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AEO vs GEO vs SEO: what's the difference?

By Jerry Lim · Updated · 5 min read

In short

SEO gets you ranked in search results. AEO gets you picked as the direct answer, as in Google's AI Overviews. GEO gets you named and cited inside AI-written answers from ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity. All three share one foundation, and Google calls optimising for AI search \"still SEO\".

SEO, AEO and GEO are three names for getting found, and the difference is where you show up. SEO targets the ranked list of results, AEO targets the single direct answer, and GEO targets the businesses an AI tool names or cites when it writes its own answer.

The difference at a glance

SEO AEO GEO
Full name Search engine optimisation Answer engine optimisation Generative engine optimisation
Goal Rank high in results Be the direct answer Be named or cited in AI answers
Where it shows Google and Bing results Google AI Overviews, featured snippets, voice assistants ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Copilot, Google AI Mode
What you measure Rankings, clicks, impressions Answer appearances, AI Overview impressions Share of tracked questions where you are named

What is SEO?

SEO is the work of ranking a website in search engines like Google and Bing. It covers a site that search engines can crawl, pages that match what people search for, and links and mentions from other sites that show you can be trusted.

SEO is still the base layer for AI search. Zyppy's review of 54 studies, reported by PPC Land, scored Google search rank 9.4 out of 10 as a factor in getting cited by AI search engines. Only one factor scored higher: whether the page can be accessed at all (9.5).

What is AEO?

AEO is the work of making your page the one an engine picks as the direct answer to a question. In practice that means Google's AI Overviews, featured snippets and voice assistants.

AEO is mostly about format. Put the answer in the first one or two sentences. Write headings as the questions people really ask. Use a table for comparisons and numbered steps for how-to answers. The same Zyppy review scored "answer near the top" 8.8 out of 10.

What is GEO?

GEO is the work of getting your business named, and ideally linked, when an AI tool like ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity writes an answer. The user doesn't get ten blue links. They get a short list, and you want to be on it.

GEO leans harder on what other sites say about you. Muck Rack found that 84% of AI citations come from earned media, and appearing in third-party "best of" lists correlated with ChatGPT naming a brand (r = +0.64), according to Position Digital's roundup of AI SEO statistics.

What actually changes between them?

Three things change. The foundation does not.

  1. Which index you need to be in. Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode draw on Google's index. Microsoft says Copilot relies on the same crawling, indexing and ranking foundation as Bing. ChatGPT search finds pages through OpenAI's crawler, OAI-SearchBot, and OpenAI says it may share queries with search providers such as Bing. So your site has to be open to all of them, not just Google.
  2. How content is written. AI tools often work from a short snippet of a page, so the answer has to sit in the first lines of the page and of each section.
  3. How you measure. Rankings are fairly stable. AI answers are not: SparkToro found less than a 1 in 100 chance that ChatGPT or Google's AI returns the same list of brands twice. Track a fixed set of questions over months and judge the trend, not one screenshot.

What stays the same: a fast site with its text in plain HTML, pages that answer real customer questions, the same business details everywhere, and other trusted sites mentioning you. Google's own guide says optimising for generative AI search "is optimizing for the search experience, and thus still SEO."

Which one should a Malaysian business start with?

Do all three, in this order, because each one builds on the last.

  1. Fix the SEO base. Your site should load fast, show its text without relying on JavaScript, let Googlebot, Bingbot and OAI-SearchBot in, and be verified in Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.
  2. Rewrite key pages answer-first. Service, pricing and FAQ pages should answer the question in the first two sentences, with prices in RM and your area named.
  3. Build mentions. Keep your Google Business Profile complete, collect reviews, and get listed on the directories and "best of" lists that AI tools read.

Skip the shortcuts. Google warns that creating separate content for every variation of a search, to manipulate rankings or AI answers, breaks its scaled content abuse policy. It also says you don't need special AI files or markup to appear in its AI features.

Which term will win?

Nobody knows yet, and most buyers don't use any of them. Fractl's December 2025 survey found marketers leaning towards GEO. But when Koozai asked 160 marketers in September 2026 how they would search for an agency, 37% used "AI search" wording, against 13% for GEO and 6% for AEO.

That is why we say "AI search optimisation" and treat SEO, AEO and GEO as parts of one job. See what RM2,500 a month covers, or ask for a free AI check to see where your business stands today.

FAQ

Is GEO replacing SEO?

No. GEO sits on top of SEO. Pages that rank well in search are the pages AI tools find and cite most, so dropping SEO to chase GEO usually backfires.

Do I need an llms.txt file?

It won't hurt, but don't expect much. Google says its search ignores llms.txt, and the Zyppy review scored it 2 out of 10, the lowest of the factors it rated.

No special markup is required. Google says structured data isn't required for its generative AI features, though standard schema still helps search engines understand your business and can earn rich results.

Can anyone guarantee that ChatGPT will recommend my business?

No. AI answers change from one run to the next, so an honest provider promises the work and the reporting, not a placement.

Sources

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