Ahoy, matey! We’re entering uncharted waters — new lands where old maps are no longer accurate.
Just as Magellan once sailed beyond the horizon, naming newly discovered routes as he went, today’s marketers are navigating the unknown frontier of AI-driven discovery. In this vast, shifting landscape, the familiar search engine is no longer the only gatekeeper of organic web visibility.
AI chatbots powered by large language models are surfacing content directly to users, bypassing a growing share of the clicks and impressions that traditional SEO once delivered in spades. But what do we call this new discipline, this next organic optimization strategy? That’s the question at the heart of this post. We’ll explore the competing terms — AI Optimization (AIO), Large Language Model Optimization (LLMO), and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) — and break down what we think each actually means by comparing them against a set of considerations to declare a winner.
Search Volume Comparison
When considering adoption of a term, either in general or for marketing purposes, we always like to get the Search Volume and other metrics from SEMrush to get a sense of how many others are looking for this term on Google (USA). Keyword difficulty (1-100 scale) can tell us how many other websites are targeting each term, which reveals that this term potentially already exists in a vastly different context.
Top 10 Google Search Results and Semantic Considerations
Google Search of “AIO”
One major issue with adopting “AIO” as our new category of optimization is that this already exists as an abbreviation for “all-in-one” / “all-in-one liquid coolers” for computing systems as indicated from the Google AI Overview. Additionally, there is a company that makes an AI-powered lending platform. These findings explain the super-high search volume (74,000).
We don’t want to be competing with established products or companies. Even if we could wedge into the top rankings over time, there would be a large amount of irrelevant impressions when a user is looking for these instead of the new SEO strategy.
Google Search of “AI Optimization”
“AI optimization” has clearer search intent, yet Google — and by proxy the market — seems to think that it means two things. The AI Overview defines it more in terms of optimizing the underlying models and systems (AI infrastructure) that generate the answers and not the attempt to influence the answers (outputs) themselves. However, the top two organic results in Google differ. One (Digital Success) likens the term to optimizing your content for AI results and the ever-present Tech Target is more about optimizing AI models in the backend.
Google Search of “GEO”
“GEO” means a lot of different things which means this is not a great term to adopt. During our research, there was no AI Overview on Google, but there was a rich snippet for Gene Expression Omnibus from Wikipedia. The top five organic positions on Google consist of a variety of things: two non-profits (doing different things), a global sustainability organization, a stock symbol, and a dictionary definition for “earth/ground.”
This range of meanings is unfortunate because if we were to adopt the full spelling (“generative engine optimization”) the abbreviation would be almost useless compared to how unique and clear “SEO” has become.
Google Search of “Generative Engine Optimization”
A front-runner has emerged with “Generative Engine Optimization.” The current AI Overview is pretty much spot-on, and the top three organic results (and beyond) all define this term in the same vein that encapsulates the process and strategy we are trying to solidify. Using the word “generative” with “optimization” implies that the optimization that is being done is for the output of the AI models and not the overall performance of the model as “AI Optimization” can imply.
Google Search of “LLMO”
“LLMO” does not have any issues with already having other established meanings, which already makes this a solid choice. Additionally, Google’s top three results — and really all the results we saw — define this term exactly in the way we are looking for. The only pushback we can see in some of the results and what ChatGPT says is that LLMO is a more technical way to say GEO.
Google Search of “Large Language Model Optimization”
Now this is interesting. Despite “LLMO” being almost a perfect fit, when you search the full term of “Large Language Model Optimization” the results show a stark difference. The AI Overview is similar to “AIO,” where it becomes more about making LLMs more dynamic and capable instead of optimizing content to feed into them. The top organic results reflect this understanding as they are more geared towards LLM engineering. This difference between “LLMO” and “Large Language Model Optimization” is almost upsetting.
What Do Other Subject Matter Experts Say?
We compiled this short list of respected publications and what camp they are in.
- Digital Success: AI Optimization (AIO)
- Search Engine Land: Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)
- Forbes: Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)
- Morning Score: Large Language Model Optimization (LLMO)
- Ahrefs: Large Language Model Optimization (LLMO)
- + all three?
What Does ChatGPT Think About This Debate?
We asked ChatGPT to produce a score sheet of websites that say it should be called “GEO” vs “AIO” vs “LLMO” by comparing the top 100 Google Ranked sites. And although it could not produce a nice scoresheet of data, this is what it returned:
- GEO (Generative Engine Optimization): This term is prominently featured across multiple reputable sources, including Search Engine Land, Forbes, and HubSpot. It is also the subject of academic research, indicating a strong and growing consensus around its usage.
- AIO (AI Optimization): While mentioned in some contexts, AIO lacks widespread adoption among major publications and is less commonly used to describe strategies for optimizing content for AI-generated search results.
- LLMO (Large Language Model Optimization): This term appears primarily in academic discussions and has not been widely adopted in mainstream marketing literature.
In summary, Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) stands out as the leading term embraced by industry professionals and scholars alike for optimizing content visibility in AI-driven search environments.
And the Winner is… Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)
Just as Darwin once encountered strange new species and was faced with the task of naming and classifying them to make sense of an unfamiliar world, marketers today are confronting a new digital ecosystem shaped by AI.
After surveying the emerging terminology and weighing clarity, relevance, and traction, we believe the strongest contender is Generative Engine Optimization (while also avoiding “GEO” by itself as an abbreviation because of the many existing and differing definitions).
While LLMO was a close second and may serve as a useful synonym in the near term, its more technical phrasing and lower search volume (20 monthly searches in the U.S. compared to 590 for Generative Engine Optimization)—suggest it may not resonate as broadly or intuitively.
The gap in meaning between the acronym LLMO and its full form further muddies the waters. Generative Engine Optimization, on the other hand, clearly conveys its purpose: optimizing for the generative engines that are now shaping how people discover, evaluate, and engage with content.
If we’re choosing a flag to plant on this new frontier, this is the one we believe is most likely to endure.
No matter what you decide to call it, optimizing your content for generative AI platforms requires a precise strategy — one that’s very similar to traditional SEO. Firebrand’s Digital Marketing experts can chart a course that maximizes visibility for your tech brand.
About the Author
Alastair is Senior Vice President of Digital Marketing at Firebrand Communications. With over 15 years of both creative and analytical marketing he combines wisdom from both arenas to drive measurable and memorable marketing results for clients. Prior to joining Firebrand, Alastair has been a web designer, creative specialist, and PMM, for a tech manufacturing company, entertainment agency, and mobile gaming startup.
