The Core Difference
SEO optimizes for rankings in a list. GEO optimizes to be cited within a generated answer, which often contains only two or three recommendations.
What Stays the Same
Crawlable, high-quality content, unambiguous facts, and trusted mentions on other websites.
What GEO Adds
Machine-readable facts (Schema.org, llms.txt).
Direct answers to specific queries rather than keyword pages.
Measurement within AI system responses rather than SERP positions.
Which Measures Help Both
Consistent master data, content addressing guest questions, hreflang, and mentions contribute to both Google and AI simultaneously. Schema.org helps Google indirectly, while llms.txt is solely for AI. A measure-by-measure breakdown is available in the guide 'GEO and SEO: Which Actions Help Both'.