SEO vs AEO vs GEO: what's the difference?
SEO (search engine optimisation) helps your pages rank in Google and Bing results. AEO (answer engine optimisation) formats your content so search engines and voice assistants can show it as a direct answer. GEO (generative engine optimisation) makes your business the source AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Perplexity cite and recommend. In 2026 you need all three.
What is SEO?
Search engine optimisation is the practice of earning visibility in traditional search results. It rests on three pillars:
- Technical SEO: fast pages, mobile-friendly design, clean URLs, a sitemap and no crawl errors.
- On-page SEO: titles, headings and content that match what people search for.
- Authority: links and mentions from trusted websites.
SEO is still the foundation, because AI assistants often draw on the same pages that rank well.
What is AEO?
Answer engine optimisation focuses on being the answer, not just a blue link. It targets featured snippets, "People also ask" boxes, Google AI Overviews and voice assistants like Siri and Alexa.
- Start pages with a direct 40 to 60 word answer to the main question.
- Use question-style headings that mirror how people ask.
- Add FAQ, HowTo and Organization schema markup.
- Use lists and tables for steps, prices and comparisons.
What is GEO?
Generative engine optimisation is about being cited and recommended by large language models such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Copilot and Perplexity. These tools summarise many sources, so they favour businesses that are clear, consistent and widely referenced.
- Entity consistency: the same business name, description, location and services everywhere online.
- Quotable facts: prices, timelines, specifications and definitions stated plainly.
- Third-party mentions: directories, reviews, press and industry lists.
- Crawler access: allowing AI crawlers in robots.txt and publishing an llms.txt summary.
- Freshness: visible update dates and current information.
SEO vs AEO vs GEO at a glance
| SEO | AEO | GEO | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goal | Rank in results | Be the direct answer | Be cited by AI |
| Where | Google, Bing | Snippets, AI Overviews, voice | ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity |
| Key tactics | Technical fixes, keywords, links | Answer-first copy, FAQ schema | Entity consistency, citations, llms.txt |
| Measured by | Rankings, clicks | Snippets won, impressions | AI mentions, referral traffic |
How to optimise for all three
- Fix technical foundations: speed, mobile, HTTPS, sitemap and indexing.
- Map the questions your customers ask and give each a clear page or section.
- Lead every page with a short, direct answer, then add depth.
- Add structured data: Organization, Service, FAQPage, Product and Breadcrumb.
- Keep your business details identical on your site, Google Business Profile, LinkedIn and directories.
- Earn mentions on trusted sites through PR, partnerships and reviews.
- Allow AI crawlers and publish an llms.txt file.
- Update key pages regularly and show the date.