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AEO & GEO

Generative Engine Optimization

Also known as: GEO

Generative Engine Optimization is the same practice as Answer Engine Optimization: structuring content and signals so generative AI engines cite your business in their answers. The two terms are used interchangeably.

What it means

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is the practice of optimising for generative AI search engines so they cite your brand inside their answers. The term emerged in academic research in 2023 and entered mainstream SEO vocabulary in 2024.

In day-to-day usage, GEO is interchangeable with Answer Engine Optimization (AEO). Some practitioners argue GEO is broader (covers any generative AI surface) and AEO is narrower (focused on direct-answer engines). In practice the two describe the same work.

Why it matters

The terminology debate matters less than the underlying shift. AI engines now sit between users and websites, and the brands cited inside AI answers win attention before any click happens. Whether you call the discipline GEO or AEO, the work is the same: become the source AI engines reach for.

How it's used

A GEO program covers the same surfaces as an AEO program:

For the deeper breakdown, see AEO vs GEO vs AI SEO and our AEO services.

Related terms

Answer Engine Optimization

Answer Engine Optimization is the practice of structuring your website, content, and brand signals so that AI engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews cite your business by name when they answer user questions.

AI Overviews

AI Overviews are AI-generated summaries that appear at the top of Google search results for many queries. They synthesize information from multiple sources into a direct answer, with citation links to the websites Google pulled from.

Large Language Model

A Large Language Model (LLM) is an AI system trained on huge volumes of text to predict and generate human-like language. ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity are all built on top of LLMs.

Retrieval Augmented Generation

Retrieval Augmented Generation is the technique AI search engines use to combine a language model's general knowledge with fresh information pulled from the live web. It is why ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini can cite current sources rather than relying on training data alone.

Read deeper

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