Listen: What is AI SEO?

Traditional search engine optimization is changing. Instead of competing for a high position in a list of links, brands must now compete for a presence inside the generated answer itself.

This is AI SEO, also known as generative engine optimization, or GEO. It is the practice of optimizing content so artificial intelligence systems select, cite, and accurately represent a brand when answering a user's query.

AI models build their answers in four stages. First, they interpret a question and identify the brands already associated with the topic. Next, they retrieve source material. Then, they synthesize the answer, drawing on passages that are easy to extract. Finally, they select which brands to name and which sources to cite.

While traditional SEO remains the essential foundation for search crawlers, AI SEO shifts the focus from the whole page to the individual passage. To succeed, brands must build strong topic associations, structure their content so it can be easily extracted, and earn coverage on trusted sites that models treat as authoritative.

In this new era, visibility is measured by how often a brand is mentioned and cited. The ultimate goal is to ensure that when an AI system generates an answer, your brand is the one it chooses.