GEO — Generative Engine Optimization

GEO is not a replacement for SEO — it is a layer on top of it. A site that ranks poorly in organic search will also perform poorly in AI-generated responses. Fix technical SEO and content quality first; then apply GEO signals.

What AI tools need to cite a source

AI citation requires four conditions, in order of priority:

1. Crawlability — the AI crawler can access the page
2. Passage-level answer density — the page contains a clear, extractable answer
3. Entity clarity — the site/brand/author is a known, unambiguous entity
4. Freshness signals — the content has a visible, accurate publication date

Missing any of these blocks citation even if the content is excellent.