GEO, AEO, SEO & LLMs: Untangling the Questions We Get Asked Most

Search is changing rapidly, and so is the language we used to talk about it. SEO, GEO, AI search, answer engines, large language models known as LLMs, prompts and others. The list keeps growing and the lines between these concepts are not always clear. Especially to people who are not working on it in the industry.Because of that we created this guide that will give you answers on how to set your website for success in the age of AI and how to dominate your GEO. 

Below, we answer the questions people ask most often about GEO, AI Search, and traditional SEO. We will explain what these terms mean, how they connect, where they differ, and what businesses should actually pay attention to as search continues to evolve and change.

Think of this article as a practical, growing resource. Whether you are trying to understand if GEO is replacing SEO, wondering how to appear in AI-generated answers, or simply figuring out where to focus next, you will find clear and straightforward answers here.

Where to start first?

Before we get into nitty-gritty things, it helps to understand the terminology. SEO, AEO, GEO, AI Search, and LLMs are closely connected, but they do not all mean the same thing.

Let’s start with the basics and clarify what each term means, how they differ, and where they overlap. Once we cover these terminologies it will be easier to understand how they work and how to optimize your website for the AI.

Common AI terms & definitions

What is a Large Language Model (LLM)?

A large language model is an AI system trained on large amounts of text to understand and generate human-like language. LLMs power tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude, helping them answer questions, summarize information, and create content.

What is Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)?

Answer Engine Optimization is the process of structuring content on your website so search engines and AI tools can easily understand and present it as a direct answer to the user. It focuses on clear responses, helpful formatting, relevant context, and structured data where appropriate.

What is Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)?

Generative Engine Optimization is the process of improving a brand’s visibility in AI-generated responses. Its goal is to help platforms such as ChatGPT, Claude, Google AI Overviews, Gemini, and Perplexity discover, understand, reference, or cite your content.

What is Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?

Search Engine Optimization is the process of improving a website’s visibility in organic search results. It includes technical improvements, on page optimization which involves changes happening on the website, and off page optimization, changes happening outside of the website, mostly known as link building.

As we can see from the chart above, SEO’s main goal is to improve organic rankings and traffic which results in more leads & revenue for your business, and the main focus here is on technical SEO, on page improvements, content, and link building.

All of the methods used in the SEO help in AEO, because if your website is properly optimized and follows best SEO practices, your website will show up in answers on specific keywords on Google and other search engines. It gives you a chance to rank in featured snippets that are above first position in normal organic search results, voice search and answer engines. 

The main focus in AEO is on providing clear answers, having content with proper structure and context and making sure that pages have structured data.

So, where does this put GEO? It’s easy, we know that if the website previously followed good SEO practices and provided high quality content to the users which satisfied their intent and got rewarded in featured snippets and AI answers, the website is seen as a credible and authoritative source. 

Having an established brand gets you into generative engine optimization. We know that models like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity and AI overviews like to cite trusted sources and established businesses.

This means that your main focus should be on improving your website’s authority, citations and having content structured in a clear and easy to understand structure for the users.

Is GEO replacing SEO? 

No, GEO is not replacing SEO. 

Search engines and AI platforms still need to discover, crawl, understand, and trust your content before they can rank, reference, or cite it. Technical SEO, helpful content, relevant internal links, backlinks, and a strong brand presence therefore remain essential.

The main difference is the desired outcome. Traditional SEO focuses primarily on rankings and organic traffic, while GEO also focuses on whether your brand and content appear within AI-generated answers. 

Businesses should not choose between SEO and GEO. They should develop an SEO strategy that also accounts for how AI platforms find, evaluate, and present information.

What triggers an AI overview?

Google and other search engines typically will display an AI overview when their systems determine that a query would benefit from combining information from multiple sources into one clear response that can provide much better context and answer to the user. 

It is more common for AI overviews to be triggered by the keywords that have informational intent rather than commercial or transactional. This means that if your website heavily relied on getting traffic from informational intent keywords that it probably lost a decent chunk of traffic since the initial release of AI overviews. 

The solution to this is to focus on other intent keywords such as navigational, commercial and transactional. This also doesn’t mean that you should completely stop focusing on ranking for informational keywords. 

This specific area is what gets you in the AI overviews the most. The more topics you cover in your industry the higher the chances are to cover a bigger part of the AI overviews vs your competitors. 

Some of the factors that can influence whether an AI Overview appears include:

• The complexity and intent of the search
• Whether the query requires information from several sources
• The availability of reliable and relevant content
• How confidently Google can generate a useful response
• The topic, location, language, and search context

It’s important to note that AI overviews are generated dynamically, so they may appear for one variation of a query but not another.

Example of the AI overviews, triggered on a keyword ‘’AI overviews’’

How to increase brand mentions for AI?

In order to increase your brand mentions in AI-generated answers, your brand needs to become a recognizable and trusted source associated with the topics, services, and  products relevant to your audience. 

