If you’re feeling like digital marketing has become a bit of an alphabet soup, you’re not alone. First, we mastered SEO, then we learned all about AEO, and now we need to understand GEO.
Where does GEO fit in? Is it just a new name for the same thing, or is it a different beast entirely?
To stay ahead in the travel space, you need to understand that while SEO targets search engines and AEO targets user questions, GEO targets the generative process itself.
What is GEO?
Generative engine optimisation, or GEO, is the practice of preparing content so it is optimally used by AI systems that create new content, rather than simply ranking or being cited. Think of it as designing your content to be “AI-friendly” for generative tools.
Where AEO focuses on ensuring your brand is mentioned in responses to specific questions, GEO focuses on being included in content that AI tools produce from scratch. For example:
A traveller asks an AI tool: “Plan a 7-day Serengeti itinerary for families.” A well-optimised GEO approach increases the likelihood that the AI includes a specific hotel or tour operator in its generated itinerary.
AI-generated content like social media posts or blog summaries can automatically feature your travel brand when your content is structured, clear, and authoritative.
For travel businesses, GEO means creating referenceable, structured, and authoritative content. like blog posts, guides, FAQs, and itineraries that AI systems recognise and incorporate when generating outputs.
How does GEO differ from AEO and SEO?
To understand GEO, it helps to compare it with SEO and AEO.
SEO
- Goal: Increase clicks and web traffic.
- Output: Appears in search engine result listings.
- Success metrics: Rankings, impressions, click-through rates, organic traffic.
- Example: Ranking page one for “luxury safari lodges Kenya.”
AEO
- Goal: Be cited in AI-generated answers.
- Output: AI-powered answers to traveller queries.
- Success metrics: Mentions by AI, entity recognition, inclusion in AI answers.
- Example: ChatGPT suggests your lodge when asked, “Where should I stay in Kenya for a safari?”
GEO
- Goal: Ensure AI generates content featuring your brand.
- Output: AI-generated blogs, itineraries, social posts, or chat recommendations.
- Success metrics: Accuracy, inclusion in generative outputs, traffic from AI-driven content.
- Example: AI creates a Kenya itinerary including your resort because your content is structured and authoritative.
Why does GEO matter for travel brands?
Generative AI is becoming a primary source of travel inspiration. Travellers increasingly rely on AI to plan trips, compare destinations, and explore options. If your brand isn’t optimised for these outputs, it risks being invisible even to users who might want your services.
Key benefits for travel businesses include:
- Increased brand awareness: GEO ensures your offerings appear in AI-generated itineraries, travel guides, and recommendations. Even if travellers never search directly, your brand becomes part of their planning process.
- Improved credibility: Being included in AI-generated content signals expertise and authority. It complements traditional SEO and AEO efforts, reinforcing your brand as trustworthy.
- Scalable content exposure: Generative AI can produce thousands of unique outputs from the same source content. GEO maximises the likelihood your brand is represented correctly across these outputs.
How do you optimise for generative engines?
GEO doesn’t replace SEO or AEO – it complements them. For travel brands, the goal is to create content that AI systems can reference and include accurately in generative outputs. Success requires a combination of structure, authority, and human-guided insight. Here’s how to get started:
1. Structure your content for AI
Use clear headings, bullet points, FAQs, and schema markup. AI systems rely on well-organised content to generate accurate outputs.
Beyond standard SEO schema, GEO benefits from entity linking, which explicitly tells AI about your hotels, tours, destinations, or affiliations. For example: “This hotel is located in [Entity: Cape Town], offers [Entity: Sustainable Dining], and is part of [Entity: Leading Hotels of the World].”
2. Adopt a citation-first approach
Generative AI prefers content that can be trusted. Include:
- External citations: Link to official tourism boards, research, or climate data.
- Internal data: Publish original reports, surveys, or statistics, such as “Our 2026 Report on Luxury Travel Trends in Botswana.”
Citing credible sources signals authority, increasing the likelihood AI will reference your content when generating itineraries, guides, or recommendations.
3. Emphasise authoritative, human-guided content
AI draws from the quality of your content. Factually accurate, detailed, and experience-based content aligns with E-E-A-T principles, improving the chance your brand is included. Provide concrete statistics, real guest feedback, and staff expertise. For example: “85% of guests rate our safari guides 10/10, with an average of 12 years’ experience.”
4. Focus on fluency and natural narrative
Even though AI likes data, it also prefers content that reads naturally. Avoid jargon-heavy marketing speak and use clear, narrative-driven descriptions of experiences. Content that’s easy to rephrase or summarise will appear more frequently in generative outputs.
5. Monitor outputs
Regularly review how your brand appears in AI-generated content. Identify gaps, inaccuracies, or opportunities to optimise further. This continuous feedback loop ensures your GEO efforts stay effective.
5. Integrate across channels
GEO works best when it complements SEO and AEO. Structured, authoritative content improves search rankings, strengthens AI citations, and increases inclusion in generative outputs, giving your brand visibility across search engines, AI answers, and AI-generated content.
Why travel brands need GEO in 2026
The travel journey has become non-linear. A traveller might start with a broad AI prompt, like: “I’m burnt out and need a quiet beach holiday within a six-hour flight of London.”
- SEO won’t help yet, because no specific destination has been searched.
- AEO might provide a list of quiet beaches or general suggestions.
- GEO is what convinces the AI to respond: “Based on recent reviews and sustainability ratings, ABC resort on the Red Sea coast of Egypt is currently the top-rated choice for ‘burnout recovery’ trips.”
GEO is about brand sentiment at scale. It ensures your content, expertise, and offerings are recognised and prioritised by AI when it generates new recommendations, itineraries, or guides.
In 2026, travel brands that invest in GEO alongside SEO and AEO will reach travellers wherever discovery happens, before they even know what they’re looking for, and influence their decisions in a meaningful, authentic way.
Ready to make sure your travel brand is included in AI-generated recommendations? Boost Brands can help you implement GEO strategies that complement your SEO and AEO, putting your brand at the centre of the AI-driven travel journey.
