SEO vs GEO: What Google Says

Google has clarified that businesses may not need a separate Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) strategy to appear in AI-powered search results.

Google’s View on GEO and SEO

As AI search continues to grow, many businesses are looking for new ways to improve their visibility in tools such as Google’s AI-generated search results. This has led to the rise of GEO, with some SEO professionals offering services specifically focused on AI search.

However, Google’s John Mueller has suggested that businesses do not need to treat GEO as a completely separate discipline from traditional SEO.

Does GEO Matter for Certain Industries?

The question came from a user asking whether there are industries where GEO is less important, particularly sectors such as adult services and gambling where Google Search remains a major source of traffic.

Mueller’s response was that, from Google’s perspective, there is nothing particularly different that websites need to do to appear in generative AI responses.

This suggests that businesses in these industries can continue to focus on established SEO practices rather than creating a completely separate strategy for AI search.

Why Traditional SEO Still Matters

Google’s AI-powered search features rely heavily on information gathered through its existing search index. AI responses can draw from pages that Google has already crawled and indexed, as well as additional searches generated to find more relevant information.

As a result, strong traditional SEO remains an important part of achieving visibility in AI-powered search.

For businesses, this means focusing on areas such as useful content, technical SEO, crawlability, indexing and overall website quality can continue to support visibility across both traditional and AI search.

What This Means for Businesses

The growing interest in GEO does not necessarily mean businesses need to completely change their SEO strategies.

Instead, websites should continue building a strong SEO foundation while keeping an eye on how AI search develops. Creating reliable, useful and accessible content can help a website remain visible as search continues to evolve.