Sneha Jasrasaria Quick answer
SEO helps your pages rank in search results. AEO (answer engine optimisation) helps your content get picked as a direct answer, like a featured snippet or voice answer. GEO (generative engine optimisation) helps AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini and Google AI Overviews understand, trust and mention your business. They overlap heavily, and good SEO is the base for all three.
Key takeaways
- SEO is the foundation; AEO and GEO build on it
- AEO is about short, direct answers to questions
- GEO is about being clear, factual and trusted enough for AI to cite
- One well-structured page can serve all three
New terms appear every year in digital marketing. Right now, three of them get mixed up a lot: SEO, AEO and GEO. Here is what each one means and what you should actually do.
SEO: search engine optimisation
SEO is the practice of helping your website rank in search engines like Google and Bing. It covers technical health, content and trust. When someone searches “salon in Guwahati”, SEO decides whose website appears in the list of links. New to it? Start with what SEO is.
AEO: answer engine optimisation
AEO focuses on getting your content chosen as the answer, beyond a plain link. Examples:
- The featured snippet box at the top of Google.
- The “People also ask” dropdowns.
- Answers read out by voice assistants.
AEO is about writing short, direct answers to real questions, then explaining in more detail below. See our guide to featured snippets.
GEO: generative engine optimisation
GEO is about AI tools that write answers, like ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews. These tools read many sources and then summarise. GEO helps your business be one of the sources they understand, trust and mention.
GEO leans on:
- Clear facts about who you are, what you do and where.
- Consistent details across your website, Google profile and social pages.
- Mentions and reviews on other trusted sites.
- Specific proof like case studies with real numbers.
Our guide on getting found in AI answers has a checklist.
How they compare
| SEO | AEO | GEO | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goal | Rank as a link | Be the direct answer | Be cited or mentioned by AI |
| Where it shows | Search results | Snippets, voice, “People also ask” | ChatGPT, Gemini, AI Overviews |
| Key work | Site health, content, links | Question-led content, structure | Clear facts, trust, mentions |
What to do on your website
- Open each key page with a one or two sentence answer.
- Use headings that match real questions.
- Add FAQs and schema markup.
- Keep your name, address and phone the same everywhere.
- Publish case studies with real results.
Do these well and you cover all three at once.