How is GEO different from traditional SEO?

SEO measures position on a result page. GEO measures presence inside a synthesized answer. The mechanics rhyme but the success criteria diverge. SEO can be won by tactical work on a single platform: page structure, internal linking, backlinks, keyword targeting against the Google algorithm. GEO requires a wider source-quality discipline, because the engines synthesize across many sources and weight them by authority, recency, structure, and entity context. A brand can rank well on Google for a keyword and still be invisible inside the AI synthesis for the same query, because the AI is reading the broader source ecosystem rather than the top ten blue links. The two disciplines are complementary; treating one as a substitute for the other produces gaps.