AEO vs GEO vs SEO

SEO gets your page into the list of search results. AEO gets your words into the answer box at the top of that list. GEO gets your business named inside the paragraph an AI assistant writes. They build on each other, and most local businesses need all three, in that order.

SEO: being in the results

Search engine optimization is the foundation. It is the work of making every page on your site clear about what it offers and where, so Google shows it for the right searches. Titles, descriptions, headings, internal links, structured data, page speed, your Google Business Profile, and your listings all live here. It is measured in rankings, clicks from Google, and the calls and forms those clicks produce.

AEO: being the answer

Answer engine optimization is the work of being the one page Google lifts into the featured snippet, the People Also Ask box, or a voice assistant’s spoken reply. It is won by answering a specific question outright, in the first paragraph, in a form Google can lift whole: a definition, a step list, a table. It is measured in Search Console, which shows the questions you hold the box for.

GEO: being named

Generative engine optimization is the work of being named when ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, or Perplexity write a recommendation. The assistants read your site, your listings, and your reviews, and they name businesses whose facts are clear and consistent. It is measured by asking the assistants and by watching AI referral traffic in Google Analytics.

Which to do first

SEO first, because the other two depend on pages that exist and can be found. AEO second, because it uses those pages and wins visible space in Google. GEO alongside, because the same clear facts feed the assistants. In practice we run them as one program, but the audit order is always the site, then the answers, then the assistants.

Side by side

SEO: a list of results. Measured in rankings and clicks. Won by clear pages and a complete Google Business Profile.
AEO: one answer at the top. Measured in Search Console. Won by answering a question outright in a form Google can lift.
GEO: a name in a paragraph. Measured by asking the assistants and in Analytics. Won by consistent facts across the web and reviews that say what you did.

Questions people ask

Can I do AEO without SEO?

Not well. The answer box is lifted from pages that already rank on the first page or two. A page nobody can find does not get lifted.

Do I need a separate agency for each?

No. They are one body of work on the same pages, done in a sensible order. We run all three for every client.

Which one brings customers fastest?

For most local businesses, SEO fixes on the Google Business Profile and the service pages move first. AEO and GEO follow within a quarter if the pages are right.

Want this done for you?

This is the work we do for every client: search, answer engines, and AI assistants, on one plan with one monthly report. Tell us about your business and we will tell you what we would do first.

Let’s talk