SEO vs AEO vs GEO: Decode the Search Revolution

TL;DR
SEO optimizes pages to appear high on traditional search results pages, where users see a list of links to websites. AEO prepares your brand to be selected, cited, and actioned inside AI assistants (ChatGPT/Claude/Perplexity/Gemini and Google’s AI features).
GEO (generative/AI search) is the environment where assistants synthesize answers, notably Google’s AI Overviews/AI Mode and, increasingly, ChatGPT Atlas’ agentive browsing. Winning today means doing SEO for the open web and AEO for assistant answers — a hybrid strategy mapped to user intent and the surfaces they see first.

The New Discovery Stack

Think of the modern discovery journey as three layers

Open Web (SEO) — Crawling, indexing, ranking; users see a list of links.
Answer Layer (GEO) — Generative systems summarize across sources (e.g., Google AI Overviews).
Assistant Surfaces (AEO) — Conversational agents cite and act (Perplexity with sources, ChatGPT browsing, Claude web search, ChatGPT Atlas side-by-side).

Users hop between these layers fluidly. Your job is to ensure your brand is present and accurate wherever the user lands first.

Definitions That Actually Help

SEO: Optimising content and technical signals for search engines to rank your pages on SERPs. It emphasises crawlability (robots/sitemaps), relevance, authority, and UX.
AEO: Optimising your presence for answers and actions inside assistants — concise fact pages, FAQ markup, pricing clarity, and CTAs that assistants can quote or trigger.
GEO: The generative/AI search context where systems like AI Overviews assemble snapshots from the web and present them within search. It’s not a tactic you “do” so much as the surface you prepare for.

Where They Overlap (and Where They Don’t)

Dimension	SEO	AEO	GEO
Core outcome	Page ranking	Answer selection & citation	Synthesised snapshot in search
Primary users	Searchers scanning results	Assistant users asking questions	Searchers consuming in-SERP summaries
Key signals	Crawlability, content depth, links	Structured Q&A, clear entities, pricing, CTAs	Source eligibility, clarity, freshness
Artifacts	robots.txt, sitemaps, content hubs	FAQPage schema, Product/Offer schema, assistant summary page	Site quality signals used for summaries
Metrics	Rankings, CTR, organic sessions	Citation share, assistant-driven conversions	Inclusion rate, share of links in overviews

SEO and AEO share groundwork (robots/sitemaps). AEO doubles down on machine-legible answers and explicit actions. GEO is where those answers render to the user (e.g., AI Overviews).

Why GEO Matters Even If You “Don’t Use AI”

Even if your prospect never opens a chatbot, AI Overviews can appear atop their Google results. Google says these overviews are expanding globally and are designed to provide key information with links. You want your canonical pages to be among those links — or, better yet, the main source.

At the same time, ChatGPT Atlas moves assistant answers into the browser itself: the webpage and the conversation sit together. If your page is clear, structured, and action-ready, Atlas can steer users through the task quickly (read → decide → click).

When to Prioritise Each (Playbook by Scenario)

1) Category Education (top-funnel) → GEO + SEO

Users ask broad questions (“What is zero-ETL analytics?”). Publish in-depth educational content that’s cleanly structured and kept fresh (for GEO inclusion). Support with traditional SEO hubs and internal links.

2) Product Fit & Proof (mid-funnel) → AEO + GEO

Prospects compare solutions (“Best ETL tools for SaaS”). Deploy an FAQ hub with short, sourceable answers; ship FAQPage schema and a clear comparison page. Aim to be cited in assistants and linked in AI Overviews.

3) Pricing & Plans (decision) → AEO

Assistants frequently summarise pricing. Publish a dedicated /pricing page with consistent text and structured data (Product/Offer), then link it from your FAQ and sitemap for maximum discoverability.

4) Support Deflection (post-sale) → AEO

Seed assistants with authoritative troubleshooting FAQs and short “how-to” answers. This reduces support load while ensuring accurate guidance is what assistants repeat.

A Hybrid Strategy

Lock down crawl foundations
Validate robots.txt, host a complete sitemap (link it in robots.txt), and ensure key pages are included (/pricing, /faq, /docs, /contact).
Stand up an AEO-ready FAQ
10–15 Q&As that answer what assistants are most likely to repeat. Mark up with FAQPage and keep answers short, precise, and non-contradictory with product/docs.
Normalise entities and facts
Use consistent naming and structured data for Organization, Product, and Offer. Mirror facts in plain text so models can corroborate.
Clarify actions
Prominent CTAs (“Start free trial”, “Book demo”) with predictable URLs. Assistants need unambiguous next steps.
Test GEO surfaces
Review whether your articles are being used in AI Overviews/AI Mode for key queries; keep content fresh and unambiguous.
Audit assistant citations
Use Perplexity to see if your canonical pages are cited for your priority questions; tune your content until you consistently appear.

Case Example: Turning “Invisible” Pricing Into Citations

A B2B SaaS vendor had pricing scattered across docs, an old blog post, and sales decks. Assistants either skipped the brand or quoted outdated numbers. The fix:

Ship a canonical /pricing page → add to sitemap and link in robots.txt.
Encode tiers with Product/Offer; echo the same figures in plain text.
Add 3 FAQ entries: “How is pricing calculated?”, “Do you offer annual discounts?”, “What counts as a seat?” and mark up with FAQPage.
Within a week, Perplexity began citing the pricing page; AI Overviews started showing it among linked sources for “[Brand] pricing”.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need different content for AEO vs SEO?
Often the same page can serve both, provided it’s answer-ready: concise lead, clear facts, and structured data. Longform SEO content can coexist with an answer card at the top.

Is GEO a new ranking algorithm to game?
Not exactly. It’s a display surface powered by generative models that draw from your site (and others). Your lever is clarity and eligibility, not keyword stuffing.

How do I see if AI Overviews include me?
Search representative queries and inspect the links cited in the overview. Keep content fresh and consistent; monitor over time as Google iterates coverage.

Does ChatGPT Atlas change my priorities?
It makes assistant-ready content even more valuable, because the browser and the assistant live side-by-side. If your page is the easiest to quote and act on, the assistant is more likely to surface it.

What about allowing/denying AI crawlers?
Use robots.txt to allow reputable crawlers to canonical content and block sensitive paths. Remember: robots.txt is a directive, not access control.

The Bottom Line

Treat SEO as your foundation and AEO as your answer layer. Optimise for inclusion and citation where generative experiences assemble snapshots (GEO), and for actions where assistants guide users to outcomes. That hybrid strategy meets users wherever they are: on a SERP, in an overview, or inside a conversation.

Want a measured, low-lift plan for both? Start with an AEO audit and we’ll map your SEO foundations to assistant-ready answers.

References (Harvard style)

Google (2025) AI features and your website. Available at: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/ai-features
Google (2024) AI Overviews in Search are coming to more places around the world. Available at: https://blog.google/products/search/ai-overviews-search-october-2024/
Internet Engineering Task Force (2022) RFC 9309: Robots Exclusion Protocol. Available at: https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc9309
Google (n.d.) What is a Sitemap. Available at: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/sitemaps/overview
Google (n.d.) Build and Submit a Sitemap. Available at: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/sitemaps/build-sitemap
Schema.org (n.d.) FAQPage. Available at: https://schema.org/FAQPage
OpenAI (2025) Introducing ChatGPT Atlas. Available at: https://openai.com/index/introducing-chatgpt-atlas/
Perplexity (2024) How does Perplexity work? Available at: https://www.perplexity.ai/help-center/en/articles/10352895-how-does-perplexity-work