Using SEO and GEO Together: How We Build a Modern Visibility Strategy

SEO and GEO are often presented as if businesses need to choose between them.

We do not see them that way.

SEO remains the foundation for making a website crawlable, indexable, relevant to search intent and discoverable through traditional search.

GEO, or Generative Engine Optimization, adds another layer:

helping AI-powered search and answer systems understand, retrieve, reference and measure information about the business more effectively.

So the question we ask is not:

Should we invest in SEO or GEO?

It is:

How do we build one information architecture that performs across traditional search and AI-powered discovery?

This guide explains how we distinguish the two disciplines, why GEO now matters, and why we usually prefer to build SEO and GEO together.

For the commercial services behind this methodology, see our SEO services and AI Search Visibility & GEO pages.

SEO helps the right pages become discoverable in search.

GEO helps the information on those pages become clearer, more verifiable and more usable in AI-generated search experiences.

There is substantial overlap.

That overlap is why we treat GEO as an extension of strong search foundations rather than a replacement for them.

SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is the work of improving how a website is crawled, indexed, understood and surfaced for relevant queries in search engines.

In our work, SEO usually includes several connected layers.

• crawling
• indexing
• canonicalisation
• redirects
• sitemaps
• internal linking
• structured data
• performance

• what is the user trying to accomplish?
• is the query commercial, informational or navigational?
• which page should own the intent?
• are several pages competing for the same cluster?

• service pages
• solution pages
• category pages
• guides
• FAQs
• case studies

• backlinks
• third-party references
• brand signals
• source credibility

• impressions
• clicks
• rankings
• landing pages
• conversions
• qualified leads

Our SEO approach

We do not treat SEO as a keyword-insertion exercise.

We use it to create clear search ownership around commercially meaningful pages.

GEO stands for Generative Engine Optimization.

It is a term used for work intended to improve how a business and its content participate in generative AI search and answer experiences.

That can include systems such as:

• ChatGPT Search
• Google AI Overviews and AI Mode
• Microsoft Copilot
• Bing AI-generated answers

We do not define GEO as a collection of hacks.

It is not:

• a single schema type
• an AI keyword list
• an llms.txt shortcut
• a guaranteed ChatGPT citation
• a replacement for technical SEO

Our GEO approach

We start with a more useful question:

Is this company represented online in a way that is clear, crawlable, consistent, evidence-based and easy for retrieval systems to understand?

That leads us to review:

• technical access
• entity relationships
• page ownership
• source quality
• evidence
• content structure
• structured data
• off-site consistency
• AI visibility measurement

The important point is that the second column does not replace the first.

Because the discovery journey is changing.

Users can now ask systems to:

• compare suppliers
• explain products
• recommend approaches
• summarise categories
• research vendors
• compare software
• evaluate technical options

without opening ten search results first.

Traditional search still matters enormously.

But a brand can now be discovered in a generated answer before the user performs a conventional click-through search.

Microsoft’s 2026 release of AI Performance in Bing Webmaster Tools is a useful indicator of this shift.

Publishers can now see signals such as:

• citations
• cited pages
• grounding queries
• visibility trends

across supported AI experiences.

That makes generative-search visibility increasingly measurable rather than purely speculative.

No.

Google’s official 2026 guidance is particularly clear on this.

Its generative AI search features still rely on core Search ranking and quality systems. Google explicitly says foundational SEO best practices remain relevant.

The company also warns publishers against over-focusing on supposed GEO or AEO hacks.

SEO before GEO

We treat SEO as the foundation.

GEO adds:

• entity clarity
• stronger evidence
• source architecture
• answer-oriented information design
• AI visibility measurement

on top of that foundation.

Strong SEO work can directly improve the foundations that generative search relies on.

If content cannot be reached reliably, it is a weak candidate for retrieval.

Search-driven AI systems often rely on indexed web content.

A clear authoritative page for each service or subject makes the site easier to interpret.

Contextual links reinforce the relationships between services, guides, industries and evidence.

Unique, expert-led material provides stronger source value than commodity content.

