What are AEO and GEO, and does my business need them?
People increasingly ask ChatGPT and Google AI for a recommendation instead of scrolling links. AEO and GEO are how you become the business the AI names. Here is the plain version.
SEO gets you ranked on Google. AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) and GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) get you recommended inside AI answers like ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews. If your customers ask AI for suggestions, you need them.
AEO is about being the answer AI assistants give. GEO is about being cited and recommended inside generated answers. Same goal: when someone asks an AI for a business like yours, it names you, not a competitor.
More buyers ask an AI first and act on the one or two names it suggests. If the AI recommends someone else, you never even get the click, no matter how good your Google ranking is.
Clear structure and content that answers the real questions people ask, strong entity signals and corroboration across the web, and the technical groundwork that makes you citable. It is deliberate work, not luck.
We do this for a living, and three of our clients, in three different industries, are each ranked #1 by ChatGPT for what they do, small businesses beating far bigger names.
Related questions
Is AEO the same as SEO?
No. SEO is about ranking on Google; AEO and GEO are about being recommended by AI assistants. They work together, but they are not the same thing.
Can a small business really rank in ChatGPT?
Yes. We have small-business clients that ChatGPT names first, ahead of much bigger companies. It builds over weeks as the signals accumulate.
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