What is AEO and GEO in one sentence each?
AEO structures a page so an AI can lift a passage from it as the direct answer to a question: question-phrased heading, 40 to 60 word answer, FAQ schema.
GEO makes a brand legible and credible to AI models so they name it when asked for a recommendation: clear entity, consistent listings, third-party mentions, fresh proof.
SEO vs AEO vs GEO side by side
| SEO | AEO | GEO | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goal | A ranking position in a list of links | Your content quoted as the direct answer | Your brand recommended inside a generated answer |
| Typical query | "physio geelong" | "how much does physio cost in geelong" | "who is a good physio in geelong" |
| Unit of content | The page | The passage under a question heading | The entity: who you are, everywhere |
| Key on-page work | Titles, links, speed, indexing | Question headings, answer-first paragraphs, FAQ schema | Organization schema, About page, llms.txt, freshness |
| Key off-page work | Backlinks | Citations from sources the model trusts | Mentions on YouTube, Reddit, directories, reviews |
| Measured by | Rankings, clicks | Citation rate per question | Brand mention rate, share of voice vs competitors |
| Where it shows | Google, Bing results | AI Overviews, Perplexity answers, featured snippets | ChatGPT and Perplexity recommendations |
Where do AEO and GEO overlap?
Almost everywhere. Both need the site to be crawlable by AI bots, both need schema, both reward direct, dated, specific writing, and both are strengthened by mentions on sites AI already trusts. A page built for AEO (a clear answer to "how much does X cost") also feeds GEO, because it gives the model a reason to trust the brand. A brand built for GEO (reviews, consistent listings, a strong About page) gets its AEO passages cited more often.
In our sampling of AI answers, the sources cited most were YouTube and Reddit, ahead of every software vendor. That finding applies to both disciplines: the model recommends what it has seen recommended.
Is GEO replacing SEO?
No. GEO and AEO depend on SEO. AI Overviews are built from Google's index; ChatGPT search draws on Bing's; Perplexity crawls the same web. A page that cannot be indexed cannot be cited. What is changing is the share of searches that end in an AI answer rather than a click, which is why the on-page structure and off-site credibility that AEO and GEO add now matter more than they did.
Which does your business need?
- You sell a service people ask questions about first (cost, process, eligibility, comparison): lead with AEO. Answer the questions, add the schema, get cited.
- You compete on reputation in a category ("best X in Y", "who should I use"): lead with GEO. Entity, listings, reviews, mentions.
- You are a small business with one website: do both, because the work is 80% shared and the cost of doing it together is barely more than doing one.
Pemba runs both as a single monthly service: the audit scores AEO and GEO signals separately, the fixes cover both, and citation tracking reports question-level answers and brand-level mentions. See AEO services and GEO services for what each includes.
Questions people ask
What is the difference between AEO and GEO?
AEO gets a specific passage of your content quoted as the answer to a question. GEO gets your brand recommended inside an AI-generated answer. AEO is about the passage; GEO is about the entity. They share most of the same work.
Is GEO the same as SEO?
No. SEO earns a ranking position in a list of links. GEO earns a recommendation inside an AI-generated answer. GEO depends on SEO, because AI models draw on the same indexed web, but adds entity, credibility and off-site mention work that classic SEO does not.
What is AEO vs SEO?
SEO targets keywords and rankings. AEO targets questions and citations: a heading phrased as the question, a direct answer beneath it, and schema so AI assistants and Google AI Overviews quote you.
Do I need both AEO and GEO?
For most companies, yes. Roughly 80% of the work overlaps, and doing one without the other leaves either your answers or your brand unrecognised by AI. Pemba delivers both in every plan: a 90-day results pilot right now: US$30 for the first 30 days, then the founding monthly price.
Which is more important in 2026, AEO or GEO?
For service businesses that win on answering questions (cost, process, comparison), AEO delivers faster results through Google AI Overviews. For businesses that win on reputation, GEO matters more. Both are measured the same way: how often AI names you.
What is LLMO?
LLMO (large language model optimization) is another name for the same discipline as GEO. AEO, GEO, LLMO, LLM SEO and AI search optimization all describe making your business visible and credible to AI models.
Written by the Pemba team. Last updated 06/10/2026.