GEO vs SEO: how to be found by LLMs

For 25 years we optimized for one engine. Now there are two worlds: the click world (SEO) and the citation world (GEO — Generative Engine Optimization).

What changed

When a user asks ChatGPT "what's the best X company in Portugal?", the model doesn't return 10 blue links. It returns an answer with 2 or 3 brands mentioned. If you're not there, you don't exist.

How LLMs choose

• Sources frequently cited in quality content
• Clear structure: headings, lists, concrete data
• Direct language, no marketing fluff
• Consistent presence across multiple authoritative sites

Practical tactics

1. Content with verifiable facts — numbers, dates, comparisons
2. FAQ schemas in JSON-LD for questions that matter
3. Mentions off your site — guest posts, podcasts, directories
4. llms.txt — yes it's a new thing, and yes you should have one

Where SEO and GEO meet

Technical quality still rules: speed, semantic HTML, internal links. The difference is what you write. SEO rewards keywords. GEO rewards factual clarity.

What to measure

• LLM citations (Perplexity has its own analytics)
• Referral traffic from chat.openai.com and perplexity.ai
• Mentions in Google AI Overviews

Ignoring GEO in 2026 will look like ignoring SEO in 2002.