From SEO to GEO: A content optimization revolution in the AI search era

As AI reshapes how people access information, a brand’s ability to become the ‘standard answer’ in generative search hinges on mastering one key technique: GEO

By Lead Leo Research Institute

As generative AI technologies advance rapidly, AI search engines are rising and redefining how users retrieve information and make decisions. Users are increasingly turning to AI-powered search to meet their information needs, leading to a decline of traditional search engine optimization (SEO). In its place, a new form of optimization — generative engine optimization (GEO) — is emerging at breakneck speed. Powered by AI, GEO shortens the path between user queries and relevant content, enabling faster, more accurate and more trustworthy information delivery.

GEO aims to ensure that content is recognized by AI and directly used to generate answers. Compared to SEO, which relies on keywords and hyperlinks, GEO places greater emphasis on the authority of data and expression of structured content. While SEO depends on users clicking through to web pages, GEO delivers results directly through AI, achieving a “zero-click” experience. Like SEO, GEO values traffic growth and user experience. But unlike SEO, which follows traditional search engine algorithm rules, GEO is designed to align with the information extraction and comprehension mechanisms of large language models (LLMs).

GEO leverages generative AI to deliver precise answers, streamlining the traditional “exposure-click-redirect” flow, boosting brand credibility and accelerating user decisions.

The rapid growth in users of AI search is opening enormous opportunities for GEO. Global AI search users grew from 310 million in early 2024 to 1.98 billion by February 2025 — a staggering 538.7% increase. About a quarter of the global population has now used AI search.

Three main player categories

Although still in its early stages, the GEO market already features three main types of players. The first includes existing search engine platforms and service providers, which are well-positioned to lead with their traffic, algorithms and ecosystems. The second consists of cloud and AI infrastructure providers — such as Tencent’s (0700.HK)Tencent Cloud, Alibaba’s (BABA.US; 9988.HK) Alibaba Cloud, and Volcano Engine — that bring computing power and data capabilities to GEO solutions. The third includes traditional SEO firms that are evolving their expertise in keyword strategy and site architecture to meet the demands of GEO, becoming agile contributors in the new landscape.

As AI search logic continues to evolve, GEO service providers must develop three core capabilities: a deep understanding of AI search recommendation mechanisms and content adaptation strategies; close collaboration with large model platforms and AI search engines; and a strong positioning strategy within authoritative data sources. GEO optimization requires mastery in semantic structuring of web pages, intelligent segmentation of content, and embedded expression of multimodal information.

Additionally, service providers should establish interface integration and API collaboration with model providers to ensure that their clients’ content consistently maintains a prominent position in AI-generated responses. By prioritizing the retrieval and multi-stage utilization of authoritative data, GEO enhances the trust ranking of content within large models, helping clients establish robust “cognitive anchors” in the AI search ecosystem — securing early access to traffic and decision-making touchpoints.

GEO is ushering digital marketing into a new phase centered on semantic depth and brand trust. In the AI era, mastering GEO will be essential for brands seeking to win user mindshare and drive sustained growth.

LeadLeo Research Institute is an original content platform for research on banks and companies and an innovative digital research service provider with nearly 100 senior analysts. You can contact the platform at CS@leadleo.com.

This commentary is the views of the writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Bamboo Works

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