Traditional Search → AI Search
SEO vs GEO vs AEO
SEO
The time-tested practice of boosting your site's visibility in traditional organic search results (Google, Bing, etc.). It revolves around keywords, backlinks, and technical optimization.
- To drive organic traffic
- As the foundational strategy for discoverability
- When building long-term search presence
- Targets ranking in SERPs
- Increases click-throughs and awareness
- Supports broader digital marketing strategies
- Conduct solid keyword research
- Optimize titles, meta descriptions, headings
- Focus on site speed, mobile-friendliness
- Create high-quality, long-form content
- Ignoring mobile and technical health
- Focusing only on keywords, not user intent
GEO
Optimizing your content to be cited or used by AI-powered generative search platforms... like ChatGPT, Google's SGE, Perplexity... for synthesis into AI-generated answers.
- To be referenced in AI-generated summaries and responses
- When targeting visibility across AI-driven platforms
- Builds topical authority and content depth
- Enhances chances of citation by AI models
- Supports visibility beyond traditional SERPs
- Create comprehensive, in-depth content hubs
- Use semantic structuring and rich metadata
- Provide author credibility, citations, structured format
- Thin content lacking substance or authority
- No structured cues for AI extraction
AEO
Optimizing content so your site gets pulled into featured snippets, direct answers, voice search results, or AI Overviews by platforms like Google SGE, Siri, or ChatGPT.
- To capture zero-click searches
- For voice assistant visibility
- When you want to become the instant answer provider
- Generates direct answers in search results
- Increases trust and authority signals
- Aligns with natural language queries
- Use Q&A formats and FAQ sections
- Implement schema markup (FAQ, HowTo)
- Write concise, conversational answers
- Keyword-stuffed content lacking clarity
- Failing to include structured data or authoritative citations
How They Work Together
Foundation: The baseline visibility in search
Quick Win Layer: The content goals for AI visibility
Evolution: How you measure if you're being retrieved as the answer
Discover. Cite. Answer.
The CITE Framework™ for AI Success
Apply these principles to dominate AI visibility in your industry
Pro Tips from Our AI SEO Team
Traditional SEO (technical health, backlinks, keywords) remains the foundation for all visibility strategies. Without strong SEO, GEO and AEO won't work—AI systems prioritize authoritative, technically sound sites. But SEO alone caps your visibility at search engine results. GEO extends you into AI answers, AEO into featured snippets and overviews. The winning strategy: master SEO fundamentals first, then layer GEO and AEO on top.
SEO tracks rankings and organic traffic. GEO tracks AI citations and brand mentions. AEO tracks answer box appearances and AI overview inclusions. You need separate dashboards for each—what works for SEO (keyword density) can hurt GEO (sounds promotional). Monitor all three independently: traditional SERP position, AI citation frequency, and answer box capture rate. Optimization differs for each channel.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between SEO, GEO, and AEO?
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) targets traditional Google/Bing rankings. GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) targets AI citation in tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity. AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) targets featured snippets, voice search, and zero-click answers. They're complementary strategies for different search behaviors.
Is traditional SEO still relevant in 2025?
Absolutely. SEO remains the foundation—AI systems still heavily rely on pages that rank well in traditional search. 97% of AI citations come from top-20 ranking pages. SEO builds the baseline authority that GEO and AEO extend into AI and answer engines.
How does GEO differ from traditional content marketing?
GEO requires content structured for AI extraction—clear facts, authoritative citations, semantic markup, and comprehensive coverage. Traditional content marketing may focus on engagement or conversion. GEO specifically optimizes for being cited, quoted, or referenced in AI-generated responses.
What is a zero-click search and why does AEO matter?
Zero-click searches are queries answered directly in search results without clicking through to a website. Google's featured snippets, AI Overviews, and voice assistant answers are zero-click. AEO matters because if you're not the answer, you get no traffic—even from queries you should own.
Which should I prioritize: SEO, GEO, or AEO?
Start with SEO as your foundation—without it, AI systems won't find your content. Then layer GEO to optimize for AI citations. Finally, add AEO tactics to capture answer positions. The priority depends on your current state: fix SEO basics first, then expand.
How do I know if my content is GEO-optimized?
Test by asking ChatGPT, Claude, or Perplexity questions in your domain. Does your brand or content get cited? If not, you need GEO work: better structured data, clearer expert positioning, more authoritative citations, and content formatted for AI extraction (tables, FAQs, clear definitions).
What schema markup matters for AEO?
FAQ schema, HowTo schema, and Organization schema are most critical for AEO. FAQ schema helps capture featured snippets. HowTo schema targets instructional queries. Organization schema establishes entity recognition. Implement these on relevant pages to signal answer-ready content to search engines.
How long until SEO, GEO, and AEO show results?
SEO improvements typically show results in 3-6 months. GEO can show AI citation gains in 2-4 weeks as AI indexes update. AEO featured snippet wins can happen within weeks if content is properly formatted. All three compound over time with consistent optimization.
Ready to Dominate AI Search Results?
Our SEO agency specializes in Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) strategies that get your brand cited by ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews. We combine traditional SEO expertise with cutting-edge AI visibility tactics.