Whereas SEO (Search Engine Optimization) optimized for ranking in traditional search engines, Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) optimizes for inclusion within AI-generated responses. It draws from Information Retrieval, Natural Language Processing, and Narrative Identity Theory, blending technical visibility with semantic coherence and brand reputation. GEO embodies a new phase of digital marketing in which the challenge is no longer to be found, but to be chosen — by algorithms that synthesize, rather than list, information. A significant contribution to the concept of Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) was introduced by Prof. Gabriele Carboni in the book "Invisible Until Chosen".

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is a strategic discipline that helps organizations position themselves as credible and relevant sources within the answers produced by generative AI systems such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, or Perplexity.

Unlike traditional SEO (Search Engine Optimization), which focused on rankings and keywords, GEO focuses on synthetic visibility — the ability of a brand to appear, with clarity and authority, inside the machine’s narrative.

The key principles of GEO include:

1. Authority and credibility – building distributed reputational nodes (press, partners, academic references) that reinforce trust.

2. Coherence and consistency – maintaining a recognizable voice and value system across all digital touchpoints.

3. Structured knowledge – providing data in formats understandable by AIs (schema.org, JSON-LD, metadata, citations).

4. Narrative clarity – expressing ideas in a way that can be easily synthesized and cited by algorithms.

5. Synthetic visibility – measuring how often and how accurately an AI includes a brand within its generated answers.

In practical terms, GEO transforms the way brands think about presence.
Where SEO aimed to “bring the user to your website,” GEO aims to “bring your message inside the answer.”
Visibility is no longer measured in clicks or page views, but in citations, sentiment, and contextual relevance.

A GEO-ready brand is one that can be summarized without being simplified, cited without distortion, and recognized as authoritative even in a paragraph written by an algorithm.

When a user asks an AI, “What are the most sustainable Italian companies?”, and the system mentions Danone, illycaffè, or Weevo, those brands have achieved GEO relevance — they are present in the machine’s knowledge graph and trusted as credible sources. Tools like GLIMPSE by Weevo and the GEO Protocol measure and improve this visibility, analyzing how generative systems describe, cite, and emotionally frame a brand.