# GEO vs SEO: what is the difference? | QANATONE > GEO and SEO side by side: what each aims for, how each is measured, where they overlap, and what a GEO service actually covers. Source: https://www.qanatone.com/en/nedir/geo-ile-seo-farki/ --- [Explainers](https://www.qanatone.com/en/nedir/) # GEO vs SEO: what is the difference? 22 Oct 2026 2 min read Marketing · GEO GEO and SEO side by side: what each aims for, how each is measured, where they overlap, and what a GEO service actually covers. ## The short answer SEO is the work of getting a business into the top results of a search engine's results page. GEO (generative engine optimization) is the work of getting the business named inside the answers written by tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google's AI Overviews. With SEO the result is a ranking; with GEO it is a written answer. Both rest on the same foundations: a site machines can read, pages that answer the question properly, and an identity that can be trusted. Some assistants pull pages from search results while they write, so a site that cannot be found in search is also less likely to turn up in an AI answer. ## Side by side - **Goal:** for SEO, a top position in the results list; for GEO, being mentioned in the assistant's answer and shown as a source. - **Measure:** for SEO, position, impressions and clicks (Search Console); for GEO, the share of answers to a set of questions that name you. - **What the user sees:** for SEO, a list of links; for GEO, one written answer that names a few businesses. - **Core work:** for SEO, technical set-up, content and links; for GEO, all of that plus an identity machines can read (structured data), paragraphs that answer the question in their first sentence, and consistent mentions on other sites, from industry directories to [communities such as Reddit](https://www.qanatone.com/en/hizmetler/reddit-pazarlama/). - **Volatility:** SEO positions move over weeks and months; with GEO the same question gets a slightly different answer each time, so you need repeated measurement rather than a single check. ## Where do they overlap? Heading structure, page speed, clean URLs and schema.org structured data help both. Google's AI Overviews are built from pages in Google's own index; a page that is not indexed will not appear there either. That is why splitting the two across separate teams is an unnecessary cost for most businesses. Run on one plan, a fix made to a page pays off in both channels at once. ## What does a GEO service cover? - **Visibility test:** putting questions about your sector to several assistants and recording which answers mention you and who is named alongside you. - **Identity clean-up:** making sure your name, services, location and contact details read the same on your site, in your structured data and in outside listings. - **Citable content:** pages that answer each important customer question within their first sentences. - **Repeat measurement:** asking the same set of questions again at regular intervals and comparing how often you appear. We cover the steps in detail in [how to do GEO](https://www.qanatone.com/en/nedir/geo-nasil-yapilir/), and our own approach on the [GEO service](https://www.qanatone.com/en/hizmetler/geo/) page. Treat any GEO proposal that guarantees results with caution: no agency controls what an assistant says. ## More articles [Marketing · Google Ads ### How to choose a Google Ads agency, and how fees work 22 Oct 2026 · 2 min](https://www.qanatone.com/en/nedir/google-ads-ajansi-nasil-secilir/)[Marketing · SEO ### How to choose an SEO agency, and what drives the cost 22 Oct 2026 · 2 min](https://www.qanatone.com/en/nedir/seo-ajansi-nasil-secilir/)[Marketing · Google Ads ### How to run Google Ads: setting up a first campaign 30 Sep 2026 · 2 min](https://www.qanatone.com/en/nedir/google-reklami-nasil-verilir/)[Export · Support ### How to get export support in Turkey: the steps 30 Sep 2026 · 2 min](https://www.qanatone.com/en/nedir/ihracat-destegi-nasil-alinir/)[Marketing · Meta Ads ### How to run Instagram ads: setup step by step 30 Sep 2026 · 2 min](https://www.qanatone.com/en/nedir/instagram-reklami-nasil-verilir/)[Marketing · SEO ### How to do SEO: the steps to show up on Google 30 Sep 2026 · 2 min](https://www.qanatone.com/en/nedir/seo-nasil-yapilir/)[Automation · WhatsApp ### How to set up WhatsApp auto-replies: three ways 30 Sep 2026 · 2 min](https://www.qanatone.com/en/nedir/whatsapp-otomatik-cevap-nasil-kurulur/)[Export · Finding Buyers ### How to find customers abroad: steps for exporters 30 Sep 2026 · 2 min](https://www.qanatone.com/en/nedir/yurt-disi-musteri-nasil-bulunur/)