Guide
AEO vs GEO: what is the difference?
AEO and GEO are two names for overlapping work: getting your brand into the answers that search engines and AI assistants give, not just into a list of links.
Side by side
| AEO (answer engine optimization) | GEO (generative engine optimization) | |
|---|---|---|
| Origin | An SEO term from the era of featured snippets and voice assistants | A research term (2023 paper “GEO: Generative Engine Optimization”) for AI-written answers |
| Target | Direct answers: featured snippets, voice answers, AI Overviews | Written answers from ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Copilot and Google AI Mode |
| Typical tactics | Question-led pages, concise answers, FAQ and structured data | All of AEO, plus third-party mentions, entity consistency and source coverage |
| How you measure it | Snippet and answer-box ownership | Whether, where and how often AI names you for buyer questions |
Which one should you care about?
In practice, both. Today many vendors and agencies use the terms interchangeably. The useful distinction is this: AEO grew out of winning one answer box on one search engine. GEO is about being named across many AI assistants, where third-party sources and what the model already “knows” about you matter as much as your own page.
What to do either way
- List the questions your buyers ask.
- Check who gets named today (free check).
- Publish clear, specific answers to those questions on your site.
- Make sure the third-party sources AI cites have accurate information about you.
- Re-measure regularly, because answers vary.
More detail: GEO guide · AI search optimization.
Questions
Is AEO dead?
No. Clear, question-led content still feeds AI Overviews and assistants. GEO extends it rather than replacing it.
Is GEO just a new name for SEO?
Partly. Strong SEO helps. GEO adds attention to written answers and the sources behind them.
See where you stand before you change anything
Run the free 5-question check to see whether AI names your brand, or a competitor, when buyers in your country ask. If you want the full picture, the €99 audit covers 25 buyer questions, the competitors AI picks instead, the sources it leans on and a prioritised fix list.
Run the free check Get the €99 audit
Checks run on Google Gemini today (ChatGPT and Perplexity are planned, with no date promised). AI answers vary between runs; nobody can guarantee a recommendation.
Written by the SupaDesign team behind Would AI Recommend. Last reviewed 24 October 2026.