SEO & GEO · The overlap and the difference

Is SEO the same as GEO?

Why does AI visibility differ from SEO?

SEO helps people find you in search results. GEO (generative engine optimisation) addresses how you appear in AI answers. The work overlaps, and the results need to be checked separately.

Ghostart's report compares 21 levers and classifies 11 as shared. See which work serves both, and where each needs its own attention.

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Free report · October 2026

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Six pages. All 21 levers, the evidence behind them and what changed since July.

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The report groups 21 levers into 11 shared, four SEO-only, four GEO-only and two partial overlaps.
The full SEO / GEO lever matrix. Updated 23 October 2026.

What's inside the report

Where the work overlaps
The report maps shared work such as answer-first pages, clear business information, credible coverage and local presence.
Where the work differs
Compare search rankings with AI mentions and citations, and see why each needs its own measurement.
What changed in 2026
The October edition revisits local presence, server-side rendering and structured data, with corrections explained.
The evidence for each lever
Named sources, labelled vendor studies and a distinction between correlations and causes.
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