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Generative engine optimization (GEO) and answer engine optimization (AEO) explained: how they relate to SEO and what is still unproven.
You may have heard that SEO is being replaced by "AEO" and "GEO". The terms are used loosely, the advice around them is mostly untested, and much of it is sold by people who benefit from the excitement. This guide explains what the terms mean, where they overlap, what Google itself says, and what is still unproven.
The short version
AEO (answer engine optimisation) is about making your content easy to use as a direct answer to a question, for example in featured snippets or voice answers.
GEO (generative engine optimisation) is about being mentioned or cited in answers written by generative AI systems, such as AI search features and AI chat tools.
The definitions overlap and not everyone draws the line in the same place. Some people treat the two as the same thing. Neither replaces SEO, and neither has settled rules.
AEO: answer engine optimisation
Search results have for years included direct answers: featured snippets, "people also ask" boxes and answers read out by voice assistants. AEO is the idea of structuring content so that it can be selected for those answers. In practice that means answering a question clearly and early, using headings that match the question, and keeping the answer self-contained and accurate.
GEO: generative engine optimisation
GEO refers to a newer idea: that content can be written and structured so that generative AI systems are more likely to use it when they compose an answer. The term was proposed in an academic paper, "GEO: Generative Engine Optimization", first posted in November 2023 (arXiv:2311.09735). Since then it has been taken up widely in marketing.
A note on spelling: "geo SEO" can also mean geographic SEO, meaning optimisation for a place, such as a city. That is a different subject from generative engine optimisation, which is why searches for "geo seo" can be ambiguous. This article is about the generative meaning.
How they differ, and how they overlap
Here is what the people writing about this say, and where they disagree:
- Some treat AEO and GEO as separate. They say AEO targets answer boxes in traditional search and GEO targets generated answers in AI systems.
- Others use the terms interchangeably or as parts of one idea: making content easy for machines to understand and use.
- Most of the practical advice is the same either way: clear structure, direct answers, pages that can be crawled, and well-defined subjects.
The boundary is not settled, so do not rely on anyone who says it is.
What this means for SEO
Google has published guidance on how its AI features, AI Overviews and AI Mode, relate to websites. The key points are plain:
- To appear as a supporting link in these features, a page needs to be indexed and eligible to show in Google Search with a snippet. Google says there are no additional technical requirements.
- Google says you do not need new machine-readable files, special markup or new AI-specific text files to appear in them.
- The basic SEO practices still apply: allow crawling, make content findable through internal links, provide a good page experience, keep important content available as text, make sure structured data matches the visible text, and verify your site in Search Console.
- Appearing in these features is not guaranteed.
This is from Google's Search Central documentation on AI features and your website (page last updated December 2025; read it at Google Search Central: AI features and your website). Documentation like this changes, so check the current version before you rely on it.
In other words: for Google's own AI features, the fundamentals of SEO are the work. Other AI tools work differently, and their behaviour is less documented.
Practical steps
These are practices, not guaranteed outcomes. They are sensible with or without AI search:
- Make pages crawlable. Check that important pages are not blocked and that search engines can reach them.
- Answer questions directly. Put a clear answer near the top of the page, then add detail.
- Use clear headings that reflect the questions people actually ask.
- Keep key content as text, not locked in images or scripts.
- Be specific and accurate. Say what you do, for whom and where, and back up facts with sources where you can.
- Define your subject. Make clear who you are, what you offer and where, in the same way across your website.
- Match structured data to the page. If you use it, it has to describe what is visibly there.
What is not proven
It is worth being direct about the limits:
- Most claims about how to be cited by AI systems come from vendors and agencies, and many have not been tested in a way anyone can check.
- AI systems behave differently from one another and change often, so what works on one may not work on another or next month.
- Nobody can guarantee a mention or a citation in an AI answer.
- Terms like AEO and GEO are being used as selling points. Be careful of anyone who offers a guaranteed "AI ranking".
How VK Digital Solution approaches AI search work
AI search optimisation is part of our SEO work. We apply the fundamentals described above with AI search in mind, we explain what we are doing and why, and we do not promise citations or visibility in any AI feature. For how this fits into our service, read about our approach to AI search within SEO.
Frequently asked questions
Is AEO the same as GEO?
They overlap, and people disagree on where one ends and the other begins. A common way to put it is that AEO is about being used as a direct answer in search, and GEO is about being used in answers written by generative AI. Many practical tips are the same for both.
Does AI search replace SEO?
Not according to Google's own guidance for its AI features: the pages that can appear are pages that are indexed and eligible to show in Search, and the basic SEO practices still apply. How other AI tools find and use content is less clear.
What is "geo SEO"?
It can mean two different things. In some places it means geographic SEO, which is optimising for a location. In AI-search writing, GEO usually means generative engine optimisation. Check which meaning the writer intends.
Can you guarantee AI citations?
No. Nobody can. Be careful of anyone who offers a guaranteed mention or ranking in an AI answer.
