What is GEO, and how is it different from SEO?

What appears in search results and AI answers?

SEO helps search engines discover pages and understand their content. GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) also considers how generative search finds and cites a clinic or its content. For example, look for a link to the ‘First Visit Guide’ in search results. In AI answers, check whether the answer cites that page and reports clinic hours correctly.

Google says its basic SEO recommendations apply to AI Overviews and AI Mode. To be eligible as a supporting link, a page must be indexed by Google and eligible to appear with a snippet in search results. For ChatGPT Search, check whether its search crawler, OAI-SearchBot, can read the public page. Actual visibility and recommendations can still vary even when the platform’s access requirements are met.

Which results should you record?

‘What are [clinic name]’s Saturday hours?’ is a branded query because the person already knows the clinic. ‘I’m looking for a [specialty] in [area] that sees patients on Saturdays’ is a non-branded query that asks for options. Keep these queries separate to distinguish how well answers explain a known clinic from whether they surface it for someone discovering their options.

• Record whether the answer mentions the clinic and whether it recommends the clinic as an option that meets the request.
• If it includes a source link, check the domain and exact page URL.
• Compare facts such as hours, phone number, and address with the official page.

Where should you start on the website?

Publish the phone number, address, hours, and services actually offered as text. Link to first-visit and detailed service pages in the navigation. Patients who land on a deep link from search or AI should be able to identify the clinic and find their next step.