SEO vs AEO vs GEO: what is the difference?
SEO earns rankings in search result lists, AEO earns the direct answer shown for a question, and GEO earns citations and mentions inside AI-generated responses. They are overlapping disciplines that share one foundation: crawlable, well-structured pages from a source that is clearly identified and trusted.
Key points
- SEO targets ranked links, AEO targets the direct answer and GEO targets citations in AI responses.
- AEO and GEO are industry labels, so definitions vary between agencies.
- All three rest on crawlable pages, clear intent and a trusted, consistent source.
- Start with SEO, then add answer formatting, then AI visibility tracking.
What do SEO, AEO and GEO each mean?
- SEO
- Search engine optimization is the work of making pages crawlable, relevant and trusted so they rank in the results lists of search engines such as Google and Bing.
- AEO
- Answer engine optimization is the work of formatting content so a search feature or assistant can lift it as the direct answer to a question, as in featured snippets, voice answers and answer boxes.
- GEO
- Generative engine optimization is the work of making a brand and its pages likely to be cited or mentioned in responses written by generative AI systems such as AI Overviews, ChatGPT and Perplexity.
AEO and GEO are industry labels, not standards. Neither Google nor any AI company has published a definition, and agencies use the terms with slightly different boundaries. The definitions above are the ones this guide uses.
How do SEO, AEO and GEO compare?
The three differ in where the result appears, what is optimized and how success is counted.
| Where the result appears | What is optimized and measured | |
|---|---|---|
| SEO | Ranked list of links on a results page | Whole pages and sites. Measured by rankings, impressions, clicks and conversions. |
| AEO | A single answer shown above or instead of the list | Short, self-contained answers inside pages. Measured by featured snippet ownership and answer appearances. |
| GEO | A written response from a generative AI system, with or without source links | Passages, brand facts and entity clarity. Measured by citation rate, mention rate and the accuracy of what is said. |
What is different in practice?
The differences show up in the unit of work, the format of the content and the way results are checked.
- Answer format. AEO favors a direct answer of a sentence or two under a question heading. For the example installer, the heading How long does a heat pump installation take, followed by one sentence that gives the answer, then detail.
- Passage quality. GEO cares whether a single paragraph can be understood and quoted without the rest of the page, because AI systems retrieve passages, not whole pages.
- Brand presence off the site. GEO also depends on how the business is described elsewhere, such as directories, reviews and press, because a generative answer may draw on several sources.
- Measurement. SEO has Search Console and rank tracking. GEO needs a fixed set of prompts that are run on a schedule and logged, since there is no impression report for most AI answers.
The method for checking AI visibility is covered in how to get cited in AI Overviews and ChatGPT.
What does each look like for a heat pump installer?
- SEO task
- Rebuild the page for the query heat pump installation Austin: a title that names the service and the city, a service description, local proof and a clear way to request a quote.
- AEO task
- Add a section headed How long does a heat pump installation take, with a one-sentence answer first, followed by what changes the time, so that the answer can be lifted as it stands.
- GEO task
- Make sure that when someone asks an AI assistant who installs heat pumps in Austin, the business is described correctly, with the right services and service area, in sources the assistant can retrieve.
The same underlying page can serve all three. The service page does the SEO work, the question section does the AEO work, and the consistency of facts does the GEO work.
Which does a business need first?
A business needs SEO first, because AEO and GEO build on pages that are already crawlable, indexed and trusted.
A heat pump installer in Austin with no service pages should not start by tuning for AI citations. The order is: service and location pages that match search intent, then question-led content with direct answers, then consistent business facts across directories and profiles, then prompt tracking. A site that already ranks well can move to answer formatting and AI measurement sooner.
The AI search optimization service covers this extension of SEO, with separate pages on answer engine optimization and generative engine optimization.
How does Adwortise handle the three?
Adwortise treats AEO and GEO as extensions of a semantic SEO plan, not separate projects. The pages, entities and structured data come from one topical map, and AI visibility is checked against a fixed prompt list. This sits within the SEO services.
Frequently asked questions
Is AEO the same as featured snippet optimization?
Featured snippets are one part of it. AEO also covers voice assistants, answer boxes and AI summaries, but the core habit is the same: state the answer plainly under a clear question.
Does GEO replace SEO?
No. Generative systems that cite the web retrieve pages from an index, so the pages must still be crawlable and relevant. GEO adds goals on top of SEO.
Do I need llms.txt for GEO?
No. Google has said it does not use llms.txt. Spend the time on content, entity consistency and crawl access instead.
Can I track GEO with my existing SEO tools?
Only partly. Search Console reports performance in Google Search, but a tracking routine with fixed prompts is needed to see how AI systems describe the business.