AEO vs GEO vs SEO, how the three fit together

What is the difference between AEO, GEO and SEO?

SEO gets pages ranked. AEO gets a page used as the direct answer to a question. GEO gets a business mentioned, recommended and cited in answers that AI engines write. Each builds on the one before.

The easiest way to see it is by what the searcher gets back. With SEO, they get a list of links. With AEO, they get a single answer box or a spoken reply. With GEO, they get a written answer that may name several brands and link to the pages it used.

Where did the terms AEO and GEO come from?

SEO dates from the early web, when the job was ranking in lists of blue links. AEO came later, as Google added featured snippets and People Also Ask boxes, and as voice assistants began reading answers aloud. Marketers needed a name for writing content that a search engine could lift as the answer.

GEO is the newest term. It comes from a 2023 research paper, GEO, Generative Engine Optimization. The authors looked at engines that search the web and then write an answer using a generative model. They tested which content changes made a source more visible in those answers.

Since ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google's AI features took off, the line between AEO and GEO has blurred. Many agencies and tools now use the two terms for the same work.

How do SEO, AEO and GEO compare?

The table shows where each one aims and how it is judged. Read it as three layers rather than three rival methods.

Is AEO the same as GEO?

Mostly, yes. The writing habits are the same, and both aim to be used in an answer rather than simply listed.

There is still a useful difference in focus. AEO grew up around one answer to one question, such as "how long does a boiler service take". GEO deals with engines that blend several sources and often answer open questions, such as "who are the best boiler engineers in Perth". Those answers name brands, compare them and recommend some over others. That makes position, sentiment and third-party sources much more important.

If you read a guide to answer engine optimisation and one to generative engine optimisation, you will find most of the advice matches. The GEO side adds more on measurement and on pages you do not own.

What is AEO vs SEO?

AEO is a narrower goal that sits on top of SEO. SEO tries to rank a page. AEO tries to make a specific passage on that page the one a search engine lifts as the answer.

Google is clear that you cannot mark a page up to win a featured snippet. Its documentation says Google's systems decide whether a page would make a good snippet. What you can do is make the answer easy to find and easy to lift.

• Ask the question in a heading, in the words people use.
• Answer it fully in the first sentence or two underneath.
• Add detail, examples and steps after that.
• Use lists and tables where the answer is a list or a comparison.

Do FAQ pages and schema still help with AEO?

FAQ content still helps, but FAQ markup no longer wins extra space on Google. Google's documentation updates note that the FAQ rich result stopped appearing in Google Search in May 2026.

The questions and answers themselves still matter. People Also Ask boxes, AI Overviews and AI engines all respond well to clear question and answer content. Structured data also still helps machines understand what a page is about and who is behind it. Just do not expect FAQ markup alone to change how your result looks. There is more in FAQ content for AI search.

What work does each one involve?

Most of the work is shared. The table above shows the goals. This list shows where the effort goes in practice.

SEO work. Technical health, crawling and indexing, site structure, keyword research, content, internal links, backlinks and page speed.

AEO work. Question research, answer-first writing, clear headings, lists and tables, and keeping answers current. It also means watching which of your pages win snippets and People Also Ask spots.

GEO work. Building a set of buyer questions, running them across AI engines on a schedule, and recording mentions, position, sentiment and sources. It also covers getting listed and reviewed on the sites engines cite, and correcting wrong facts at the source.

How do SEO, AEO and GEO work together on one page?

One page can serve all three if it is built with care. Take a dental group writing about the cost of clear aligners in Edinburgh.

For SEO, the page targets a phrase people search, such as "clear aligners cost Edinburgh". It has a clear title, loads quickly, sits in a sensible place on the site and gets internal links from related treatment pages.

For AEO, the page asks "How much do clear aligners cost in Edinburgh?" in a heading. The first sentence gives a straight answer, such as a price range and what it includes. A short table then compares the options.

For GEO, the page names the clinicians, their qualifications and the practice locations. It states facts an AI engine can repeat safely, such as opening hours, finance options and the date prices were last checked. Off the page, the practice keeps its Google Business Profile, review profiles and directory listings in line with the same facts.

None of these steps fights the others. Each one makes the page more useful to a reader, and more useful to a machine that wants to quote it.

How do you measure SEO, AEO and GEO?

Each layer has its own signals, and they sit well together in one report.

• SEO. Rankings, impressions, clicks and conversions, mostly from rank tracking, Search Console and analytics.
• AEO. Which of your pages hold featured snippets and People Also Ask spots, and which questions you answer but do not win.
• GEO. How often you are mentioned across a fixed set of questions, where you appear in each answer, the tone, and which pages the engines cite.

GEO numbers move more than SEO numbers, because AI answers change from run to run. It helps to read them as trends over several weeks rather than week to week.

Which one should a business focus on first?

SEO comes first, because both AEO and GEO depend on pages being found and trusted. Google says there are no extra requirements for AI Overviews or AI Mode beyond normal indexing and snippet eligibility.

After that, rewriting key pages in an answer-first style helps with AEO and GEO at the same time. It costs little and helps readers as well.

Then add GEO measurement. Until you track what AI engines say, you are guessing. A good starting point is 20 to 30 real buyer questions, collected with help from question research, and run across the main engines every week or two. The GEO vs SEO guide covers how to balance the two budgets.

How Axiom GEO helps

Axiom GEO covers all three in one login. Rank tracking records Google positions and flags SERP features such as featured snippets and AI Overviews. AI visibility tracking runs your prompt set across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude and Google AI Overviews and records mentions, position, sentiment and cited pages. On the Premium plan and above, QA Finder pulls People Also Ask questions, autocomplete and Reddit questions, and can build an answer and FAQ block for each one.