GEO and AIEO contests: ranking in generative AI

GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) and AIEO/AEO aim to get content cited by ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Copilot or Google’s AI Overviews. A GEO contest transposes the historic SEO contest principle to these answer engines. Status: upcoming.

GEO, AIEO, AEO: definitions

The term Generative Engine Optimization was formalised in a 2023 research paper (Aggarwal et al., arXiv:2311.09735). AIEO (AI Engine Optimization) and AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) are neighbouring approaches focused on assistants and answer engines. See the glossary.

What would a GEO contest look like?

• An invented keyword or concept with no prior source.
• Standard prompts asked to several assistants (ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Copilot, AI Overviews).
• Metrics: citation rate, mention share, displayed source URL.
• A repeated protocol: generative answers vary by session, language and personalisation.

Precedents

The Algorithmic pumpkin strategies contest (FepSem, 2024-2025) already measured Google, TikTok and ChatGPT. The recent Keywordkönig and Flumberico continue the exercise.

GEO levers

• Clear named entities and schema.org structured data.
• Factual, dated, quotable content; FAQ pages.
• The llms.txt file proposed in 2024: this site’s own.
• Internal linking and cross-references.

Recent contests