What is GEO positioning?

The GEO positioning (Generative Engine Optimization) positioning is the optimization of your digital presence to increase the likelihood that generative systems use you as a reference when answering questions. In traditional SEO, the prize was the click on your result. In GEO, the prize is being part of the answer: having your site become reliable “raw material” that the generative engine uses and, when appropriate, cites.

Why is GEO positioning growing?

This is growing because search is changing: more and more queries involve users wanting a quick explanation, comparisons, or clear step-by-step guidance. And that’s where AI-powered engines try to summarize, combine, and explain. Google, in fact, emphasizes that the fundamentals still apply: focusing on your visitors and creating original, satisfying content helps you perform better in its AI search experiences. 

GEO vs. SEO: it’s not a replacement, it’s an evolution

The GEO positioning doesn’t replace SEO—it depends on it. If your website can’t be crawled, indexed, or understood, there’s nothing to “optimize for AI.” Google sums it up in its core model: first it crawls, then it indexes, and then it serves results. If you fail at the first step, you won’t show up in traditional results or in generative experiences.

The practical difference is the goal and the format. SEO aims for rankings and clicks. GEO aims for understanding, extraction, and trust. That pushes you to write more clearly, structure better, demonstrate real expertise, and organize information so it’s easy to “cite” without losing context.

How AI-powered engines evaluate your content

No one outside each platform knows the exact formula, but Google is clear about the kind of content it prioritizes: helpful, trustworthy, created for people, and not made to manipulate rankings. In other words, GEO positioning is earned when your website answers better than the rest—and does so in a way that’s easy to interpret.

There’s also a key point: avoid mass-produced, repetitive content made just to fill up your site. Google defines and penalizes “scaled content abuse,” which basically means producing large amounts of content with no real value in order to manipulate search results. If your GEO strategy turns into a factory of generic texts, you’ll end up hurting your company’s or brand’s results. 

What your website needs to compete in GEO positioning?

“Citable” content: clarity, context, and complete answers

For an AI generative engine to use you as a source, your content needs to hold up in a quick read. The answers that get cited tend to include clear definitions, concrete steps, examples, and boundaries. It’s not enough to sound good—you need to explain what matters without fluff. In practice, it works very well when you open each section with a main idea, develop it with context, and close with an actionable takeaway.

Demonstrable authority: experience, specialization, and trust signals

It’s not about saying “we’re experts”—it’s about proving it. Author pages, an “about us” section, real cases, a clear methodology, and content that clearly comes from hands-on experience. In its helpful content guidance, Google emphasizes that content should benefit people and be trustworthy.

Here, Gulupa Digital, has a natural advantage when working on SEO: a focus on personalized strategy, ongoing monitoring, and continuous optimization aligns with building an asset that grows through data—not assumptions.

Understandable structure: H1–H4 hierarchy and clean semantics

In GEO, headings are more than aesthetics. They help a system understand what’s a definition, what’s a guide, what’s a comparison, and what’s a recommendation. Keep a clean hierarchy and avoid mixing topics. If an article answers both “what it is” and “how to do it,” separate it with clear H2s and use H3s to go deeper without drifting.

Structured data: helping search engines “read” better

The structured data isn’t a magic trick, but it is a way to give Google explicit signals about what’s on the page. Google explains that it uses structured data to understand content and enable rich results, as long as you follow its policies and what you mark up matches what users actually see.

In terms of GEO positioning, this helps reinforce context: what your organization is, who the author is, what type of content you’re publishing, and how relevant entities within the topic relate to each other.

Practical GEO positioning strategy for companies in Colombia

Start with intent, not isolated keywords

The keyword “GEO positioning” is the anchor for this topic, but what drives results are the questions around it. What is someone looking for when they type that? Usually they want to understand the definition, the differences vs. SEO, how to apply it, what tools to use, and how to measure it. If your content covers those intents thoroughly, you’re more likely to be used as a reference.

Build “clusters” that support each other

A single article can rank, but a content system ranks better. A pillar (like this one) should link to supporting satellite content: “GEO for ecommerce,” “GEO and B2B content,” “how to prepare FAQs for generative search,” “how to structure a step-by-step guide,” and so on. This helps traditional SEO and reinforces topical authority, which also increases your chances in AI-driven experiences.

Strengthen technical SEO so you don’t miss out from the foundation

Before thinking about GEO, make sure the basics are covered: proper indexing, clear architecture, reasonable load times, accessible content, and no unnecessary blocks. Google has extensive documentation on crawling and indexing and how Search works—if your site is hard to crawl, it simply can’t compete.

How to measure whether your GEO positioning is improving

GEO measurement is still evolving, but there are clear signals. First, if your content climbs in organic rankings and improves clicks and impressions, you’re on the right track. Second, if your pages gain visibility for long-tail queries (the ones that look like questions), you’re moving into the kind of search where generative answers often show up. Third, check which pieces drive longer time on page and better navigation paths—this usually indicates the content is satisfying intent, which is exactly what Google aims to reward.

Common mistakes that hold you back in GEO positioning

The number one mistake is writing to “please the algorithm.” Google has been consistent on this: it prioritizes helpful, trustworthy, people-first content. The second mistake is flooding your site with repetitive or low-value content, which can fall into practices considered spam, such as scaled content that isn’t genuinely useful. The third mistake is ignoring structure: text without hierarchy, clear definitions, or complete answers becomes hard to reuse in a generative response.