What is the difference between SEO, GEO and AEO?

Why so many acronyms!? We just want our website to be found!

I get it, even I’m finding the fact that a new acronym pops up every week slightly irritating at this point. But it’s really not as complicated as it sounds, and all the SEO work you’ve been doing over the last 10 years is definitely still relevant and important.

I’ll break it down for you:

SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)

Improving a website's visibility in traditional search engine results pages (SERPs) to increase organic traffic. It involves optimising content, meta data, technical performance and user experience so that search engines can understand and rank pages more effectively.

Example: An Essex-based accountancy firm optimises its website to rank for searches such as "small business accountant Essex" or "tax adviser UK" on search engines such as Google or Bing.

GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation)

Optimising content and brand visibility so that AI-powered search engines and generative AI assistants are more likely to reference, cite, or recommend a business when generating answers.

Unlike traditional SEO, which focuses on rankings and clicks, GEO focuses on increasing a brand's presence within AI-generated responses. It involves generating wider content pieces to increase brand authority and awareness by being featured on external information sources such as industry news outlets, forums, review sites and third party blogs.

Example: A UK insurance provider creates authoritative guides and publishes original data that AI tools may reference when answering questions about home insurance policies in Britain.

AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation)

Structuring and presenting content so that search engines, voice assistants, and AI systems can easily extract and deliver direct answers to users' questions.

AEO often involves creating clear question-and-answer formats, FAQs, structured data, and concise explanations designed to satisfy user intent immediately.

Example: A London law firm creates a page answering "What is probate in England and Wales?" in a clear, structured format that can be used directly in search results or AI-generated summaries.

What does that mean for our website and marketing?

All the SEO fundamentals are still relevant and ultra-important:

• Quality, keyword-focused content

• Regular updating and refreshing of content

• Well-structured website

• Consistent meta data and alt tag usage

• SEO technical checklist

However, there are also other content elements that are also important to consider:

For GEO:

• Blogs and comment pieces on your own website

• Good quality comment and editorial features on external websites such as news outlets and industry third party websites

• Encouraging customers to share experiences on review sites and forums

For AEO:

• Schema on your website to sign post content types

• Question and answer content format

• Concise explanation content format

As has always been the case, the key is achieving a balance between good optimisation and still ensuring that your content is engaging, unique and pleasurable to read.

So the good news is that it’s certainly not a U-turn on your current SEO strategy, but it is forcing us to think outside the box, rather than focussing solely on our websites, when it comes to our overall marketing strategy.

Get in touch

Give me a call if you’d like advice on considering all the acronyms within your marketing strategy.