Backlinks and trusted third-party references can strengthen the broader web footprint around the brand.

The relationship also works in the other direction.

GEO reviews often expose weaknesses that matter to traditional search too.

Clarifying what the company does and which pages represent each capability can improve overall topical structure.

Connecting claims to real projects, data and source material makes pages stronger for users.

Definitions, comparison tables and focused FAQs can improve usability and semantic clarity.

Reviewing outdated facts and technical material improves the quality of the site overall.

Building deeper supporting coverage can strengthen the subject focus around important commercial pages.

Our combined model has several layers.

We review:

• crawl
• index
• canonical
• sitemap
• redirects
• internal links
• robots
• OAI-SearchBot access where relevant
• performance

The objective:

make the information accessible.

We determine which URL should own each important commercial or informational intent.

The objective:

reduce ambiguity and cannibalisation.

We map relationships between:

• company
• services
• products
• industries
• projects
• people
• locations
• supporting sources

The objective:

make the business easier to understand as a connected set of entities.

We connect:

• money pages
• solution pages
• guides
• FAQs
• project evidence
• case studies

The objective:

build useful pathways for users, search engines and retrieval systems.

We support meaningful claims with:

• real work
• methodology
• data
• technical documentation
• credible sources

The objective:

make important information more verifiable.

We improve:

• headings
• concise definitions
• tables
• comparisons
• FAQ structures
• information hierarchy

The objective:

make useful information easier to isolate and interpret without making the writing robotic.

We use schema where it accurately reflects visible content.

The objective:

support meaning, not manufacture it.

SEO:

• rankings
• impressions
• clicks
• leads

GEO:

• citations
• grounding queries
• AI-search impressions
• AI referrals

The objective:

measure discovery across both environments.

Google published dedicated guidance for generative AI search in 2026.

Several points are especially relevant to how we work:

• core SEO best practices still matter
• useful and unique content matters
• generative search uses retrieval and Search ranking systems
• GEO/AEO terminology exists, but Google considers generative-search optimisation part of the broader search experience
• publishers should prioritise effective SEO over speculative “GEO hacks”
• generative AI visibility can now be monitored through Search Console reporting

For us, this reinforces the idea that SEO and GEO should share foundations.

Bing has gone further in separating out generative-search visibility data.

AI Performance in Bing Webmaster Tools reports:

• total citations
• cited pages
• grounding queries
• visibility trends

Bing explicitly notes that these metrics are not rankings.

They describe how publisher content is referenced in AI-generated answers.

That distinction is useful.

SEO visibility and GEO visibility can now be evaluated as related but different signals.

OpenAI says publicly accessible sites can appear in ChatGPT Search and recommends allowing OAI-SearchBot if publishers want content to be discoverable and included in summaries or citations.

That is a technical eligibility consideration.

It is not a placement guarantee.

Our ChatGPT visibility approach

For ChatGPT visibility, we therefore consider:

• crawler access
• canonical source pages
• clear service ownership
• evidence
• information consistency
• trusted external references
• content quality

rather than relying on a single bot directive.

The biggest advantage is that one strong information system can support multiple discovery environments.

Take a service page.

SEO may require:

• clear intent
• strong title and H1
• crawlability
• internal links
• authority
• useful content

GEO benefits from many of the same things, then adds:

• entity clarity
• explicit evidence
• strong source relationships
• structured information
• answer-friendly sections
• AI visibility measurement

We are not building two websites.

We are strengthening one source architecture for two different discovery behaviours.

Not automatically.

We generally prefer a strong canonical source for an important subject.

Then supporting guides answer distinct informational questions.

For example:

• /en/services/seo/ owns the commercial SEO service intent
• /en/services/geo-ai-visibility/ owns the commercial AI Search / GEO intent
• a guide such as this one owns the SEO-vs-GEO comparison intent

That creates a cleaner architecture than producing many near-duplicate pages for tiny keyword variations.

Sometimes.

We find several formats particularly useful:

• clear definitions
• comparison content
• methodology articles
• technical guides
• case studies
• original research
• verified project examples
• structured FAQs

But we do not recommend generating hundreds of shallow “AI answer” pages.

