SEO vs GEO: the short version
On this page
- SEO vs GEO: the short version
- What SEO is, in plain English
- What GEO actually is
- GEO vs AEO vs SEO: three things, not two
- Which Australian surfaces show GEO behaviour now
- How SEO and GEO differ in practice
- What GEO optimisation actually looks like
- Do you need GEO if your SEO is already working?
- How Australian agencies are adapting
- What to do this quarter
- When to hire an agency specifically for GEO
- FAQ
- Is GEO replacing SEO?
- What is the difference between GEO and AEO?
- How do I start with GEO?
- Do I need a different agency for GEO?
If you are trying to work out seo vs geo for your 2026 plan, start with the bit most vendors skip: these are related disciplines with different outputs, not a rebrand. SEO earns ranked links on google.com.au. GEO, Generative Engine Optimisation, earns citations inside answers generated by ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude and Google's AI Overviews. Most of the writing on this topic is US-first, produced by tool vendors, and quietly conflates GEO with AEO. This guide separates the three, shows which Australian surfaces actually reward GEO work today, and gives you a concrete list of changes to make this quarter. It is written for marketing decision-makers evaluating agencies, not for practitioners already knee-deep in schema.
SEO vs GEO: the short version
SEO optimises pages so Google's ranked organic results point users to your site. The outcome is a blue link and a click. GEO optimises the same underlying content so large language models quote, cite or reference your brand inside a generated answer. The outcome is a citation, sometimes with a click, sometimes without. The signals overlap but the weightings are different, and a page that ranks well can still be invisible to an LLM if the entity and source layer is thin.
What SEO is, in plain English
SEO is the work of aligning a page with how Google's ranking systems interpret relevance, authority and user experience. The big signals have not changed much: content that matches intent, internal and external links that show authority, a site that loads fast on mobile, and freshness where the topic demands it. Our primer on what SEO is covers the fundamentals if this is new territory. For the bigger picture across technical, on-page and off-page, the search engine optimisation guide is the deeper reference.
What GEO actually is
GEO is the practice of structuring content, entities and brand signals so generative systems use you as a source. It is described in the Princeton GEO paper and has a short Wikipedia entry that captures the current state. The surfaces are different from traditional SEO: OpenAI's ChatGPT Search, Perplexity, Anthropic's Claude, and Gemini inside Google Workspace. The signals lean harder on entity clarity, original data, credible authorship and structured facts.
GEO vs AEO vs SEO: three things, not two
This is where most agency pages get sloppy. SEO targets ranked links. AEO, Answer Engine Optimisation, targets the extracted answer inside an AI Overview or a featured snippet, where Google lifts a sentence or list from one source. GEO targets citations inside the longer generated response, where a model synthesises several sources and attributes them. AEO is a subset of the same thinking but with a narrower target. If an agency pitches "GEO" and shows only featured-snippet screenshots, they are selling AEO and calling it something else.
Which Australian surfaces show GEO behaviour now
AI Overviews are live on a large share of informational queries on google.com.au, with behaviour documented in Google's AI features documentation. Perplexity has been growing quickly in Australia through 2025 and increasingly shows up in referral logs for B2B sites. ChatGPT Search drives measurable, if still small, referral traffic to Australian publishers. Gemini inside Google Workspace matters less for public discovery and more for internal shortlisting when staff ask it to recommend suppliers. The practical point: if your category is researched before it is bought, these surfaces already shape shortlists.
How SEO and GEO differ in practice
| Signal | SEO weight | GEO weight |
|---|---|---|
| Backlinks | High | Medium |
| On-page keyword targeting | High | Low |
| Entity markup (sameAs, knowsAbout) | Medium | High |
| Original data and statistics | Medium | High |
| Author bylines with credentials | Medium | High |
| Brand mentions in authoritative publications | Medium | High |
| Page speed and Core Web Vitals | Medium | Low |
| llms.txt file | None | Emerging |
The table is an indicative interpretation, not published weights; LLM ranking weights are not publicly disclosed. The point is that a page tuned only for SEO keywords will often fail to be picked up as a generative citation, because the model has no clean way to identify the entity behind the claim.
What GEO optimisation actually looks like
Concrete deliverables, not abstractions:
- Short, declarative answers in the first 150 words of each page, so models can extract them cleanly.
- FAQPage and HowTo schema from schema.org used as a structured fact-feed.
- Author bylines with real credentials: a LinkedIn profile, membership of a professional body, and published work elsewhere.
- One piece of original Australian data per pillar topic: a survey, a dataset, or case-study numbers you can defend.
- Brand presence in authoritative Australian publications, including industry bodies and trade press.
- An llms.txt file. The standard is emerging, the cost is trivial, and there is no downside.
Do you need GEO if your SEO is already working?
If your buyers research through ChatGPT or Perplexity before they shortlist, yes. If you sell into enterprise, where procurement teams now use generative tools to scope suppliers, definitely yes. If your category is price-comparable and the decision happens after a recommendation rather than a click, GEO is becoming table stakes. If you run a local service business where customers still tap a map-pack result, your Google Business Profile and reviews outrank GEO on priority. The comparable exercise for paid media is covered in our SEO vs SEM guide.
How Australian agencies are adapting
A minority of Australian agencies have GEO-specific scope in proposals. Most bundle it loosely under "AI SEO" and hope the client does not ask for deliverables. The signals that an agency actually ships GEO work: AEO case studies with citation screenshots, GEO-specific line items in statements of work rather than blog posts about GEO, and published Australian data they own. The entity and schema layer on most Australian content is still thin, which means the first-mover advantage is genuine, not a talking point. Our AI SEO hub tracks which providers are investing here.
What to do this quarter
- Audit your top 20 pages for AI Overview eligibility: clear answer in the first 150 words, FAQ schema where appropriate.
- Add author bylines with credentials to every editorial page.
- Publish one piece of original Australian data you can defend to a journalist.
- Add an llms.txt file.
- Earn one citation in an Australian publication. Trade press counts.
None of these need a new retainer. They need a content strategist willing to be specific. The Search Engine Land AI section is a reasonable weekly read for tracking how the surfaces move.
When to hire an agency specifically for GEO
Hire when you are losing share-of-voice in AI Overviews to competitors, when your buyers confirm they use generative tools to shortlist, or when your content foundation is solid but the entity and schema layer is not. Warning signs to watch for when you compare providers: no citation screenshots, no original data, and scope documents that describe GEO in abstract terms. If you want a shortlist of Australian providers filtered to those doing this work, browse the directory of AI-capable agencies.
FAQ
Is GEO replacing SEO?
No. GEO adds a layer on top of SEO. Ranked links and generative citations will coexist for the foreseeable future, because Google still shows ten blue links under most AI Overviews.
What is the difference between GEO and AEO?
AEO targets the single extracted answer inside a featured snippet or AI Overview. GEO targets citations inside longer generated responses where a model synthesises several sources.
How do I start with GEO?
Entity markup, credentialed author bylines, one piece of original Australian data, and an llms.txt file. Do those four and you are ahead of most Australian sites in your category.
Do I need a different agency for GEO?
Not necessarily. Most SEO agencies can absorb the work if they have a strong content and schema practice. The question to ask is whether GEO appears as a deliverable in their scope, not whether it appears in their blog.