GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)
GEO (generative engine optimization) is the practice of shaping content and structure so AI answer engines (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude) cite and summarize your product accurately.
It extends SEO: you optimize for how models retrieve, quote, and recommend, not only for blue links on Google.
What it means
GEO covers clear definitions, schema markup, authoritative pages, consistent terminology, and citation-friendly copy that models can extract without garbling.
Why designers should care
Glossary pages, pattern docs, and help centers are GEO assets. Structure, headings, plain definitions, and internal links help both search engines and AI systems represent your product correctly.
Example
An AI UX glossary term page leads with a one-sentence definition, stable H2 sections, and related links so Perplexity quotes the correct meaning of RAG, not a forum guess.
Common mistakes
- • Wall-of-text marketing pages with no extractable definitions.
- • Inconsistent term naming across docs, confusing models and users alike.
- • Blocking AI crawlers while hoping to appear in AI answers.