Contents
Key Takeaways
- An SEO agency works to rank your pages in search results; a GEO agency works to get your business named and cited in AI answers from ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google's AI Overviews.
- Most of the groundwork is shared: clear pages, technical health, authority and reviews. The difference is what each measures and where it builds mentions.
- AI answers are taking clicks from the classic results: Ahrefs found AI Overviews correlated with a 34.5% lower click-through rate for the top-ranking page.
- If your buyers already ask AI tools who to hire, you need both, ideally from one team so the work is not duplicated.
- Ask any agency how it measures AI visibility, which questions it tracks, and what it will change in month one.
An SEO agency works to rank your pages in search results. A GEO agency, short for generative engine optimization, works to get your business named and cited when people ask AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google's AI Overviews who to hire or what to buy. Much of the groundwork is the same. The difference lies in what each one measures, which sources it works on, and how it shapes your content.
If your buyers already ask AI tools for recommendations, you need both. The real question is whether one team can do both well.
Why the Question Comes Up Now
AI answers now sit above or instead of the classic list of results. In Ahrefs' study of 300,000 keywords, the presence of an AI Overview correlated with a 34.5% lower click-through rate for the top-ranking page. Meanwhile 45% of consumers in BrightLocal's 2026 survey had used AI tools to find local businesses.
Ranking first still matters, but it no longer guarantees the click. Being named in the answer is becoming its own goal.
What Each Type of Agency Does
| SEO agency | GEO agency | |
|---|---|---|
| Main goal | Rank your pages for the searches buyers make | Get your business named and cited in AI answers |
| What it measures | Rankings, organic traffic, leads from search | Mentions and citations across AI tools for a set of buyer questions |
| Content work | Pages that match search intent and rank | Pages with clear, quotable answers, facts and original information |
| Off-site work | Links from relevant sites | Mentions on the sources AI tools cite: reviews, directories, lists, press, forums |
| Technical work | Crawling, indexing, speed, structured data | The same, plus access for AI crawlers and consistent entity details |
| Reporting | Positions, clicks, conversions | Share of answers, cited sources, accuracy of what AI says about you |
Where the Work Overlaps
Both rely on the same foundations:
- Clear, specific pages that say what you do, where and for whom.
- Technical health so crawlers can read the site.
- Authority: reviews, links and mentions from trusted sources.
- Accurate business details everywhere you appear.
That overlap is why splitting the work between two agencies often wastes money. Two teams can end up rewriting the same pages for slightly different goals.
Where GEO Goes Further
It starts from questions, not keywords
A GEO agency tracks the questions buyers ask AI tools, phrased the way people actually ask them: "Which law firm in Phoenix handles truck accident cases?" rather than "truck accident lawyer phoenix". Our guide to how ChatGPT recommends businesses explains why the wording matters.
It works on the sources AI tools cite
When an AI answer names your competitor, it usually cites a handful of pages: review platforms, best-of lists, directories, news stories. A GEO agency works on being present and accurately described on those pages, not only on earning links.
It shapes content to be quoted
AI tools lift short, self-contained answers, facts, prices and comparisons. A GEO agency structures pages so the key answer sits in the first lines under each heading, and adds original information that other pages lack.
It checks what AI says about you
AI answers can carry outdated or wrong details: old prices, services you dropped, a closed location. A GEO agency monitors this and fixes it at the source.
How to Decide What You Need
- Your buyers rarely use AI tools yet, and your market is mostly local map searches: start with SEO and local SEO, and make sure the work is AI-friendly.
- Your buyers research with ChatGPT or similar before calling anyone, as in B2B services, healthcare and professional services: you need GEO alongside SEO.
- You already rank well but leads are flat: check whether AI answers are taking the click. A GEO audit will show whether you are named.
Questions to Ask Before You Hire Either
- Which buyer questions will you track, and in which AI tools?
- How do you measure visibility in AI answers, and how often?
- What will you change in the first month, and why?
- How do SEO and GEO work fit together in your plan?
- Can you show results for a business like mine, without naming the client?
- What do you promise, and what are the conditions?
Be cautious of anyone guaranteeing you will be named in a specific AI answer. Answers change with wording, location and the day's search results, so an honest promise is measurable movement against a baseline.
How We Do It
We run SEO and GEO as one plan. Our AI search optimization service starts with a visibility test across the questions your buyers ask, records which sources the AI tools cite, and sets a baseline. From there we fix the pages, the technical access and the mentions that move you into the answers.
If you are new to the idea, our plain guide to generative engine optimization is the best place to start.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GEO just SEO with a new name?
Partly. A lot of the work overlaps, and good SEO helps AI visibility. But GEO adds tracking of the prompts buyers use, building mentions on the sources AI tools cite, and structuring content so it can be quoted, which classic SEO does not usually measure.
Can my current SEO agency do GEO?
Maybe. Ask how they track your visibility in ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and AI Overviews, which questions they monitor, and what they have changed for other clients because of it. If the answer is only rankings, they are doing SEO.
Do I still need SEO if I invest in GEO?
Yes. Classic search results still send most search traffic, and AI tools draw heavily on pages that rank well. Treat them as two outputs of one strategy.
How is GEO priced?
Usually as a monthly retainer like SEO, sometimes with a one-off visibility audit first. Compare what is included, especially how many questions and AI tools are tracked each month.