Plain definitions
What GEO and AEO actually mean
Two new acronyms for an old idea: write clear, accurate, well-structured pages that answer real questions. Here is what each term covers, how they relate to SEO and where to start.
- Generative engine optimisation (GEO)
- GEO is the practice of making your content easy for generative AI systems, such as ChatGPT, to understand, trust and cite when they compose an answer. It favours clear facts, consistent brand information and pages that explain things fully.
- Answer engine optimisation (AEO)
- AEO is the practice of structuring content so it directly answers specific questions. Leading with the answer, using descriptive headings and covering follow-up questions helps featured snippets, voice assistants and AI answers.
Side by side
How GEO, AEO and SEO relate
| SEO | AEO | GEO | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main goal | Be found and clicked in search results | Be the direct answer to a question | Be understood and cited in AI-composed answers |
| Typical surface | Classic search results | Featured snippets, voice assistants, AI answers | Chat assistants such as ChatGPT |
| Content emphasis | Relevance, crawlability, links | Question-led structure, concise answers | Clear facts, consistency, complete explanations |
| How you check it | Search console and rank data | Search results for the question | Observing AI answers over time |
Both build on the same foundation as good SEO. Google’s own guidance recommends creating helpful, reliable, people-first content, and its notes on AI features in Search say the same practices apply.
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Six practical first steps
None of these need special software. AI Search Console helps you do them with evidence and keep track.
- List the real questions. Collect ten questions customers ask in emails, calls and reviews.
- Lead with the answer. Put a direct one or two sentence answer under a heading that matches the question.
- State facts as text. Prices, service areas, opening hours and specifications should not live only in images or PDFs.
- Make brand facts consistent. Your name, address and descriptions should match across your site and profiles.
- Cover follow-up questions. Anticipate the next thing someone would ask and answer it on the same page.
- Observe, change, observe again. Record how AI answers describe you before and after updates. Expect variation.
See how the product supports this in how it works, or browse the full feature list.
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No ranking guarantee. AI Search Console provides observations and recommendations only. It cannot guarantee rankings in any search engine or mentions in any AI-generated answer, which are determined by third-party providers. Product examples on this site are illustrative and do not show real customer data.