What is it?

Generative engine optimisation (GEO) is the process of optimising online content so that it is understood and retrieved by AI-based search engines in response to users’ search queries.

For brands, GEO is about making sure the brand is cited and recommended by AI search engines and conversational models, including ChatGPT.

AI search engines are tools based on AI technologies including natural language processing (NLP), machine learning (ML) and large language models (LLMs).

Not to be confused with: SEO

Search engine optimisation (SEO) is the process of optimising for traditional search engines. GEO is an evolution of SEO.

Unlike traditional search engines, which focus on keyword-based indexing, AI search engines analyse the context, intent and semantics of people’s search queries to produce results.

Why does this matter for the research sector?

AI-generated search is having a huge impact on how consumers access and discover information. 

Half of consumers use AI-based search, according to analysis published by McKinsey in October 2025.

Some brands are using AI monitoring services to understand how often their brand is recommended in AI-generated responses versus competitors.

Adele Jolliffe, head of brand consultants at Kantar, said: “While GEO is often viewed as a tactic to increase visibility and sentiment, if a brand is absent from AI-generated responses, that means it’s falling at the first hurdle. What an AI assistant says now has the power to shape overall brand impressions and equity.

“So, what does this mean for market research? GEO data can inform more than just visibility and sentiment, but only if you're looking at what people are actually searching for, not just the search terms you've defined yourself as the benchmark for success. It’s also important to remember that GEO results must be connected to brand equity and compared with how the brand is remembered in the human mind to ensure GEO strategy supports, not dilutes, overall brand strategy.”

• The full series can be found here.