AUTOMATIVEGuide · AI search (AEO & GEO)
SEO vs AEO vs GEO: what's the difference, and how do they work together?
SEO gets you ranked, AEO gets you quoted, GEO gets you named by AI. How the three differ, where they overlap, and what a small business actually needs.
By Sam Clemow, Founder, Automative SEO7 min read
If you've looked into getting found online lately, you've probably seen three acronyms: SEO, AEO and GEO. Some people say SEO is dead and GEO has replaced it. Others say AEO and GEO are just SEO with a new name.
Neither is quite right. They aim at different places people find businesses, but they're built on the same foundations. Here's how they differ, where they overlap and what that means for a small business.
The short version
- SEO gets you ranked in Google and Bing, including the map.
- AEO gets you quoted as the answer to a specific question.
- GEO gets you mentioned when an AI tool like ChatGPT writes an answer.
SEO is the foundation. AEO and GEO are about shaping what's on that foundation so it can be answered from, quoted and trusted.
Side by side
| Compared | SEO | AEO | GEO |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stands for | Search engine optimisation | Answer engine optimisation | Generative engine optimisation |
| Where it shows | Google and Bing results, Google Maps | Answer boxes, voice assistants, AI answers | ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Copilot, Google AI Overviews and AI Mode |
| The goal | Rank high for the searches that bring in work | Be the answer quoted for a specific question | Be named and trusted when AI writes an answer |
| What wins | Relevance, links, reviews, a fast site, a strong Google profile | Short, direct answers to real questions | Clear facts, matching details everywhere, proof that can be checked |
| How you measure it | Rankings, Search Console, calls and enquiries | Answer boxes won, questions you rank for | Asking AI tools directly, AI visits in Analytics |
SEO: getting ranked
Search engine optimisation is the work that helps Google and Bing find your website, understand it and rank it for the searches your customers make. For a local business it also covers local SEO: your Google Business Profile, reviews and listings, which decide where you show on the map.
The result is a list. The customer still chooses who to click or call, usually from the top three.
AEO: being the answer
Answer engine optimisation is about being the clearest answer to a specific question. It started with Google's answer boxes and voice search ("Hey Google, how long does a boiler service take?") and now applies to AI answers too.
It changes how you write, more than what you write about. A page that opens with a two-sentence answer to the question, then gives the detail, is far easier to quote than one that makes the reader dig.
GEO: being named by AI
Generative engine optimisation is about AI tools that write a new answer each time: ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Copilot and Google's own AI Overviews and AI Mode. When someone asks one of these "who should I use for this in my town?", it researches the web and usually names just a few businesses, with reasons.
To be named, an AI tool needs to find you, understand exactly what you do and where, and trust it. That means clear facts on your website, the same details on every listing, and proof like reviews and real examples it can check. Our guide on what AEO and GEO are and how to tackle them goes through it step by step.
Where they overlap
Far more than the hype suggests. AI tools search the web to build their answers, and Google's AI features are built on Google Search. Google's own guidance says there are no extra requirements or special optimisations needed to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode: a page just has to be indexed and eligible to show in normal search.
So the same work feeds all three:
- A website Google can read. Fast, crawlable, with each service and area on its own page. See technical SEO.
- A complete Google Business Profile. Google tells businesses to keep their profile up to date for its AI features too.
- Genuine reviews, coming in steadily.
- Consistent details across every listing. See citations.
- Clear, helpful content that answers what people actually ask.
Where they differ
The difference is mostly about emphasis:
- SEO rewards relevance and authority. The right words on the right pages, links from other sites, a strong map profile.
- AEO rewards directness. Answers that come first, in plain language.
- GEO rewards being easy to verify. Specific facts (services, towns, hours, who you suit), the same story everywhere, and proof instead of slogans. An AI tool comparing three businesses will lean on whichever one it can be most confident about.
One more difference: measurement. SEO has Search Console and rank tracking. For AI answers there's no equivalent yet, so the honest way to check is to ask the AI tools the same questions every month and note whether you're mentioned.
Which one does a small business need?
All three, in that order. Without SEO, AI tools have little to find. Without clear answers and checkable facts, they find you but name someone else.
The good news is that you don't need three separate projects. Done properly, local SEO now includes AEO and GEO: the same profile, reviews, listings and website, written and organised so they work for search results and AI answers at the same time. That's how we run every local SEO plan, with the AI side covered on our AI search (AEO and GEO) page.
Watch out for
- Anyone promising a ChatGPT recommendation. AI tools decide for themselves, and their answers change. Nobody can guarantee a mention.
- "AI-only" pages or files sold as a shortcut. Google says you don't need new machine-readable files or special markup for its AI features. Showing AI different content from people breaks Google's spam rules.
- Dropping SEO for GEO. Most of what helps you in AI answers is SEO done well.