Generative Engine Optimization is the discipline of staying visible when customers ask an AI instead of searching. Where SEO optimized for ranking a link in a list, GEO optimizes for being named, cited, and recommended inside a synthesized AI answer. Across ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Google's AI surfaces.
It builds on SEO rather than replacing it: clean, crawlable, well-structured, authoritative content still wins. But the goal shifts from earning a click to being the source the model quotes and the brand it suggests.
In practice GEO spans being reachable by AI crawlers, being parseable (clean semantic structure and schema), being specific and corroborated enough that engines trust your claims, and being measured across engines over time. It's often used interchangeably with Answer Engine Optimization. Most teams pursue both with the same work.