The way people are searching for information on the internet is evolving fast. It’s not enough to just rank for keywords — your content also needs to answer questions your ideal customer persona has and appear in AI-generated results. This is where SEO, AEO and GEO come into play. Understanding the difference between them — and how to use all three — can help you reach more people, drive more traffic, and build sustainable online visibility.
What Is SEO?
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the foundation of online visibility. It’s about helping your content rank higher in search engine results like Google, Bing, and Yahoo. This will then lead to,
- More online visibility
- More organic clicks
- More qualified traffic
- More leads and revenue
“Traditional” SEO focuses on:
- Targeting keywords your audience types into search engines
- Structuring your content to be easily crawlable and indexable
- Building authority through backlinks and strong EEAT (experience, expertise, authoritativeness, trustworthiness)
What Is AEO?
AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) takes things a step further. Instead of just helping users find your website, AEO helps you deliver direct answers — especially for voice search, smart devices, and featured snippets – to your ideal customer persona. How can we create these “answers”? The answers can be in the form of,
- Short, structured answers
- Zero-click content
- Voice search and AI search optimized content
Think of AEO as positioning your content where users don’t even have to click to get their answers. They get their answer right from the search page or device.
What Is GEO?
GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) is the newer layer. The focus is to make your content visible in AI-generated responses across platforms like ChatGPT, Bing Chat, Perplexity, and Gemini, Claude, and other AI generated chatbots. So how do we do this? Create,
- In-depth, natural-language, AI-readable content
- Content for AI chatbots and answer engines
- Content that supports long-tail, conversational queries
AI platforms like the ones above are continually curating answers based on multiple sources. Optimizing for generative engines helps your expertise surface even if users never land directly on your website.
What’s Difference between SEO and AEO?
| Aspect | SEO | AEO |
| Goal | Get clicks to your website | Deliver direct answers |
| Content Format | Long-form pages and blogs | FAQs, lists, short answers |
| User Behavior | Users type keywords | Users ask full questions (especially with voice search) |
Example:
- SEO: “Best hiking boots 2025”
- AEO: “What are the best hiking boots for beginners?”
AEO responds to the rise of voice search and question-driven behavior.
What’s Difference between SEO and GEO?
| Aspect | SEO | GEO |
| Platforms | Google, Bing, Yahoo | ChatGPT, Bing Chat, Google SGE, Perplexity |
| Content Style | Keyword-focused | Rich, conversational, and context-driven |
| Search Behavior | Typing keywords | Asking natural, full questions |
Example:
- SEO: “Best marketing software 2025”
- GEO: “What’s the best marketing software for small business owners?”
With GEO, you’re writing for how people naturally talk not just how they type.
Why You Need SEO, AEO and GEO Together
Searching for information on the internet is evolving. People are looking for information by typing, talking, and having conversations with AI conversational platforms. In many cases people aren’t even reaching your website to get their answer.
To stay visible, your content strategy needs to:
- Rank well for keywords (SEO)
- Deliver clear answers for questions (AEO)
- Be discoverable by AI systems (GEO)
The idea is to apply the principles of EEAT — experience, expertise, authoritativeness, trustworthiness to SEO, AEO and GEO to make your content stronger, more credible, and more future-proof.
How to Optimize for SEO, AEO and GEO
Customer Persona
Start with understanding your ideal customer persona and creating a customer persona which will help you understand what your ideal customer is looking for, their pain points, habits when it comes to consuming information and so much more.
Keyword Research (SEO)
Once you have your customer persona you’ll have a better understanding of what your audience is searching for and why. Now, do keyword research. Consider long tail keywords, questions and more conversational types of searches queries when doing your research.
Answer Real Questions (AEO)
Structure content with clear headings, bullet points, and concise answers. Use FAQ sections and rich snippets.
Think Conversational (GEO)
Write naturally in a conversational tone. Think about depth of a particular topic considering the principles given in EEAT. Include context that AI can understand and quote.
Use Structured Data and Schema Markup
Help search engines and AI systems interpret your content easily.
Update Business Listings
Ensure all business information is accurate across directories for better local and generative visibility.
Consider User Experience
Make your site fast, mobile-friendly, and accessible.
SEO, AEO and GEO are complementary tools. When they work together you can create a content strategy that creates content that is more relevant to your ideal customer persona and hopefully also more visible to conversational AI agents.
References
- Surfer SEO: Answer Engine Optimization Guide
- WebFX: Answer Engine Optimization Explained
- Medium: What Is Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)?
- LinkedIn: Ask Engine Optimization (AEO) and Why It Matters
- PixelCrayons: Understanding AEO
- Zero Gravity Marketing: GEO vs SEO
- Caylor Solutions: Decoding GEO
- AIOSEO: What is Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)?
- SEO.ai: GEO vs SEO
- Mangools: The Future of GEO
- What is the difference between SEO, AEO and GEO? - April 29, 2025
- How User-Centric SEO Helps You Build Sustainable, Meaningful Growth - April 28, 2025
- How to Use ChatGPT to do a Job Gap Analysis - April 24, 2025
