What is Generative Engine Optimisation?
How AI-generated answers work, why they matter, and what they mean for your content strategy
Written by the RadarTrek editorial team · June 2026
The search landscape is fragmenting. ChatGPT has over 200 million weekly users who ask it questions instead of Googling them. Perplexity processes millions of searches per day and cites sources inline. Google's AI Overviews appear at the top of 20%+ of searches. A meaningful and growing share of information-seeking happens in interfaces that synthesise answers from multiple sources — without requiring users to click any links.
The three types of AI search engine
- Training-based (ChatGPT, Claude) — Knowledge baked into the model at training time. Content published before the training cutoff can influence what the model knows about your brand. Real-time web browsing is optional and varies by model.
- Retrieval-augmented (Perplexity, Bing Chat) — Performs a live web search, retrieves pages, and synthesises an answer. Citations are shown inline. Being indexed and crawlable is essential to be cited.
- Hybrid (Google AI Overviews) — Uses both the model's training and real-time retrieval. Cites sources similar to Perplexity. Shows at the top of many Google searches.
Why GEO is different from SEO
SEO optimises for a ranked list of ten blue links. GEO optimises for inclusion in a synthesised, prose answer that may cite 3-10 sources or none at all. The success metric is not your rank position — it is whether your brand name, content, or URL appears in the AI answer.
GEO is like getting quoted in a journalist's article
The journalist (the AI) researches multiple sources, synthesises them, and quotes the most credible ones. Your job is not to rank #1 — it is to be so clearly authoritative on your topic that the AI considers you a source worth citing.
The business case for GEO
- Brand visibility without clicks — AI mentions build brand recognition even when users do not visit your site.
- Traffic from AI-generated links — Perplexity and AI Overviews link to cited sources. Appearing there drives referral traffic.
- Competitive differentiation — Most brands have not started optimising for AI visibility. Early movers gain disproportionate citation share.
- Trust transfer — When ChatGPT recommends your tool in response to a user's question, it carries implied endorsement. High conversion intent.
Key ideas from this lesson