What is a generative engine optimization agency?

A generative engine optimization agency helps brands appear in AI-generated answers across platforms like ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity, and Gemini. GEO agencies differ from SEO agencies in what they optimize for. SEO targets rankings in search results. GEO targets getting your brand cited when AI systems synthesize answers. Research from Ahrefs found only about 12% overlap between AI citations and Google's top 10 organic results. ChatGPT specifically shows just 8% overlap. Ranking well on Google doesn't automatically mean AI tools will cite you. They prioritize clarity, data specificity, and trust signals over traditional ranking factors. AEO (answer engine optimization) is a subset of GEO focused on the answer-retrieval layer.