Search is changing. People still use Google. But more of them now ask ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity instead. Google also shows AI answers above the links for a growing number of searches.
That shift has a cost. Pew Research found that people click a result only 8% of the time when an AI summary appears. Without one, the figure is 15%. Fewer clicks means fewer visits, even for pages that rank well.
So where does that leave SEO? And what is GEO, the new term everyone keeps using?
This guide explains both in plain words. You will see how they differ, where they overlap and how to run them together.
The short answer: SEO gets you clicks. GEO gets you mentioned. You need both.
What is SEO?
Search engine optimisation (SEO) means improving your website so it ranks higher in Google, Bing and other search engines. The aim is simple. Someone searches for what you offer, your page shows up and they click it.
Search engines work in three steps:
- Crawling. Bots follow links and collect pages from across the web.
- Indexing. The pages are stored in a huge database.
- Ranking. When someone searches, an algorithm sorts the stored pages and shows the most relevant ones first.
SEO work sits in four areas:
- Keyword research: finding the words your customers actually type.
- On-page SEO: writing helpful pages that match what people want.
- Technical SEO: making your site fast, safe, mobile-friendly and easy to crawl.
- Off-page SEO: earning links from trusted sites.
The result is a ranked list of links. The prize is the click.
What is GEO?
Think of GEO as SEO for AI search.
AI tools build answers in two ways. Without web access, a model replies from patterns it learned in training. With web access, it searches, picks useful pages and sums them up. GEO aims to help you in both cases.
Why does this matter? Take a search for “best cordless screwdriver under £100”. Google shows a list of products. An AI tool gives a recommendation. SEO helps you join the list. GEO helps you become the pick.
The reach is growing fast. A Semrush study of more than 10 million keywords found that AI Overviews appeared on 13.14% of queries in March 2025. In January 2025 the figure was 6.49%. It doubled in three months.
Not sure how visible your brand is in AI answers? At Anika Digital, we build strong SEO foundations and help businesses show up in AI search too. Talk to our team and let’s look at where you stand today.
SEO vs GEO: the key differences
Both aim to get you found. But they work differently. Here are the seven differences that matter most.
- A link versus a mention
SEO earns you a ranked link. GEO earns you a place inside the answer itself. Links do appear in AI answers, but they are small and easy to miss. Often the user reads the answer and moves on.
- Keywords versus prompts
Keywords are short phrases like “law firm SEO”. GEO starts with prompts. These are long, natural questions like “which SEO agency suits a small law firm on a tight budget?”
Keyword placement matters less in GEO. AI tools prefer content that reads like a clear, complete answer to a specific question.
- Clicks versus zero clicks
In classic search, the journey is simple. Search, click, read. With AI, the user asks, reads the answer and may never visit your site.
Pew found that 26% ended their session right after seeing one, compared with 16% for normal results. Bain & Company reported that 80% of users answer at least 40% of their searches without clicking any link.
- Different ways to measure success
SEO is measured with rankings, organic traffic, click-through rate, backlinks and conversions.
GEO is measured with brand mentions, citations, share of voice in AI tools and AI referral traffic. Ahrefs calls this a move from “click economics” to “visibility economics”.
- Where your mentions come from
SEO focuses on your own website. GEO does not. Most brand mentions in AI answers that come from other sites like “best of” lists, review platforms, news coverage, Reddit and YouTube.
Unlinked mentions count too. So GEO pulls in PR, outreach and community work, not only content.
- Less traffic, often better traffic
According to Ahrefs, AI visitors view fewer pages (4 against 5.2) but spend slightly longer on them (86 seconds against 78).
For Ahrefs itself, AI search made up just 0.5% of visits but brought in over 12% of sign-ups. That is one site’s result, though. Amsive found that not every site sees the same lift from AI traffic.
- Freshness matters more
AI tools seem less patient. Semrush notes that LLMs appear to weigh recency even more than search engines do. Ahrefs also reports that AI tends to cite newer pages over older ones. Update your key pages often.
