Generative Engine Optimization: How to Dominate AI Search

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Chen, Mahe, Wang, Xiaoxuan, Chen, Kaiwen, Koudas, Nick
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Chen, Mahe
Wang, Xiaoxuan
Chen, Kaiwen
Koudas, Nick
author_facet Chen, Mahe
Wang, Xiaoxuan
Chen, Kaiwen
Koudas, Nick
contents The rapid adoption of generative AI-powered search engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini is fundamentally reshaping information retrieval, moving from traditional ranked lists to synthesized, citation-backed answers. This shift challenges established Search Engine Optimization (SEO) practices and necessitates a new paradigm, which we term Generative Engine Optimization (GEO). This paper presents a comprehensive comparative analysis of AI Search and traditional web search (Google). Through a series of large-scale, controlled experiments across multiple verticals, languages, and query paraphrases, we quantify critical differences in how these systems source information. Our key findings reveal that AI Search exhibit a systematic and overwhelming bias towards Earned media (third-party, authoritative sources) over Brand-owned and Social content, a stark contrast to Google's more balanced mix. We further demonstrate that AI Search services differ significantly from each other in their domain diversity, freshness, cross-language stability, and sensitivity to phrasing. Based on these empirical results, we formulate a strategic GEO agenda. We provide actionable guidance for practitioners, emphasizing the critical need to: (1) engineer content for machine scannability and justification, (2) dominate earned media to build AI-perceived authority, (3) adopt engine-specific and language-aware strategies, and (4) overcome the inherent "big brand bias" for niche players. Our work provides the foundational empirical analysis and a strategic framework for achieving visibility in the new generative search landscape.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2509_08919
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Generative Engine Optimization: How to Dominate AI Search
Chen, Mahe
Wang, Xiaoxuan
Chen, Kaiwen
Koudas, Nick
Information Retrieval
Artificial Intelligence
Computation and Language
Machine Learning
Social and Information Networks
The rapid adoption of generative AI-powered search engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini is fundamentally reshaping information retrieval, moving from traditional ranked lists to synthesized, citation-backed answers. This shift challenges established Search Engine Optimization (SEO) practices and necessitates a new paradigm, which we term Generative Engine Optimization (GEO). This paper presents a comprehensive comparative analysis of AI Search and traditional web search (Google). Through a series of large-scale, controlled experiments across multiple verticals, languages, and query paraphrases, we quantify critical differences in how these systems source information. Our key findings reveal that AI Search exhibit a systematic and overwhelming bias towards Earned media (third-party, authoritative sources) over Brand-owned and Social content, a stark contrast to Google's more balanced mix. We further demonstrate that AI Search services differ significantly from each other in their domain diversity, freshness, cross-language stability, and sensitivity to phrasing. Based on these empirical results, we formulate a strategic GEO agenda. We provide actionable guidance for practitioners, emphasizing the critical need to: (1) engineer content for machine scannability and justification, (2) dominate earned media to build AI-perceived authority, (3) adopt engine-specific and language-aware strategies, and (4) overcome the inherent "big brand bias" for niche players. Our work provides the foundational empirical analysis and a strategic framework for achieving visibility in the new generative search landscape.
title Generative Engine Optimization: How to Dominate AI Search
topic Information Retrieval
Artificial Intelligence
Computation and Language
Machine Learning
Social and Information Networks
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.08919