SEO vs. GEO SEO alone is no longer enough: How your website remains visible in times of Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO)
Google, ChatGPT and Perplexity are transforming search - and your website is feeling the effects. They are not only changing how users find information, but also how content becomes visible. If you don't rethink now, you risk becoming invisible on the web.
What is happening right now?
Since March 2025, Google in Germany has been displaying an AI-generated summary for many search queries - directly above the traditional search results. This is based on the Gemini language model, which combines information from various sources. ChatGPT Search, Perplexity AI and other platforms also rely on similar technologies. Websites are noticeably losing clicks because users either receive answers directly on the search results page or search on other platforms straight away.
Why are the click rates falling?
Google used to direct users to websites where they could find the answers they were looking for - today, Google provides the answers itself and binds users more closely to its own platform. The new AI overview combines content from different sources into a stand-alone text. The links to the original pages? They slide further down or disappear completely.
The problem: even pages that rank well remain visible, but are hardly ever clicked on. If you are dependent on organic traffic, you have to adapt.
What is Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)?
Google used to direct users to websites where they could find the answers they were looking for - today, Google provides the answers itself and binds users more closely to its own platform. The new AI overview combines content from different sources into a stand-alone text. The links to the original pages? They slide further down or disappear completely.
The problem: even pages that rank well remain visible, but are hardly ever clicked on. If you rely on organic traffic, you have to adapt: Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO for short) is the answer to this latest development. Instead of just optimising for keywords and rankings, the aim is to prepare content in such a way that it is understood, used and correctly cited by AI systems such as ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity.
In short: SEO ensures clicks. GEO ensures that content is mentioned by AI systems.
Classic SEO vs. GEO
| Classic SEO | GEO |
|---|---|
| Optimisation of position 1 and position zero | Optimisation for machine comprehension and citation |
| Goal: Click on website | Goal: Naming and authority within the AI response |
| Focus: Keywords and backlinks | Focus: Topic structure, semantics and factual strength |
What makes good GEO content?
Good GEO content is characterised by the following things:
- Clear website structure - with content that can be quickly understood through sections, lists or FAQs.
- Markups - using standards such as schema.org that help machines to understand.
- Concise statements - with quotable sentences that offer human insights.
- Genuine expertise in the texts - with the help of personal insights, studies or field reports.
- Topicality - the more up-to-date and precise the content reflects the zeitgeist, the greater the chance of being included in AI answers.
- Trustworthiness - through transparent sources, comprehensible argumentation and clear authorship.
- Consistent tone - content with a factual tone - i.e. content that is constructive, unagitated and not promotional or polarising.
What does this mean specifically for NGOs, associations and political communication?
Topics such as sustainability, inclusion and social justice are complex, multidimensional - and require explanation. This makes trustworthiness and a balanced tone of voice all the more important. Organisations that communicate in a fact-based, well-structured manner and with a clear stance will be considered more frequently in AI-generated responses in future.
The decisive factor here is not just how well-known an organisation is, but how reliable its content is - for example, through comprehensible arguments, transparent sources and recognisable authorship.
Good to know: Wikipedia, government portals and established NGOs currently enjoy an advantage in terms of trust. But with a targeted GEO strategy, smaller organisations can also keep up - if they combine structure, substance and authenticity.
Your path to the GEO strategy
- Audit website: Check structure, topicality and schema markup. Is there any content that Google already indexes but AI systems do not yet recognise?
- Rethink content: From ‘What do my users want to click?’ to ‘What answer do they need?’
- Make trust visible: Work with transparent sources, name responsible authors and supplement statements with studies, interviews or field reports.
- Make expert knowledge visible: Include interviews, original studies, field reports and blog posts on the website.
- Check tone and attitude: Make sure you use factual, empathetic language that builds trust and offers solutions - not mere indignation or advertising promises.
- Patiently test and adapt: GEO needs analysing - which content is cited by AI systems, which is not?
- Selectively exclude where necessary: Decide which content should not be indexed by AI bots via captcha or technical exclusion - for example, if a click on your site remains strategically necessary.
We help you with further development.
SEO will not disappear, but will increasingly be complemented by GEO. In a digital landscape that is increasingly characterised by AI-supported answers, the following applies: those who rethink today will remain visible tomorrow.