Start with the outcome.
SEO means search engine optimization: helping people discover your business through search. AEO, or answer engine optimization, focuses on visibility when a system answers a question directly. GEO, or generative engine optimization, focuses on visibility in generated responses. These are useful working definitions, not three universally standardized disciplines.
Google describes its generative search optimization as part of SEO. Its AI experiences still rely on its search infrastructure. Buying three separate strategies is therefore not an automatic requirement. Start by identifying the places your customers use to research a purchase.
Give one page more than one useful job.
Imagine a commercial cleaning company explaining how it prices office cleaning. A good page can help someone compare services, answer a question about cost drivers, and offer a clear explanation another system could reference. The page still needs to be accurate and useful when read from beginning to end.
Our suggested brief includes the customer’s question, the answer your team can substantiate, supporting examples, and a relevant next step. A new acronym does not change the need to deliver on that brief.
Separate the measures.
Track search visits, appearances in answers, and qualified inquiries separately. A citation is not a visit, and a visit is not a customer. Use those measures to learn where your content helps people, rather than treating any one number as proof that the entire strategy works.
Sources & further reading
Guidance checked September 24, 2026. Practical workflows and examples are our recommendations.