GEO vs SEO: What's the Difference and Do You Need Both?

"Should I stop doing SEO and focus on GEO?"

We hear this question constantly. The answer is no. But you do need to understand how they're different and why both matter.

The Quick Comparison

Factor	SEO	GEO
Optimizing for	Google's algorithm	AI recommendations
Where you appear	Search results page	AI chat responses
Primary goal	Rank higher	Get mentioned
Key factors	Keywords, backlinks, technical SEO	Citations, mentions, reviews
Content focus	Keyword-optimized pages	Citable, authoritative content
Measurement	Rankings, organic traffic	AI mentions, share of voice
Time to results	3-6 months	4-8 weeks

How SEO Works

SEO has been around for 25+ years. The fundamentals:

Crawling

Google finds your pages

Indexing

Google stores and understands your content

Ranking

Google decides where you appear for relevant queries

You optimize by:

→ Targeting keywords people search for
→ Building backlinks from other sites
→ Ensuring technical excellence (speed, mobile, structure)
→ Creating content that satisfies search intent

The result: Organic traffic from Google search results.

How GEO Works

GEO is newer and works differently:

Training

AI models learn from web content during training

Association

Your business becomes associated with certain topics/queries

Recommendation

AI mentions you when users ask relevant questions

You optimize by:

→ Getting mentioned on sites AI considers authoritative
→ Building review presence that signals quality
→ Creating content that AI might cite as a source
→ Ensuring accurate, consistent business information

The result: Recommendations when people ask AI for suggestions.

The Key Differences

⏱️ Real-time vs. Training Data

Google crawls the web constantly. Update your page today, and Google might re-index it within hours.

AI models (excluding those with real-time search) learned from training data with a cutoff date. A mention in a 2024 article might influence AI recommendations in 2026, even if your business has changed.

Implication: GEO has a longer feedback loop but also longer-lasting impact.

📊 Rankings vs. Mentions

SEO produces rankings you can track. Position 1, position 5, position 20: measurable and comparable.

GEO produces mentions that are contextual. AI might recommend you for one query and not another, or recommend you alongside three competitors.

Implication: There's no single "ranking" to optimize for in GEO.

🔗 Links vs. Citations

SEO values backlinks: other sites linking to yours signals authority.

GEO values citations and mentions: being talked about in authoritative contexts, even without a direct link, builds AI awareness of your business.

🧠 Keywords vs. Concepts

SEO requires matching specific keywords. If people search "best pizza NYC" and your page says "top New York pizzerias," you might miss the match.

AI understands concepts and synonyms. It knows pizza and pizzeria are related. It knows NYC means New York.

Implication: Semantic relevance matters more than exact keywords for GEO.

Where They Overlap

SEO and GEO aren't entirely separate. They share:

📝

Quality Content

Valuable content helps both

🏆

Authority Building

Reputable mentions improve both

⚙️

Technical Foundations

Fast, accessible sites benefit both

⭐

Review Management

Reviews influence Google and AI

💡 Note: A strong SEO foundation supports GEO. Many SEO best practices carry over.

Why You Need Both

👥 Different User Behaviors

Some people Google. Some people ask ChatGPT. Many do both depending on the query. If you only optimize for one, you're invisible to part of your audience.

🎯 Different Stages of the Funnel

SEO often captures research and comparison queries. GEO often captures recommendation and decision queries. You want presence at both stages.

🛡️ Hedge Against Change

Nobody knows how search will evolve. Google might integrate more AI. AI might get better at real-time information. Having both bases covered is smart risk management.

How to Integrate SEO and GEO

📚 Unified Content Strategy

Create content that serves both:

✓ Target keywords (SEO)
✓ Be comprehensive enough to cite (GEO)
✓ Include clear, factual information AI can extract
✓ Build content others want to reference

🔗 Coordinated Link/Mention Building

When pursuing backlinks for SEO:

✓ Prioritize sites AI considers authoritative
✓ Ensure mentions include your key services/products
✓ Build relationships with industry publications

📍 Consistent Business Information

Both Google and AI need accurate information:

✓ Keep NAP consistent everywhere
✓ Update Google Business Profile
✓ Maintain accurate directory listings

📊 Measure Both

Track traditional SEO metrics AND:

✓ Manual AI visibility testing
✓ Mention monitoring
✓ Competitive share of voice in AI

The Bottom Line

SEO isn't dead. GEO isn't a replacement. They're complementary strategies for different discovery channels.

Smart businesses in 2026 invest in both because their customers use both.