AI SEO is reshaping how today’s consumers search for and find information online. As search moves from Google to AI tools, new terms are popping up – AEO services, AI SEO services, AI SEO agency, GEO, and answer engine optimization. They may sound similar. They all promise visibility. But how do they relate to each other?
In fact, everything is much simpler than it seems. Today, we’ll break everything down clearly and concisely: what each term actually means, how they connect, and what you truly need to be visible in the age of AI-driven search and AI SEO digital marketing strategy.
In a Hurry? Here’s the Short Version
- AI SEO (Artificial Intelligence Search Optimization) is the umbrella term for optimizing your digital presence for both search engines and AI-driven systems.
- AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) is a part of AI SEO services focused specifically on visibility in AI response engines like ChatGPT, Gemini, or Perplexity.
- GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) is a broader extension within AI SEO that considers how generative AI systems (text, image, audio models) understand and reuse your content.
- Does a single business strategy require all three separately? No. In most cases, a clear AI SEO strategy is enough, with stronger emphasis on AEO or GEO elements depending on where visibility matters most for your business.
What is AI SEO?
AI SEO (Artificial Intelligence Search Optimization) is the evolution of classic SEO in today’s world. It is the broader strategic framework for visibility in both traditional search engines and AI-driven systems.
Nowadays, search results are shaped not only by Google algorithms, but also by how AI models read, interpret, and reuse your content. Instead of optimizing only for Google’s TOP 10 results, AI SEO, or AI driven SEO, takes a broader view – looking at your entire digital footprint: your website, blog, content on social channels, mentions, and other signals that are seen by both search engines and AI tools.
Within AI SEO services, there are more specific directions – such as AEO and GEO – that focus on different types of AI visibility.
AI SEO is especially important if you want to remain visible in both classic Google results and AI tool responses (ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, etc.).
How do you apply AI SEO principles in practice?
Instead of focusing solely on technical SEO and keyword ranking, Google AI SEO combines semantic SEO, topic clusters, strong brand signals, and structured content designed for AI comprehension. Content is planned according to topics and user search intent, not just individual keywords. It is structured in such a way that both search engines and AI models can clearly understand who you are, what you do, and why you are the best answer to a specific question.
This includes high-quality, comprehensive content, internal links, structured data, a consistent brand voice, E-E-A-T principles, and clear answer-driven formatting (which is where AEO principles come in).
How does AI SEO differ from classic SEO?
Classic SEO is based solely on the principles that Google takes into account when ranking pages.
Google AI SEO goes further. It optimizes not only for rankings, but also for how AI systems interpret, extract, summarize, and reference your content.
How does AI SEO differ from classic SEO?
Classic SEO is based solely on the principles that Google takes into account when ranking pages. AI SEO goes a step further. It also optimizes how AI systems learn from your content.
What is AEO?
AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) is a specialized branch of AI SEO focused on visibility in answer engines – AI tools that generate direct responses to user questions. In other words, AEO services help ensure that your website content is easily readable, understandable, and quotable when someone asks a question to AI rather than Google.
AEO is a must-have if your goal is to appear in: ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude, Google AI Overviews (SGE), You.com, and other AI tools that generate answers.
How do you apply AEO principles in practice? Instead of the keyword density typical of SEO, AEO focuses on clear answers and clean text structure. Content is planned based on a Q&A logic, topic clusters are formed, while headlines, introductions, and conclusions are written in such a way that it is easy for the AI model to understand what is being discussed. AEO-friendly texts are usually straightforward – they prioritize clarity over flowery language, wordplay or heavy use of metaphors. They have an expert tone and are based on E-E-A-T principles.
What is E-E-A-T?
E-E-A-T refers to the principles of content creation (expertise, experience, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness) that guide the creation of online content. It is important for both Google and AI because it helps to distinguish reliable, high-quality information from superficial or misleading content.
Does your business really need AEO services provided by an AEO agency? Yes, if:
- your audience already says “I’ll ask ChatGPT” or uses other AI tools to find answers;
- your niche is competitive and SEO results are no longer bringing enough value;
- you invest in content and want it to be visible not only on Google but also in AI-generated responses;
- your goal is to strengthen your digital authority and be seen as a reliable source when AI generates an answer on your topic.
What is GEO?
GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) is content optimization for generative engines, i.e., all AI systems that not only search for information but also generate it: text, images, sound, or combinations thereof. Simply put, GEO helps ensure that your content is easy to understand and use not only for Google or chat AI tools, but also for the broader generative AI ecosystem.
GEO is especially relevant if you view digital visibility as more than just search – i.e., you want your content to be usable by text-generating models (e.g., ChatGPT, Gemini), image or audio generation tools, and AI agents working with public data.
How do you apply GEO principles in practice? Most of the principles overlap with AEO and AI SEO: clear content structure, specific answers, semantic SEO, and E-E-A-T. The difference is that GEO takes a broader view – i.e., it cares not only about text, but also about how AI will understand your images, videos, or other formats. Therefore, it is important to clearly identify the context (who, what, and why), use meaningful titles and descriptions, alt text for images, subtitles or transcripts for videos. This allows different AI models to not only read your content (and not just text), but also safely quote, summarize, or use it in generated responses.
GEO vs. AEO: what is the real difference?
AEO is mainly focused on response engines – AI tools that generate textual responses to questions. GEO has a broader view: it also includes AI that are not directly “search tools” but still learn from content and later generate it in other forms. In practice, this means that GEO is more often perceived as an umbrella term that encompasses both AEO and AI SEO principles.
Does your business need a separate GEO strategy? Yes, if:
- you operate in a market where generative AI is already becoming part of a product or service;
- you create a lot of publicly available content (e.g., knowledge bases, guides, educational content) that various AI can “feed” on;
- you want your brand to be used as an example, source, or context not only in responses but also in other AI-generated forms;
- you view digital authority from a long-term perspective.
AEO vs. AI SEO vs. GEO: What Sets Them Apart
| Aspect | AI SEO | AEO | GEO |
| What is it focused on? | Google search + AI-generated search results | AI response engines and chat tools | The entire generative AI ecosystem (text, images, video, etc.) |
| Goal | To be visible in both Google TOP 10 and AI answers (AI tools and search engine AI modes) | For AI to cite your content as an answer | For various AI models to understand and use your content |
| What is being optimized? | Your entire digital footprint: content, structure, authority | Text content in Q&A, FAQ, and how-to formats | Content and its context for different formats and models |
| The problem it solves | How not to lose organic traffic when AI is gradually taking over search? | How to get into ChatGPT / Gemini / Perplexity / etc. answers? | How to make our content usable by different AI tools? |
| Who is it for? | Businesses that place a high value on organic search and the traffic it generates | Businesses that want visibility in AI answers | Businesses that value broader digital authority |
| Approach | “How do AI and Google rank us?” | “How does AI pick up our information for its answers?” | “How does AI understand and reimagine us?” |
How to check if AI already knows your brand?
First and foremost, remember that AI doesn’t always play with its cards on the table. Not every time your content is used will you see “source: your business website” next to the answer. Sometimes sources are clearly indicated, but other times artificial intelligence reviews several sources, systematizes all the information, and serves one combined response. That answer may include ideas from both you and your competitors, but it is difficult to distinguish which belongs to whom.
Still, in some cases you can at least gauge how visible your business is to AI. There are various paid tools that help with this, but you can also run a basic check yourself for free.
Test your AI visibility
- Select a few of the most important queries related to your business. These could be your main product categories or services, the key problems your business solves, or niche keywords you’re already using (or have used) in your SEO strategy.
- Enter these queries using the tools where it actually matters to be visible. This could be ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Copilot, or other AI tools, as well as Google AI Overviews. In short, the platforms your target customers use to search for information.
- Look closely at the responses. Do you see your domain among the sources and links? Is your brand name mentioned directly in the responses? Or are your competitors showing up there, but not you?
Not showing up in AI results yet?
If AI answers skip your brand, it’s usually not about size – it’s about structure, clarity, and trust signals. As an AI SEO agency, ASTERI helps diagnose what’s missing in your SEO, AEO and GEO mix so that Google and AI tools can actually recognize and use your content.
Do you really need all three, or is one strategy enough?
We have established that AEO and GEO are different strategic directions within the broader AI driven SEO framework. Does this mean that businesses need separate strategies for each? Definitely not.
All of these approaches serve the same overarching goal: visibility and credibility in AI-driven search environments. For most businesses, a single, well-defined AI SEO strategy is sufficient, with stronger emphasis on AEO or GEO elements depending on where their audience searches and how AI interacts with their content.