Quick comparison
| SEO | GEO |
Goal | Get clicks to your site | Get mentioned in AI answers |
Where you appear | Ranked links | Inside the AI answer |
Query type | Short keywords | Long, natural prompts |
User journey | Search, click, visit | Ask, read, maybe never visit |
Main metrics | Rankings, traffic, CTR | Mentions, citations, AI share of voice |
Key trust signals | Backlinks, authority | Web mentions, brand consistency |
Content shelf life | Can last for years | Needs regular refreshes |
What SEO and GEO have in common
They share a lot.
- Quality content wins in both. Search engines and AI tools both want to give people useful answers.
- Intent comes first. Someone who types “best project management software” into Google wants the same thing as someone who asks ChatGPT for the best tool for a team of 30 under £50. They want options, reasons and a clear comparison.
- Trust and reputation count. Ahrefs found a strong link between branded web mentions and visibility in AI Overviews (a correlation of 0.664).
- Your site must work. AI crawlers struggle with heavy JavaScript. They also usually follow robots.txt rules. If a bot cannot read your page, neither SEO nor GEO will help.
- Structure helps. Clear headings, bullet points and FAQs make a page easier for Google and AI to parse.
- Original data pays off twice. It attracts backlinks for SEO and citations for GEO.
The takeaway is simple. If your SEO content is already strong, you are halfway to GEO.
Each AI tool behaves differently
GEO is not one single game. Semrush tested the query “best CRM tools” across several platforms and got different results each time.
- Google AI Overviews named Salesforce, HubSpot, Zoho and Pipedrive.
- Perplexity leaned on listicles and a Reddit thread. It showed its sources clearly.
- ChatGPT gave comparison tables sorted by use case. It did not cite sources.
- Gemini gave a vaguer answer with no citations.
So no single trick covers every tool. Check how your brand appears on each one, then adjust.
How to do both: a practical plan
Build on what you have.
Keep your SEO base strong
SEO is still the foundation. It drives most web traffic and gives AI tools much of what they learn from. Keep doing keyword research, fixing technical issues, building internal links and earning backlinks.
Write for questions
Think about what your audience would ask an AI tool. Then answer it clearly.
- Put a short, direct answer at the top of each section.
- Use subheadings that sound like real questions.
- Add FAQ sections with brief, factual replies.
- Write in a natural, human voice. Avoid vague phrases.
Back your claims with facts
AI tools like content they can quote with confidence. Include specific, checkable numbers. Share original data or research when you can. Keep each excerpt clear enough to make sense on its own.
Build mentions beyond your website
Work on:
- Guest posts and expert quotes on industry sites
- Reviews and listings on trusted platforms
- Digital PR and news coverage
- A presence on YouTube and Reddit, both of which AI tools cite often
- Consistent profiles on sources such as LinkedIn, Crunchbase and Wikidata
Keep content fresh
Review your most important pages on a regular schedule. Update stats, dates and examples. Add new sections when the topic moves on.
Track both
Keep watching your SEO numbers: traffic, rankings and conversions. Then add GEO measures:
- How often AI tools cite your site
- How often they mention your brand
- Where competitors appear and you do not
- Your share of voice across AI platforms
A drop in total traffic is not always bad news. If conversions hold steady, you may simply be losing low-intent clicks.
Want help putting this plan into action? Anika Digital can audit your current SEO, spot gaps in AI search and map out a clear next step. Get in touch to start the conversation.
SEO or GEO: which should come first?
SEO is proven, and it still brings the bulk of the traffic. Ahrefs data from over 50,000 sites showed Google held a 41.13% share of traffic between January and August 2025. ChatGPT held 0.21%.
But GEO is not something to ignore. 36% of people had found a new product or brand through it.
Think of SEO as your foundation. GEO is how you future-proof it.
Frequently asked questions
No. GEO builds on SEO. The same things that make content strong for search, such as quality, trust and a sound technical base, also help in AI answers. Dropping SEO would weaken your GEO too.
They are very close. All three are about getting your brand cited and represented well in AI-generated answers.
It is risky. AI tools still rely on crawlable, well-built, trusted content. Without an SEO base, you are building on weak ground.
Final thoughts
One brings clicks. The other builds trust before a click ever happens.
The brands that win will do both. They will keep their SEO strong, write clear answers, earn mentions across the web and track how AI tools talk about them.
Ready to be found in Google and in AI answers? Anika Digital helps businesses grow through SEO and AI search visibility. Book a call with our team and let’s build a plan that fits your goals.
