SEO vs AEO vs GEO: How AI is Reshaping Website Visibility
The internet is evolving - and so are the ways people find your website.
While SEO has long been the gold standard, AI-powered tools now demand new strategies: AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation) and GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation).
Feeling overwhelmed? Don’t worry - here’s what each one means and how to apply them with confidence.
SEO: The Classic Pillar
For years, Search Engines were the main gateway to find the relevant corners of a vast online world. The importance was highlighted by the word “Google” entering the Oxford English dictionary in 2006. Marketing agencies across the world have made it their mission to understand Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), to apply the key strategies to our websites and ensure we are found.
Search Engines use algorithms to crawl websites across the internet and index them, so when a user makes a particular query the website will be listed in the search results. SEO describes the changes you can make to your website in order for those algorithms to include your website as high up the results as possible.
Key features to improve the SEO of your website include:
Keywords: Targeted phrases used strategically within your website content to match queries users use within Search Engines.
Backlinks: External links from other websites to your website. This proves to Search Engines that your website is legitimate and an expert in your field.
Meta tags: HTML tags within your page indicating what your website is about.
Semantic page structure: Headings used to structure your data so that Search Engines can easily identify the different areas your content is addressing.
Working on the SEO of your website is still important - Search Engines are evolving but not disappearing. Many people feel sceptical of AI, worried about its environmental and ethical impact, or prefer to keep using what they already know.
AEO: Rise of Answer Engines
Before AI exploded onto our scene, we were beginning to see snippets of webpages being used to give quick and easy answers (without us having to scan an entire page). These answer engines, for instance Google’s Featured Snippets, Siri, and Alexa, have been providing us with a stepping stone towards full AI chatbots since 2015.
These engines are crawling websites to find the answers that it can provide. Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) describes how we can update our websites so they are found and used within these answers.
Key features to improve the AEO of your website include:
FAQ formatted sections: Clear question and answer formatted information is extracted straight from websites.
Structured data: Schema.org data can be used to give Answer Engines further data about the content of your webpage.
Speed Optimisation: There is sometimes the need for real-time scanning of the internet which means answer engines favour pages that load quickly.
Google’s Featured Snippets pull answers directly from websites, while tools like Siri and Alexa rely on structured data to deliver spoken responses.
GEO: Generative Engine Optimisation
In recent years, AI has greatly advanced and since the first release of ChatGPT in 2022, chatbots have become popular. Many of us are now carrying around chatbots, installed on our smartphones and find uses for them in everyday life.
The evolution of chatbots has led us to question how AI is using the internet to generate its responses. This is where Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) comes in.
Key features to improve the GEO of your website include:
Clarity and structure: AI needs to be able to consume your webpage and categorise the information.
Quality and authority: AI is prioritising content that it knows is coming from a trustworthy source. Therefore consistency is vital.
Readability: Use simple language that is easy to understand for all readers.
Quick Comparison
Here’s a quick comparison of SEO, AEO, and GEO to help you visualise the differences.
| SEO | AEO | GEO | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Search Engine results list | Answer based features | AI powered tools |
| Examples | Google, Bing | Google Featured Snippets, Alexa | ChatGPT, Claude |
| Focus | Keywords | Structured answers | Contextual relevance |
| Strategy | Keywords, meta data, backlinks | FAQs, structured data | Clear, cited content |
Practical Tips for DIY Creators
When creating our beautiful websites, it is important to have SEO, AEO and GEO all in mind to ensure you are being found. But don’t fear there is a lot of overlap between the 3 and they all rely on your website being well structured and informative.
The most important things to concentrate on if you’re short on time:
Semantic, well structured content
Clear information including the use of keywords in your field
Good performance, especially when viewing on a mobile device
There are several tools you can use to test how your website is performing. Some of which are expanding to include analysis of AEO and GEO.
Examples include:
Bonus tip: Use tools like Google’s Rich Results Test to check your structured data for AEO.
Future Proofing Your Website
These optimisations aren’t just for algorithms - they’re for your audience too. When your content is clear, structured, and genuinely helpful, you’ll connect with readers and be discoverable by search engines and AI tools.
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