To achieve this you need to focus on the following:

• Building strong topical authority through comprehensive and useful content,
• Publishing original content, research, expert insights, statistics, case studies and more,
• Earning mentions and backlinks from authoritative sources in your industry
• Answering specific questions directly using clear headings and well structured content
• Using relevant structured data to help search engines understand these relationships
• Making sure your important content is crawlable, indexable, accurate and often updated depending on the topic
• Creating clear author and company profiles that demonstrate expertise in the industry

It is important to note that AI platforms don’t rely fully on a company’s website alone. Strong third-party mentions, citations, reviews, PR and industry references can increase the changes of your brand to appear in the AI mentions.

Is AI content bad for SEO?

AI generated content is not inherently bad for SEO. Search engines evaluate content based on its quality, usefulness, accuracy and relevance regardless of whether it was written by a person or created with AI assistance.

This does not mean that AI content is always good for your website. If you’re clearly manipulating and producing spam with the goal to only get more visits and not to provide any value you may notice that such content is simply not getting indexed by search engines, especially Google.

AI content becomes a problem when it is published at scale without proper review, offers little original value, repeats information already available elsewhere, or is created mainly to manipulate search rankings.

To learn more about this we highly recommend checking Google Search’s guidelines on AI content on this link.

The answer to quote from Google is the following:

“”How automation can create helpful content 

When it comes to automatically generated content, our guidance has been consistent for years. Using automation—including AI—to generate content with the primary purpose of manipulating ranking in search results is a violation of our spam policies.

Google has many years of experience dealing with automation being used in an attempt to game search results. Our spam-fighting efforts—including our SpamBrain system—will continue, however spam is produced.

This said, it’s important to recognize that not all use of automation, including AI generation, is spam. Automation has long been used to generate helpful content, such as sports scores, weather forecasts, and transcripts. AI has the ability to power new levels of expression and creativity, and to serve as a critical tool to help people create great content for the web.

This is in line with how we’ve always thought about empowering people with new technologies. We’ll continue taking this responsible approach, while also maintaining a high bar for information quality and the overall helpfulness of content on Search.’’

What does this mean?

This means that you are safe to produce and use AI to help you generate content as long as it helps the users and satisfies their intent and provides actual value. If you are using it with the goal to manipulate rankings you are at risk to violate their spam policies. 

What is important to consider here?

The European Union has put a law on all content generated by the AI, that from now on you need to say on your website landing pages or content anywhere in general if it was AI generated or not. To learn more about it you can click here. Now this may not yet be active in the United States, but this is something that’s definitely coming worldwide.

How to optimize content for AI search

Create content that gives clear, accurate answers while offering something beyond information already available across competing websites. Google’s AI search features still rely heavily on its traditional crawling, indexing, ranking, and quality systems. Google Search Central

Focus on:

• Answering the main question clearly near the beginning
• Organizing supporting information under descriptive headings
• Covering related questions and follow-up needs
• Adding expert commentary, original examples, research, or first-hand experience
• Supporting important claims with reliable sources
• Keeping facts, statistics, prices, and dates updated
• Using relevant images, videos, tables, and comparisons
• Strengthening internal links between related pages
• Demonstrating who created or reviewed the content

Do not create separate pages for every minor keyword or prompt variation. One comprehensive and useful resource is usually better than numerous repetitive pages.

How can I audit my website for GEO best practices?

A GEO audit should examine whether AI systems can access, understand, trust, and reference your content.

Review the following areas:

• Crawling and indexing: Confirm that important pages are indexable, return a 200 status code, and are not accidentally blocked. Some websites might allow Googlebot and other search engines but completely block AI bots.
• Content quality: Identify thin, repetitive, outdated, or generic pages.
• Answer coverage: Check whether pages clearly address the questions customers actually ask.
• Original value: Look for expert insights, case studies, proprietary data, examples, and first-hand experience.
• Brand entities: Verify that company, author, service, product, and location information is accurate and consistent.
• External authority: Review relevant links, citations, reviews, press coverage, directory listings, and industry mentions.
• Structured data: Validate applicable schema and ensure it matches visible page content.
• Technical structure: Check internal linking, canonicals, JavaScript rendering, duplicate content, sitemaps, and page performance.
• AI visibility: Test important prompts across relevant AI platforms and document which brands and sources are mentioned.
• Referral traffic: Monitor visits from AI platforms in analytics and available AI visibility reports.

The audit should produce page-level actions rather than only a general GEO score.

How to do Generative Engine Optimization

Generative engine optimization involves improving the likelihood that a brand or website will be discovered, understood, and cited in AI-generated answers.

A practical GEO process includes:

1. Identify the questions and problems your target audience discusses with AI platforms.
2. Group those questions by topic, intent, and customer journey stage.
3. Map each group to an existing page or a genuine content gap.
4. Improve pages with clear answers, supporting details, and original expertise.
5. Build topical authority with connected content and strong internal linking.
6. Strengthen brand associations through relevant third-party mentions and citations.
7. Keep important company, product, service, and local information consistent.
8. Measure AI mentions, citations, referral traffic, engagement, and conversions.
9. Update the strategy as search behavior and AI platforms change.

