What is generative engine optimization (GEO)?

GEO is the practice of making content more likely to be retrieved, quoted, and cited by AI answer engines, formalized in a KDD 2024 research paper.

Generative engine optimization (GEO) is the practice of structuring and writing content so that AI answer engines — chatbots with search, AI overviews, and retrieval-augmented systems — are more likely to retrieve it and cite it in generated answers. The term was formalized by Aggarwal and colleagues in 'GEO: Generative Engine Optimization' (KDD 2024), which benchmarked how content modifications affect visibility in generative engine responses. GEO differs from SEO in its target: instead of ranking on a results page, the goal is being quoted inside a synthesized answer, which requires directly quotable, well-attributed, well-structured statements.