TechmadeazyThree acronyms, one shift. Buyers are asking AI assistants what to buy, and the brands named in those answers get the sale. Here is what each term means and what you actually need to do differently.
The short version
SEO is about ranking in a list of search results. AEO (answer engine optimization) is about being named inside an AI assistant's answer. GEO (generative engine optimization) is a term used for largely the same work, often when talking about AI-generated search results like Google AI Overviews. In practice, AEO and GEO are the same discipline with two labels.
What stays the same
AI assistants still rely on the web. A fast, crawlable site with clear pages, accurate product data and genuine authority helps you in Google and in AI answers. If your SEO foundations are weak, fix them first. They are part of AEO, not separate from it.
What is genuinely new
You are competing for three or four slots, not ten
A typical AI answer names a handful of brands. Being sixth is the same as being absent. That makes it worth knowing exactly which buyer questions matter most, and tracking whether you are named for each one.
Consistency of your brand facts matters more
Assistants combine information from many places. If your site, marketplace listings and third-party profiles describe you differently, the assistant is less sure what you are. Aligning those facts is one of the fastest wins.
Other people's words count heavily
For product recommendations, assistants lean on reviews, round-up articles, forums and communities. Your own site says you are great; these sources are evidence. Getting represented in the specific sources cited for your category is core AEO work.
Content has to answer, not just rank
Pages written around one keyword often never state a clear answer. AI-friendly pages state who the product is for, what it does better, how it compares and what it costs, in plain sentences an assistant can quote.
AI crawlers need access
Some sites block AI crawlers such as GPTBot or PerplexityBot in robots.txt without realizing it. Check yours. An llms.txt file that summarizes your brand and key pages is a simple addition.
Where to start
- List ten questions a buyer might ask AI before buying in your category.
- Ask them in ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity, logged out, and note who gets named.
- Check your robots.txt and whether your key pages carry product and organization structured data.
- Fix the obvious inconsistencies in how your brand is described across your own profiles.
Our free self-test writes those questions for you and scores the results.
