GEO (Generative Engine Optimization, often used interchangeably with AEO) and SEO share much of their technical foundation — speed, clean HTML, quality content — but diverge on what "winning" actually means.
SEO: optimizing for the click
Classic SEO optimizes for appearing high in a list of links the user scrolls and clicks. Success is measured in ranking position and CTR.
GEO: optimizing for the citation
A generative engine doesn't show a list: it synthesizes an answer and (sometimes) cites 2-3 sources. Success is measured in "was I mentioned?", "in what position relative to competitors?", "with what sentiment?" — new metrics traditional SEO never tracked.
The practical differences
- Keywords vs. questions: GEO thinks in terms of real questions ("what's the best B&B management software") more than isolated keywords.
- Meta description vs. direct answer: the meta description exists to earn the click; the first paragraph must answer directly, because that's what an LLM extracts.
- Backlinks vs. entity consistency: backlinks still matter, but brand/data consistency across pages weighs more for an engine that needs to "understand" who you are, not just rank you.
You don't have to choose
The two disciplines aren't in conflict: a technically solid, well-structured site helps both. The risk is assuming "we already did SEO" automatically means being ready for AI engines — it often isn't.