different happens. The AI model reads multiple sources, synthesizes an answer, and cites the sources it drew from. There is no ranked list - there is a generated response with references. GEO determines whether your content is one of those cited references.

Side-by-Side Comparison

Factor	SEO	GEO
Goal	Rank higher on results page	Get cited in AI-generated answers
Primary signal	Backlinks, keywords, technical health	Content structure, authority, extractability
User experience	User clicks through to your site	User reads AI answer, may or may not click source
Content format	Long-form optimized for keywords	Structured for extraction with clear definitions
Measurement	Rankings, organic traffic, CTR	AI citations, brand mentions, referral from AI tools
Competition	Extremely high for most terms	Still relatively low for most topics
Time to results	3-12 months typically	Can be faster for niche topics
Key technical element	Page speed, mobile, Core Web Vitals	Structured data, schema markup, crawler access

Where SEO and GEO Overlap

The good news is that a significant amount of work benefits both strategies. Here are the areas of overlap:

Quality content - Both traditional and AI search engines reward content that is well-written, accurate, and genuinely useful. There is no scenario where poor content wins in either system.

Structured data - Schema.org markup helps Google understand your pages for rich results and helps AI models parse your content for extraction. FAQ schema, Article schema, and Author schema serve double duty.

E-E-A-T signals - Google's framework for evaluating Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness applies to both systems. Author credentials, first-hand experience, and external citations strengthen your content for traditional rankings and AI citations alike.

Topical authority - Publishing consistently on a focused topic builds authority in both worlds. Google rewards topical clusters with better rankings. AI models favor sources with demonstrated depth on a subject.

Technical health - A fast, mobile-friendly, crawlable site performs better in both traditional and AI search. If crawlers cannot access your content, neither system can use it.

Where They Differ

Despite the overlap, several factors make GEO a distinct discipline:

Content Structure Priorities

SEO content often follows a formula: target keyword in the title, keyword in the first paragraph, related keywords sprinkled throughout, 1,500+ words for "depth." This works for ranking but is not what AI models need.

GEO content prioritizes extractability. The Princeton GEO research paper found that specific structural elements - definition-first paragraphs, statistics with citations, and clear authoritative claims - increased content visibility in generative engines by up to 40%. An article can rank well on Google without these elements, but it will struggle to get cited by AI.

The Role of Backlinks

Backlinks remain the single strongest ranking signal in traditional SEO. A study from Backlinko analyzing 11.8 million Google search results found that the number of referring domains was the strongest correlation with first-page rankings.

In AI search, backlinks matter less directly. AI models evaluate content quality by reading it, not by counting who links to it. A page with zero backlinks but a perfectly structured answer to a specific question can get cited by ChatGPT or Perplexity. That said, backlinks still play an indirect role - they help your content get indexed and retrieved in the initial web search that AI models perform before generating answers.

Click Behavior and Traffic Patterns

SEO traffic is straightforward: user searches, sees your listing, clicks through to your site. You can measure it in Google Analytics.

GEO traffic is more nuanced. When Perplexity cites your content, some users click through to your source link. When ChatGPT references your page, fewer users click through because the answer is already in front of them. When Google AI Overviews cite your content, studies have shown that click-through rates on cited sources can be lower than traditional organic results.

This does not mean GEO is less valuable. Brand visibility in AI answers builds awareness and trust even without a click. And for many queries, being the cited source establishes your brand as the authority - which pays off in direct searches, word-of-mouth, and conversion rates later.

Keyword Strategy

SEO keyword strategy focuses on search volume, keyword difficulty, and intent matching. You target specific phrases and optimize pages around them.

GEO keyword strategy focuses on questions and topics rather than exact-match phrases. AI models interpret natural language queries and match them to content that answers the underlying question, not content that contains the exact keywords. This means your content should cover topics thoroughly rather than chase specific keyword variations.

Practical Implications for Startups

If you are a startup deciding how to allocate your content resources, here is how to think about GEO vs. SEO:

Start with SEO Fundamentals

You need a crawlable, indexed website with proper technical setup. Without this foundation, nothing else works - AI search engines also rely on web indexing to find your content. Get your site structure right, implement basic on-page SEO, and make sure Google can crawl and index your pages.

Layer GEO Tactics from Day One

Every piece of content you publish should be structured for both traditional and AI search. This does not require extra work - it requires different habits:

Write your first paragraph as a clear definition (good for featured snippets and AI extraction)
Use question-based H2 headings (good for matching user queries in both systems)
Include FAQ sections with schema markup (good for rich results and AI parsing)
Add statistics and cite sources (the Princeton research confirms this is one of the highest-impact GEO tactics)
Include author information with credentials (E-E-A-T for both systems)

Prioritize GEO for Competitive Terms

If you are trying to rank for a keyword where the top results are all high-authority domains, GEO gives you an alternative path. You may not outrank Forbes on traditional Google, but you can get cited alongside Forbes in an AI-generated answer. This is happening right now - smaller sites with better-structured content are earning AI citations that much larger sites miss.

Track Both Channels Separately

Set up monitoring for both traditional search performance and AI search citations. Use Google Search Console for traditional SEO tracking. Use tools like Otterly.ai or manual testing for AI citation monitoring. The two channels tell different stories, and you need visibility into both.

What the Future Looks Like

SEO is not dying. Traditional search still processes billions of queries daily, and organic traffic remains a primary growth channel for most businesses. But the share of searches that involve AI-generated answers is growing fast.

Gartner's prediction of a 25% drop in traditional search volume by 2026 may prove aggressive, but the directional trend is undeniable. More searches are producing AI-generated answers. More users are going directly to ChatGPT or Perplexity instead of Google. More of the customer journey involves AI-synthesized information.

The companies that will win organic growth over the next few years are those that treat GEO and SEO as complementary strategies - building content that performs in both systems. The tactics are largely compatible. The measurement requires new tools. And the opportunity, especially for startups willing to move early, is significant.

You do not need to pick one over the other. Build the foundation with SEO. Structure every piece of content for GEO. Measure both. Iterate based on what the data tells you. That is the playbook.