What is SEO?
Search engine optimization is the practice of making a website easy for search engines to crawl, understand and rank. It covers technical health (speed, mobile friendliness, HTTPS, sitemaps), on-page content (titles, headings, copy) and off-page authority (backlinks, reviews, citations).
What is AEO?
Answer engine optimization focuses on the answer itself. Search results increasingly show featured snippets, People Also Ask boxes and AI summaries. AEO structures content around real questions, puts a direct answer first, and adds structured data so a passage can be lifted cleanly.
What is GEO?
Generative engine optimization targets AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Copilot. These systems assemble answers from many sources. GEO improves the signals that make your business a likely source: crawler access, a consistent business identity, extractable content, original information and a strong reputation across the web.
How do they compare?
| SEO | AEO | GEO | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goal | Rank in results | Be the selected answer | Be cited or recommended by AI |
| Main levers | Technical health, content, backlinks | Question headings, direct answers, schema | Entity clarity, crawler access, reputation, original data |
| How it is measured | Rankings, clicks, traffic | Snippet and answer presence | AI mention rate, citation rate, AI referrals |
Where should a small business start?
- Fix the foundations. A fast, secure, mobile-friendly site with clear titles and headings.
- Answer real questions. Add question-based sections with direct answers and FAQ schema.
- Clarify who you are. Consistent name, address, phone and services everywhere, plus Organization or LocalBusiness schema.
- Earn reputation. Reviews, local directories and mentions in industry or local publications.
- Measure. Track rankings, answers and AI mentions over time.
The three overlap far more than they differ. Clear, credible, well-structured content wins in all of them.