How it differs from SEO
Classic SEO optimizes for ranking in a list of results. GEO optimizes for inclusion in a generated answer. The practical differences:- The unit of success is a citation, not a position. There is no rank 1. A page is either drawn into the answer or it is not.
- Retrieval happens per-query, at answer time. Most answer engines run a live search before responding, so the pages they cite are chosen fresh each time rather than from a fixed index position.
- Results are volatile. The same question asked twice can produce different sources. GEO is measured as a rate across many queries over time, not by a single result.
- Passage-level clarity matters more than page-level authority. A model extracts a specific claim. Pages that state facts plainly and early are easier to extract from than pages that build to a conclusion.
What tends to get cited
Observed patterns across answer engines:- Pages that define one specific thing and say what it is in the first sentence
- Documentation and help-centre content, which is factual and stable
- Pages that state real numbers — limits, intervals, prices, thresholds
- Pages that sit alongside the primary specification they implement