AEO vs SEO vs GEO:

SEO is getting found in search results. AEO, answer engine optimization, and GEO, generative engine optimization, are newer names for getting your pages used and cited in AI answers, from Google AI Overviews to ChatGPT and Perplexity. Most of the work overlaps. A startup should fix the SEO basics first, then check which AI answers name it.

Google’s own view is that this is all one job. Other engines run their own crawlers, so there are a few extra checks, but not a separate programme.

In short

• SEO, search engine optimization: making pages that search engines can crawl, index and show for the queries your buyers type.
• AEO, answer engine optimization: getting your content used in tools that answer a question directly. Perplexity calls itself an answer engine.
• GEO, generative engine optimization: a term from a 2023 research paper for improving how visible your content is in AI-generated answers.
• Google says optimizing for its generative AI search “is optimizing for the search experience, and thus still SEO” (Google).
• The real differences are outside Google: other crawlers to allow, and different ways to measure.
• Do it in order: be crawlable and indexed, answer the question early on the page, then measure both search results and AI answers.

The plain definitions

SEO

Search engine optimization is the work of helping search engines find, understand and show your pages. For a SaaS site that means pages that can be crawled and indexed, titles and copy that match what buyers search for, internal links, and other sites linking to you. The result you are after is a click from a list of results. Our SEO for SaaS startups guide covers it end to end.

AEO

Answer engine optimization is the same idea aimed at tools that answer the question instead of listing links. Perplexity’s help centre defines the category: “An answer engine is a tool designed to give you direct, detailed answers to your questions”, and says Perplexity does that by “searching the web, identifying trusted sources, and synthesizing information” (Perplexity). Google’s guide lists AEO as one of the terms people use for work “specifically focused on improving visibility in AI search experiences” (Google).

GEO

Generative engine optimization was named in a research paper, GEO: Generative Engine Optimization, accepted to KDD 2024. It describes generative engines as systems that answer by “synthesizing information from multiple sources and summarizing them using LLMs”, and proposes GEO as a way for content creators to improve their visibility in those answers. The authors built a benchmark of queries to test methods and found that what works varies by domain.

In practice, people use AEO and GEO for the same thing. Google’s guide treats them as two names for one kind of work.

Where they overlap

Most of the work is shared, because AI search tools still start from pages on the web.

• Google AI Overviews and AI Mode use the Google index. Google says a page must be indexed and eligible to show with a snippet, and the site must be included in Search generative AI features in Search Console (Google). That setting is on by default.
• Perplexity searches the web for each question. Its help centre says it searches the internet, summarizes what it finds, and adds “numbered citations linking to the original sources” (Perplexity).
• Good content is the main lever for both. Google says content people find “unique, compelling, and useful” will likely influence your presence in generative AI search more than any other suggestion in its guide.

So the same page, written to answer one question clearly and crawlable by the right bots, serves SEO, AEO and GEO at once.

Where they differ

Balanced means saying where the overlap ends. There are three real differences.

1. More crawlers to allow. Google’s AI features use Googlebot, so normal SEO covers them. Other engines run their own bots. Perplexity, for example, asks sites to allow PerplexityBot in robots.txt to appear in its results (Perplexity). A robots.txt or firewall rule written years ago can block an AI search bot without anyone noticing. AI crawlers and robots.txt lists the main ones, and the free AI crawler checker shows what yours allows.

2. A different result to measure. In search you track rankings and clicks. In AI answers you track whether you are named or cited for a question. For Google, Search Console has a Generative AI performance report with impressions from AI Overviews and AI Mode (Google). For other tools there is no shared report, so you ask the prompts yourself and log the answers. How to track AI visibility sets that up, and tracking ChatGPT traffic in GA4 covers the visits.

3. Different answers for the same question. Google describes query fan-out, where the model runs several related searches to build one answer. Each tool searches and summarizes in its own way, so you can be cited in one and missing from another.

What isn’t different: Google says that for its Search you can ignore “AEO/GEO hacks” such as chunking content, adding AI text files like llms.txt, or chasing inauthentic mentions (Google). It also warns about third-party tools that promise ranking success, and points anyone weighing AEO or GEO services to its guidance on choosing SEO help. If you want an llms.txt for agents anyway, the free llms.txt generator builds one in a minute, but treat it as optional, not a Google lever.

What a startup should do first

The order matters more than the label.

1. Make the site crawlable and indexed. Check robots.txt, noindex tags and JavaScript rendering. Confirm in Search Console that your key pages are indexed and that Search generative AI is set to include. Our technical SEO page and Next.js technical SEO cover the checks.
2. Allow the AI search crawlers you want. Decide which bots may crawl, and keep search bots and training bots separate.
3. Write pages that answer one question each. Put the answer in the first lines, say who the product is for, and back claims with sources. Start with the questions buyers ask before they choose a tool: alternatives, comparisons, how to do the job. SaaS comparison pages and how to get cited in AI answers show the format.
4. Measure both surfaces. Search Console for search and Google’s AI features, a weekly prompt log for ChatGPT, Perplexity and the rest.
5. Then go engine by engine. Once the basics are in, look at what each tool says about itself: Google AI Overviews, Perplexity and ChatGPT.

If you’re a seed-stage SaaS team, steps 1 to 3 are most of the job for now. The AI search page explains how we handle the rest.

FAQ

What is the difference between AEO, SEO and GEO?

SEO is about appearing in search results. AEO and GEO are about being used and cited in AI answers, from Google AI Overviews to Perplexity and ChatGPT. The work overlaps heavily, and Google calls optimizing for its AI search “still SEO”.

Are AEO and GEO the same thing?

Mostly, yes. Google lists both as terms for work aimed at visibility in AI search. GEO comes from a 2023 research paper on generative engines. AEO comes from the idea of answer engines, the term Perplexity uses for itself.

Is SEO dead because of AI search?

No. Google’s AI features are built on its index and need pages that are indexed and eligible for a snippet. Perplexity searches the web for each question. Both still depend on pages that can be found and read.

Do I need a separate GEO strategy?

Not a separate one. Add a few steps to your SEO: allow the AI search crawlers you want, write pages that answer one question early, and track whether AI answers name you.

Does llms.txt help with GEO?

Google’s AI optimization guide says an llms.txt file “will neither harm nor help your site’s visibility or rankings in Google Search”. No major AI company has said its crawlers read the one on your site. It’s cheap to add as an option, but don’t expect it to change results.

What should a startup do first?

Fix crawling and indexing, then allow the AI search bots you want, then write answer-first pages for the questions buyers ask before choosing a tool. Measure search and AI answers separately.

Want both done for you?

Ignura automates SEO and GEO, and you approve what goes out. See the AI search and citations pages for the work, and the pricing page for how we price it.

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