Insights
What is AEO, and how is it different from SEO?
AEO, or Answer Engine Optimization, is the work of getting your business named and cited when buyers ask an AI, rather than ranking a blue link on a results page. SEO optimizes for a position in a list. AEO optimizes to be the answer itself. They are not rivals. They run together, on the same foundation.
The full answer
Where they differ.
SEO earns a ranked position that a person clicks. AEO earns a mention inside the answer an engine writes, where there is no list to scroll and often no click at all. About 60% of searches now end without one. The unit of victory changed from a rank to a citation.
Why you still need SEO.
AEO does not replace the foundation, it sits on top of it. An engine can only quote a page it can crawl, read and trust, which is exactly what technical SEO and clean structure provide. Google's 2026 guidance is explicit that optimizing for AI search is still SEO, not a separate discipline. Skip the foundation and there is nothing for AEO to build on.
Where GEO fits.
AEO has a sibling discipline: GEO, or Generative Engine Optimization, which earns you citations inside the answers that tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude and DeepSeek write. Both sit on the same SEO foundation and pull in the same direction. We run all three as one program, with AI visibility as the specialty.
What this means for you.
If you are ranking on Google but never named by AI, the gap is AEO, not more SEO. The fix is making your content answer-first and your facts consistent everywhere an engine looks, so it can quote you cleanly and credit you by name. The honest starting point is a baseline: ask the engines what your buyers ask, and see who they name today.
SEO and AEO at a glance
| SEO | AEO | |
|---|---|---|
| Wins you | A ranked position in a list | A name inside the answer |
| The buyer sees | Ten blue links to compare | A short answer, often no click |
| Built on | Crawlable pages, clean structure | The same foundation, plus answer-first content and consistent facts |
| Success reads as | Position and clicks | Being named, cited and described right |
Find out if AI names you today.
An audit gives you the baseline: what the engines say about you now, and what it takes to be the answer.
Get an AI Visibility Audit