Blog topic

GEO basics: how AI answers choose their sources

Start here if AI search is new to you or you need to explain it to a team. Generative engine optimization (GEO) is the work of getting named and cited inside answers from ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini and Google's AI Overviews. These guides cover how each engine finds its sources, why a page that ranks first on Google can still be skipped, and the page structure that controlled studies say gets quoted. Read the definition first, then the guide for the engine your buyers use most.

7 guides · Updated

Start here

What Is Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)? The 2026 Definition, Explained

The definition, the 2023 research that named the field, how GEO differs from SEO, and what the work looks like week to week.

Updated · 9 min read

All guides in this topic

  1. AEO vs GEO vs AI SEO: What Each Means and Which One You Actually Buy in 2026

    Three acronyms, one confused market. Here's the honest disambiguation - what each optimizes, where they overlap, and the purchase that actually gets you cited.

    Updated · 15 min read

  2. You Rank #1 on Google but ChatGPT Ignores You: Why, and the Fix (2026)

    A diagnostic for the SEO team that ranks well and still never shows up in ChatGPT: check Bing, crawler access and your CDN first, then content and mentions, in that order.

    Updated · 11 min read

  3. The Content AI Assistants Actually Cite: Page Structure That Wins in 2026

    Effect sizes, not vibes: what controlled studies say about the page elements ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google's AI features quote, and an annotated anatomy you can copy.

    Updated · 10 min read

  4. Google AI Overviews Optimization in 2026: How to Get Your Site Featured

    AI Overviews still lean on Google rankings, so the play is rank first, then make every section liftable and fresh. The evidence behind each move, and two myths to skip.

    Updated · 12 min read

  5. How to Show Up as a Source in Perplexity Answers (2026)

    Perplexity runs its own crawler, its own index and its own ranking. The tactics that win ChatGPT citations only half-apply here. This is the engine-specific playbook.

    Updated · 10 min read

  6. AI Search Statistics 2026: 90+ Numbers From Primary Sources

    ChatGPT, Gemini and Grok users, Google AI Overviews, clicks, AI referral traffic, citations, crawlers and trust. Every figure links to the organization that produced it, shows when the data was collected, and was checked on October 24, 2026.

    Updated · 18 min read

Other topics

All posts on the blog →