People throw around SEO, then GEO, then AEO, and it all blurs together. Yet the distinction is simple once you look at the end goal of each.

SEO: ranking well

SEO (*Search Engine Optimization*, classic search ranking on Google) aims to position your pages as high as possible in Google and Bing results, to capture the click. It's the historic discipline: keywords, backlinks, site speed, content quality. Still essential.

AEO: being the answer

AEO (*Answer Engine Optimization*) aims to provide THE direct answer to a question: featured snippets, "position zero", voice answers, structured FAQs. You optimize so the engine reuses your answer, not just your link.

GEO: being cited by AIs

GEO (*Generative Engine Optimization*) aims to be cited inside the answers generated by AIs: ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude, Grok, Google AI Overviews. The click is no longer the point, the citation as a trusted source is. (See our full definition of GEO.)

The dashboard: who targets what

  • SEO → target: Google/Bing · goal: ranking and click · flagship lever: authority + page quality.
  • AEO → target: snippets/direct answers · goal: being THE answer · flagship lever: FAQ and structured data.
  • GEO → target: generative engines · goal: being cited inside the AI answer · flagship lever: structured content + third-party authority + machine readability.

What all three share (the essentials)

Good news: you don't run three separate strategies. The criteria overlap around 80%: topical authority, structured content, structured data (Schema.org), third-party mentions, performance. Do the work properly and you serve all three at once.

Where to start?

With the basics of classic search plus solid structure, because roughly 74% of AI citations come from pages already ranking well on Google. Lock down the base, then add the GEO layer (an llms.txt file, pages in the format AIs read best, dedicated answer pages, mentions on other sites).