The value comes from source quality, clarity and topic ownership.

The combined approach is especially relevant for:

• B2B companies
• SaaS
• technology businesses
• professional services
• manufacturers
• exporters
• healthcare
• high-consideration products
• international businesses
• companies with long research cycles

These buyers often move across several discovery surfaces before making contact.

We do not recommend a major GEO programme when the fundamentals are still broken.

If the website:

• cannot be indexed reliably
• has no clear service pages
• has severe technical SEO problems
• has almost no useful content
• has confused positioning
• lacks basic analytics

we would usually fix those issues first.

GEO should strengthen a good information foundation, not disguise the absence of one.

In simplified form:

Crawl, index, canonical, sitemap and access.

Define page ownership.

Clarify company, services, industries and evidence.

Connect money pages, solutions, guides and case studies.

Strengthen claims with verifiable material.

Improve hierarchy, definitions, comparisons and structure.

Represent visible content accurately.

Reduce contradictions across trusted external sources.

Track traditional and AI-search visibility.

Improve pages based on actual discovery patterns.

We do not believe businesses should abandon SEO for GEO.

The user journey is becoming broader, not narrower.

A buyer may:

• search Google
• ask ChatGPT
• use Copilot
• review LinkedIn
• return to the website
• compare another provider
• then convert

A modern search strategy needs to acknowledge that behaviour.

Our working model is simple:

SEO builds discoverability.

GEO helps the same information become more understandable and usable in AI-powered discovery.

Together, they can create:

• clearer search ownership
• stronger source architecture
• better content
• stronger evidence
• broader discovery
• more measurable AI visibility

For traditional organic search, see our SEO services.

For generative search and AI visibility, see AI Search Visibility & GEO.

What is the difference between SEO and GEO?

SEO focuses on traditional search discovery, including crawling, indexing, rankings, clicks and organic traffic. GEO adds a focus on how AI-powered systems understand, retrieve, cite and reference information.

Will GEO replace SEO?

Current platform guidance does not support that idea. Google explicitly says core SEO best practices remain foundational to generative AI search. We treat GEO as an additional visibility layer rather than a replacement.

Why should businesses invest in GEO?

AI-powered search is becoming another discovery surface. GEO helps businesses improve the clarity, consistency, evidence and measurement around how their information participates in those experiences.

Can SEO and GEO be done together?

Yes. That is our preferred approach. Technical foundations, content architecture and authority support both. GEO then adds stronger entity, source, evidence and AI-measurement layers.

Can GEO guarantee ChatGPT citations?

No. OpenAI does not guarantee placement in ChatGPT Search. Publishers can improve technical accessibility and source quality, but a specific citation cannot be guaranteed.

How is GEO measured?

Useful signals now include Bing AI Performance citations and grounding queries, Google Search Console generative-AI visibility, AI referral traffic and downstream conversions.

Is llms.txt required for GEO?

Not as a general requirement. Google’s current guidance specifically recommends focusing on strong SEO and useful content rather than speculative tactics such as unnecessary AI text files.

This guide combines Clarion Flow’s working SEO/GEO framework with official platform guidance current as of September 2026.

Technical references:

• Google Search Central, Optimizing your website for generative AI features on Google Search: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/ai-optimization-guide
• Google Search Central, A new resource for optimizing for generative AI in Google Search: https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2026/05/a-new-resource-for-optimizing
• Google Search Central, Search Generative AI performance reports in Search Console: https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2026/06/gen-ai-performance-reports
• Bing Webmaster Tools, AI Performance: https://www.bing.com/webmasters/help/ai-performance-9f8e7d6c
• Bing Webmaster Blog, Introducing AI Performance in Bing Webmaster Tools Public Preview: https://blogs.bing.com/webmaster/February-2026/Introducing-AI-Performance-in-Bing-Webmaster-Tools-Public-Preview
• OpenAI Help Center, Publishers and Developers FAQ: https://help.openai.com/en/articles/12627856