AEO vs GEO vs SEO
Three names for getting found, each coined for a different kind of search. SEO is for a list of results. AEO and GEO are for an answer. The differences matter mostly when someone is trying to sell you all three separately.
Side by side
| Compared | SEO | AEO | GEO |
|---|---|---|---|
| The goal | Your pages rank in search results | You're given accurately as a direct answer | You're described accurately in AI-written answers |
| Where it shows up | Google and Bing results, Google Maps | Voice assistants and AI assistants | ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity |
| The name dates from | The early days of search engines | The voice-assistant era | A 2023 research paper |
| What you can check | Where you rank, and the clicks and calls that follow | What the assistant says | What the assistant says, and the sources it used |
Which one to pay for first
Start with what all three depend on: a website that says plainly what you do and where, a Google listing that's current, and directory listings that agree with both. An assistant answering a question about you mostly reads those.
Then look at what the assistants actually say. If they have you right, there may be little AEO or GEO work to do. If they have your old address, that's a specific problem with a specific source, and it's worth fixing before paying for more content.
Be wary of a proposal that prices SEO, AEO and GEO as three separate retainers. The groundwork is almost entirely shared.
Where Lehvel fits
Websites and Search Presence cover the groundwork. AI Visibility and Lehvel Observatory cover what the assistants say.
Questions
Is SEO dead because of AI?
No. AI assistants that search the web read many of the same pages a search engine ranks. What has changed is that a customer may read a summary of your business before they ever see your site.
Is AEO the same as GEO?
In practice, yes. The names come from different moments, voice assistants for AEO and AI-written answers for GEO, but the work overlaps almost completely.
What is AI SEO?
Usually either using AI tools to do SEO, or optimizing for AI search. When we say it, we mean the second.
AI SEOWant to discuss AEO, GEO and SEO?
Book a time with Lehvel and we’ll go through what your business actually needs.