# What is GEO? Generative engine optimization

German title: Was ist GEO? Generative Engine Optimization

> Generative engine optimization (GEO) was described by Aggarwal et al. (arXiv, November 2023) as a black-box framework with which creators can improve the visibility of their content in generative search answers. The authors report an increase of up to 40 percent in their GEO-bench benchmark; the effect depends on the domain.

Manfred Sulzmann: “GEO is not keyword stuffing 2.0. It is machine-readable clarity: one claim, one proof, one FAQ—and a silo that holds topics together.”

## Facts

- **Source:** Aggarwal et al., arXiv 2311.09735 (v3: 28 Jun 2024)
- **Result:** up to 40% more visibility in the benchmark
- **Benchmark:** GEO-bench

## What the study says

- Generative engines use large language models to gather information from multiple sources and write direct answers.
- According to the authors creators lack control over whether and how their content appears.
- GEO is a black-box framework for improving visibility; GEO-bench is a test set of queries with associated web sources.
- Result: “up to 40 percent” more visibility. “Up to” means best value in the test, not an average. The effect varies by domain.

## Limits

The results come from the study's test systems (version 3 of 28 June 2024). They do not automatically transfer to ChatGPT, Perplexity or Google's AI Overviews. For Google: there is no special optimization for AI Overviews.

## Sources

- Aggarwal et al.: GEO: Generative Engine Optimization (arXiv 2311.09735v3) (primary source)
- Google Search Central: AI features and your website (primary source)

Checked on: 24 October 2026.

## Questions

### Does GEO differ from AEO?

GEO has a source in the research literature (Aggarwal et al.). AEO is an industry term without a formal definition. In practice they overlap.

### How much does GEO deliver?

The study reports up to 40 percent in its own benchmark. For other systems or websites that is not verified.

### Does GEO also help with SEO?

That is not verified.

## Related

- [Evidence and credibility: making sources visible](https://munichmedia.com/reports/evidenz-und-glaubwuerdigkeit.md)
- [Internal linking & topic silos](https://munichmedia.com/reports/interne-verlinkung-themen-silos.md)
- [Schema.org for AEO: what is verified](https://munichmedia.com/reports/aeo-schema-org-basis.md)

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