For Google, GEO is not a replacement for SEO. Its generative features use the same fundamental Search infrastructure and quality systems. Google’s generative AI optimization guide

Does AI help with local SEO for small businesses?

Yes. AI can help small businesses research local search behavior, identify content opportunities, analyze customer reviews, draft location-specific content, and maintain listings more efficiently.

However, AI does not replace the main local SEO signals. Businesses still need:

• An accurate and complete Google Business Profile
• Consistent name, address, phone number, and opening hours
• Genuine customer reviews and professional responses
• Relevant local landing pages
• Local links, partnerships, citations, and press mentions
• Accurate service areas and business categories
• Useful content based on real local expertise
• Clear contact, booking, and direction information

Google has confirmed that accurate Business Profile information can support visibility in both traditional and AI-generated local results. Google Search Central

AI should assist the local SEO process, while business owners or specialists review all facts before publication.

How to stay current with SEO and AI search changes

Follow primary sources before acting on claims shared through social media or third-party tools.

Useful sources include:

• Google Search Central documentation and blogs
• Google Search Console
• Bing Webmaster Blog and Bing Webmaster Tools
• Official announcements from relevant AI platforms
• Reliable SEO industry publications
• Your own analytics

How to optimize website content for AI search crawlers

There is no single universal AI crawler or special markup required for AI visibility. For Google’s AI search features, standard technical SEO remains the foundation, and Google does not require llms.txt or special AI schema, more info can be found here at Google Search Central.

Make sure that:

• Important content is publicly accessible and indexable
• Pages return the correct HTTP status codes
• Robots directives reflect your intended access permissions
• Main content appears in the rendered HTML
• JavaScript does not prevent content discovery
• XML sitemaps contain current canonical URLs
• Canonical tags are implemented correctly
• Internal links use crawlable HTML links
• Structured data matches visible content
• Duplicate and parameter-based URLs are controlled
• Pages work properly across multiple devices
• Important information is not hidden only inside images or scripts

What tools are best for conducting keyword research for AEO?

The best tools for AEO keyword research are Semrush, Ahrefs, Google Search Console, AnswerThePublic, AlsoAsked, and Google’s People Also Ask results. These tools help identify question-based searches, long-tail keywords, related topics, and the language people use when looking for direct answers.

Traditional keyword metrics such as search volume and difficulty are still useful, but they should not be the only criteria. AEO research should also focus on search intent, conversational queries, follow-up questions, and topics that can be answered clearly and accurately.

How to structure a page for AEO

An AEO-friendly page should make its main topic and answers easy for both users and search engines to understand. Use one clear H1, descriptive H2 and H3 headings, and a logical content hierarchy. When a heading asks a question, provide a concise answer immediately below it before adding more detail.

Use short paragraphs, lists, tables, examples, and FAQ sections where they genuinely improve the answer. Relevant schema markup can provide additional context, but it does not replace useful content or guarantee inclusion in answer engines.

How to create an AEO strategy

Start by identifying the questions your audience asks at each stage of the customer journey. Put yourself in the shoes of your buyers and think how they would find your products and what would be the most common questions they ask. 

Group related questions by topic and intent, then map them to existing pages or create new content where important gaps exist.

Each page should provide a direct answer, support it with useful detail and reliable evidence, and connect to relevant supporting pages through internal links. 

Technical accessibility, structured data, author or company credibility, and consistent entity information should also be reviewed. Measure performance through featured snippets, People Also Ask visibility, AI citations, impressions, organic traffic, assisted conversions, and leads.

Is answer engine optimization worth It?

Yes, answer engine optimization is worth investing in because users increasingly receive information directly through featured snippets, voice assistants, AI Overviews, and other AI-generated answers.

What’s important to consider is that these answers tend to be more trusted from the users when they consume them.

AEO can increase brand visibility and establish a business as a trusted source, even when the interaction does not immediately result in a website visit.

AEO works best as an extension of SEO rather than a replacement for it. Strong technical SEO, authoritative content, clear answers, reliable supporting information, and relevant links remain essential for earning visibility across both traditional and AI-powered search experiences.

How to stay ahead of the game?

SEO, AEO, and GEO should not be seen as competing strategies. They are connected parts of a modern search strategy designed to increase visibility, build authority, and ultimately generate more leads and revenue from other channels as well.

Strong technical SEO must ensure your content can be discovered & understood. AEO helps present that content as a clear and useful answer to the users. GEO strengthens the signals that make AI platforms more likely to mention, reference, or cite your brand.

The businesses that want to succeed must keep their focus on the fundamentals: useful content, original expertise, technical accessibility, strong topical authority, trusted third-party mentions, and a clear understanding of their audience. 

Search will continue to evolve, but brands that consistently provide accurate and valuable information will remain well positioned across both traditional and AI-powered search.