GEOGEO basics

Introduction GEO - What is it and why now?

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When candidates stop googling

“Which fintech company in Amsterdam has the best engineering culture?”

Previously, a candidate would type this into Google, click through ten results, and slowly form a picture. Now that same candidate pastes the question into an LLM like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude or Gemini and gets an instant answer with concrete company names within seconds.

The question is: is your organisation in that answer?

What is GEO?

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) (also known as AI Optimisation (AIO)) is strategically optimising your employer brand for visibility in AI answers. Not in search results, but in the direct answers generated by LLMs.

The difference with SEO is fundamental:

SEO GEO
Target Ranking high in search results Being mentioned in AI responses
Mechanism Keywords and backlinks Consistent, authentic content across multiple sources
Check Relatively high Bearing. Subject to LLM training dates

Why now?

The numbers are clear:

  • 38% of jobseekers under 30 Uses GenAI to survey employers (LinkedIn Global Talent Trends, 2024)
  • 72% from candidates Has positive experiences with AI-driven job application processes
  • Gartner predicts: 60% from enterprise job descriptions will automatically become LLM-optimised in 2026

Keira Pintao, Head of Employer Brand Consulting at AMS, sums it up:

“Generative AI is your new employer branding frontier. It's time to proactively shape how your brand story is told in AI-driven conversations.”

What this means for you

Employers who do not invest in GEO are literally becoming invisible to a growing segment of the talent pool. The candidate who asks an LLM about the best employers in your sector will get an answer. With or without your organisation.

Three questions to ask today:

  1. What does an LLM answer when someone asks: “Is [your company] a good employer?”
  2. Are you mentioned when someone asks about the best employers in your sector?
  3. Does the image AI paints match who you really are?

Next article

In the next article, we dive deeper into the shift in candidate behaviour: Why Gen Z doesn't google anymore, and what that means for your recruitment funnel.

This article is part of a series on GEO and employer branding.

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