AEO, GEO and SEO: what actually differs

Marketing language has blurred these acronyms. Underneath there is a single question: what do you measure success against — the position you rank in, or whether you appear inside the answer?

SEO: targets the ranking

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) aims for a high position on the results page. Its metrics are rank, impressions and clicks. The user still chooses among links; your job is to be near the top of that list.

AEO: targets being the source of the answer

AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) aims to get your content used as a source by an answer engine. Here citation matters, not position. Google's featured snippet, voice assistant answers and Perplexity's source list all live here. The metric: did you appear, and were you cited with a link?

GEO: targets being recommended in the generated answer

GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) aims to get your brand recommended inside the answer a generative model writes. The distinction is subtle but real: in AEO your content is cited; in GEO your brand is advised. A model can recommend you without linking to you at all — that is a GEO win that AEO metrics never see.

Which metric to watch

• SEO → rank, impressions, clicks. Source: Google Search Console.
• AEO → citation rate, presence in the source list. Source: the link lists inside answers.
• GEO → recommendation rate, position within the answer, tone, share against competitors. Source: the answer text itself.

All three feed each other

These are not competing disciplines. Strong SEO raises the odds your pages are found during live retrieval — it lays the ground for GEO. Well-structured content that answers a question directly earns snippets (AEO) and is easier for a model to quote (GEO). What changes is what you look at and what you improve.