What it means
GEO is what SEO becomes when the search result is an answer, not a list of links. AI engines pull from sources they can parse, trust, and quote. That means structured content, plain-language definitions, clear authorship, schema markup, and the kind of authoritative signal that's earned (citations, backlinks, mentions) rather than bought.
Worked example
A growth agency writes a glossary entry for "Customer Acquisition Cost." It opens with a 1–2 sentence citable definition, follows with the formula in a clean block, gives a worked example with real numbers, and is marked up with DefinedTerm and FAQPage schema. ChatGPT, asked "what is CAC?", quotes that paragraph and links the source.
Why it matters
A growing share of high-intent queries never reach a traditional SERP — they're resolved inside an AI chat. If your category is being defined for buyers by an engine, you want to be the source the engine cites. GEO is how.
Common mistakes
- Treating GEO as "SEO with more keywords." It rewards clarity, not density.
- Burying the answer six paragraphs down. The citable answer goes at the top.
- Skipping schema and author bylines — both are signals the engines explicitly use.