Generative engine optimization.In plain English.

The term comes from a 2023 research paper by Aggarwal and colleagues, accepted at KDD 2024, which tested ways of changing a web page so it shows up more in AI-written answers.

On a benchmark of 10,000 queries, citing sources, adding quotations and adding statistics improved visibility by 30 to 40% on one of the paper's measures, while keyword stuffing offered little to no improvement. These are benchmark results, not guarantees.

Google groups GEO with AEO and says that, for Google Search, the work is still SEO.

You can't edit an AI's answer directly. You improve what it reads, such as your listings, reviews, directory profiles, website and articles about you.

Example: adding a sourced statistic and a short quote from a licensed technician to a water heater page follows the tactics the GEO paper found most effective in its tests.