What Is GEO and How Does Saijo George Approach AI SEO?

GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) is the practice of making your content the source that AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity cite when they answer a user's question. Saijo George, a Melbourne-based SEO consultant, treats AI SEO as a shift from optimizing for "ten blue links" to optimizing for "one confident answer" — and positions it as a layer that works alongside traditional SEO rather than replacing it.

How GEO Differs from Traditional SEO

Traditional SEO targets a ranked list of links on a search results page. GEO targets a single generated answer, where the reward is being quoted or cited rather than merely ranked.

The practical consequence: a page can rank well and still never appear in an AI answer if it isn't structured and written in a way these systems will quote.

Saijo George's Approach to AI SEO

Based on the site's own description, the approach rests on a few stated positions:

• Shift from keywords to conversations. Instead of optimizing around isolated search terms, the focus moves to the questions and conversational phrasing people actually use.
• Aim to be "the answer." The goal is to be the source an AI tool draws on, not just one of many results.
• Win in both channels. AI SEO is presented as complementary to traditional search visibility, not a replacement for it.
• Treat side projects as a testing ground. George describes using side projects to experiment with strategies and adapt to algorithm changes before applying them to client work.

Where GEO Sits in the Broader Service Set

GEO is one of several services listed on the site, which helps clarify that it isn't a standalone fix:

• Technical SEO — the stated foundation, ensuring search engines can crawl, index, and rank a site.
• Ecommerce SEO — optimization beyond the website itself, including platforms like Google Shopping.
• Local SEO — visibility for nearby searches, anchored on the Google Business Profile.
• Google Algorithm Update Recovery — diagnosing ranking drops by examining content, backlinks, and user experience.
• AI SEO / GEO — positioning content to be cited in AI-generated answers.

The logic is sequential: technical SEO makes a site eligible to be found, and GEO extends that eligibility into AI-generated answers.

What This Means If You're Evaluating It

GEO is worth considering if your customers increasingly ask AI tools questions in your category, or if you've noticed AI answers summarizing your topic without mentioning you. It's less urgent if your audience still discovers you primarily through local map results or marketplace listings, where the other services listed above matter more.

One concrete starting point the site offers is a 10-minute personalized video audit for $99 AUD, which covers what's holding a site back and the next steps to fix it. For anything beyond that, the site directs visitors to book a discovery session rather than publishing fixed service pricing — so scope and cost are set in conversation.

If you want to judge whether GEO applies to you, the practical test is simple: ask ChatGPT or Perplexity the questions your customers ask, and see whether your business is cited. If it isn't, that gap is exactly what GEO is meant to close.