It's Time to GEO: Why Generative Engine Optimization Is the Term We Should All Be Using
At Lumino, we spend a lot of time thinking about words. (We’re the kind of people who have strong feelings about whether “e-book” still needs the hyphen. It doesn’t. Don’t @ us.)
So naturally, when we started seeing more clients asking how to improve their visibility in AI-generated search results — like Google's AI Overviews or Perplexity’s blurbs — we wanted to know: What do we call this thing?
AEO? SEO 2.0? Neural Network Nudging™?
We vote for: GEO — Generative Engine Optimization.
Here’s why. And why the alternatives should go the way of Ask Jeeves.
First, what are we even optimizing for?
Unlike classic SEO, where your job is to climb the blue-link ladder, GEO is about becoming the answer itself. Generative engines don’t show you 10 results. They summarize, synthesize, and sometimes hallucinate. If you want to be cited in those AI-generated summaries, your content needs to be:
Crawlable
Credible
Context-rich
It’s the wild west of AI visibility. And brands that optimize for traditional search but ignore AI summaries are already falling behind. (And yes, Wikipedia continues to dominate here — we’ll die on that hill.)
Why not AEO? (AI Engine Optimization)
Let’s address the robotic elephant in the room.
AEO sounds like a discount airline.
Or a discontinued chain of department stores! And what's more, if you're someone up-to-date on their acronyms, you know that AEO already means something else in search circles. Google introduced “Answer Engine Optimization” years ago to describe featured snippet strategies. So now people are pushing for one abbreviation with two meanings? No thanks, dudes.
Plus, AI engine optimization is just… vague. Are we optimizing for AI engines? With them? Against them in a dystopian marketing uprising?
Why GEO is better
Let’s break it down:
Generative — speaks directly to the kind of AI models we’re dealing with (LLMs, baby). Not just any engine. Generative ones.
Engine — a hat tip to search engines and their robot overlords.
Optimization — because we love a verb-turned-noun.
Best of all, it’s pronounceable. Say it with us: jee-oh. It has the energy of SEO with a glow-up.
Also spotted in the wild: other contenders
We’ve seen a few other contenders floating around:
Neuro-optimization – Sounds like a supplement sold by a podcaster.
LLM Visibility Strategy – Absolutely accurate. Also absolutely unmarketable.
AI Results Management – This is just crisis PR with a fresh coat of GPT.
Let’s not overthink it. GEO has legs.
So what does GEO look like in practice?
Glad you asked. GEO means thinking beyond keywords and backlinks. It means:
Structuring content so it’s easy for LLMs to quote and synthesize
Building a strong presence on trusted sources (yes, including Wikipedia)
Writing clearly and authoritatively enough that your words can be repurposed in AI summaries without sounding like word salad
At Lumino, we’re already helping clients prepare for the AI search shift — whether that’s building Wikipedia coverage, optimizing web copy, or making sure your brand shows up where and how it counts.
TL;DR: Let’s GEO
The term Generative Engine Optimization gives this new era of search the name it deserves: one that’s precise, playful, and primed for our AI-saturated future.
AEO walked so GEO could run. And we’re already lacing up our sneakers.
Ready to start your GEO journey?
Book a free consultation with our team and find out how your brand can stay visible, even when the search bar becomes a chatbot.
🚀 Contact us.
