Search engine optimisation (SEO) has been the king of organic marketing for some time now. With measurable results and strategies that adapt to different budgets, it’s not hard to see why uptake is so high across industries. But there’s a new dog in town that’s giving this tried and tested strategy a run for its money: generative engine optimisation (GEO).

With a lot of hype and noise around GEO, could it be about to replace technical SEO? Let’s take a closer look. 

What is SEO?

To start with, let’s have a super quick run-through of what SEO is.

Essentially, this strategy uses what we know about search engine algorithms to improve website visibility in the search engine results pages (SERPs). It’s highly focused on search rankings, with the main goal of pushing sites up to those very top spots for related search terms. 

Technical SEO includes strategies like improving load speeds, creating responsive websites, and enhancing crawlability. 

What is GEO?

GEO is a digital marketing strategy that optimises websites for AI results. This can be directly in search, like Google AI overviews, or in the answers of large language learning models (LLMs), like ChatGPT and Claude.

The aim here is to get your website cited in AI answers for relevant queries, bringing major perks for brand awareness, traffic, and credibility.

What’s the Difference Between SEO and GEO?

GEO is similar to technical SEO in that its end goal is improving visibility. Where it differs, however, is that it’s completely focused on AI results, as opposed to SEO’s focus on search rankings. 

• Technical SEO helps search engines understand and rank your content.
• GEO makes your content easier for AI tools to interpret and cite. 

Is GEO Replacing Technical SEO?

With half of consumers now using AI–powered search, it’s not surprising that GEO is gaining prominence. What it isn’t doing, though, is replacing technical SEO.

These two strategies are far too different for one to ever replace the other. Sure, the end goal is similar, but if a brand were to switch focus entirely to GEO, it would be missing out on important SERP visibility. 

Instead, GEO should be viewed as an evolution of SEO, and the two strategies should be used alongside one another. 

Using SEO to Drive GEO

When optimising content for AI engines like ChatGPT and Gemini, you need a strong GEO strategy. This actually starts with SEO, which is vital for helping AI systems find websites and understand content. 

Crawlability, for instance, is a technical SEO staple that’s vital for GEO. It allows search engines like Google to crawl and rank web pages, making it more likely your website will appear in AI overviews.

While LLMs don't typically crawl in the same way, many AI tools rely on search indexes to find relevant content. This creates a clear overlap, highlighting how GEO and SEO naturally work together. 

Other techniques that are relevant for both SEO (technical and non-technical) and GEO include:

• Helpful Content (following Google’s guidelines)
• Clear page structures using H tags and a logical layout
• Internal linking
• EEAT signals
• Regularly updated content

Work With SEO and GEO Experts

The key takeaway? GEO definitely isn’t replacing technical SEO, because they’re simply not the same. For strong digital marketing that evolves with new ways of searching, we recommend using SEO and GEO side-by-side for a harmonious, comprehensive strategy.

Ready to implement an SEO strategy that naturally boosts GEO? Speak to our SEO experts today.