SEO vs AEO vs GEO: what each one is, and why you need all three.
SEO gets you ranked on Google. AEO gets you quoted in Google AI Overviews and answer boxes. GEO gets you named by ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity. They are three results of the same work, so the cheapest way to get all three is to do them together.
What is SEO?
Search engine optimization is the work of ranking in Google and Bing results for the searches your buyers make. It covers pages that answer those searches, the technical health of your site and links from other sites. The result is a ranking a buyer clicks.
What is AEO?
Answer engine optimization is the work of becoming the answer itself. When Google shows an AI Overview, an answer in AI Mode or an answer box, it quotes a few pages. AEO makes your page one of them: a direct answer near the top, clear headings, and structured data that says what the page is about. The buyer may never click, but they read your name.
What is GEO?
Generative engine optimization is the work of getting named when a buyer asks an AI assistant such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Copilot or Claude which business to choose. These answers draw on your own pages and on other sites that mention you, so GEO covers both: pages on your site that answer buyer questions, and work off your site: listings, reviews, directories, forums and publishers.
SEO vs AEO vs GEO, side by side
| SEO | AEO | GEO | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goal | Rank in Google results that a buyer clicks | Be the answer Google or an assistant shows directly | Be named and cited in AI assistant answers |
| Where it shows | Google and Bing results | Google AI Overviews, AI Mode, answer boxes, voice answers | ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Copilot, Claude |
| What moves it | Useful pages, technical health, links | A clear answer near the top, clean structure, structured data | Being mentioned on the sites AI reads, plus pages that answer buyer questions |
| How you measure it | Rankings, clicks, Search Console | How often you are quoted in AI Overviews and answer boxes | How often you are named, and who is named instead |
Why do all three together?
Because one page does all three jobs. A page written to answer a buyer’s question, with the answer near the top and the facts right, can rank on Google, be quoted in an AI Overview and be named by ChatGPT. Splitting the work across an SEO agency, a GEO agency and a tracking tool means paying three times for overlapping work, and reading three reports that never add up.
That is how Strategi plans work: SEO, AEO and GEO in one monthly plan, from $499, with every buyer question checked daily on the engines in your plan. See plans and pricing →