# Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)

> Optimizing content to be cited and surfaced by AI answer engines, the way SEO optimized for search rankings.

_The Agentic Web Lexicon · /glossary/geo · [JSON](/api/glossary/geo) · [all The Agentic Web Lexicon](/glossary)_

- **term:** Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)
- **category:** optimization
- **short_def:** Optimizing content to be cited and surfaced by AI answer engines, the way SEO optimized for search rankings.
- **long_def:** The term was coined in the 2023 research paper 'GEO: Generative Engine Optimization' by Pranjal Aggarwal, Vishvak Murahari et al. (Princeton University and collaborators), later published at KDD 2024. Because AI engines summarize and cite rather than list ten blue links, GEO favors clear, structured, quotable, well-sourced content. Often discussed alongside AEO (Answer Engine Optimization).
- **see_also:** json-ld, grounding, agentic-web
- **etymology_origin:** Coined by Pranjal Aggarwal, Vishvak Murahari, Tanmay Rajpurohit, Ashwin Kalyan, Karthik Narasimhan and Ameet Deshpande in 'GEO: Generative Engine Optimization', arXiv 2311.09735 (November 2023); published at ACM SIGKDD (KDD 2024), August 2024.
- **related_to:** json-ld, grounding, agent-experience, agentic-web
- **contrast_with:** Unlike SEO, which optimizes for ranking position in a list of links, GEO optimizes for inclusion and citation inside a generated answer — the unit of success is a citation, not a rank.
- **example:** The seminal GEO paper (arXiv 2311.09735, November 2023) introduced the term and was presented at KDD 2024.
- **source:** https://arxiv.org/abs/2311.09735
- **status:** active
- **why_it_matters:** GEO is the optimization discipline a content owner uses to get cited by AI answer engines; it bridges traditional SEO audiences into agent-readiness.
- **sameAs:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generative_engine_optimization
- **bridge_entity:** geo
- **last_verified:** 2026-06-15
- **md_twin:** /glossary/geo.md