From the Click Race to the Citation Game: a conceptual exploration of the shift from search engine optimisation to generative engine optimisation

Abstract

Introduction. Generative artificial intelligence is reshaping how information becomes visible, authoritative, and actionable in digital environments. As generative search systems increasingly replace ranked lists with synthesised responses, established mechanisms of search engine optimisation are being reconfigured. Method. This study adopts a conceptual–analytic literature review, drawing on research in information retrieval, information behaviour, algorithmic mediation, and generative AI. The literature is synthesised using an abductive framework informed by established information science theory. Analysis. The paper examines how generative systems restructure informational visibility and authority, introducing generative engine optimisation as a distinct information science construct. Results. The analysis identifies three mechanisms of generative visibility, namely selection, contribution, and consistency, that distinguish generative optimisation from paradigms grounded in retrieval, such as search engine optimisation and answer engine optimization). It also develops the authority loop model and proposes a framework composed of technical, economic, and cultural dimensions to explain the transition from visibility structured by ranking to visibility grounded in representational synthesis. Conclusion. By defining generative engine optimisation in both theoretical and operational terms, this study establishes a foundation for future empirical research on generative search, information authority, and information practices shaped by artificial intelligence.