AEO (answer engine optimisation) aims to make your page the direct answer to a question. GEO (generative engine optimisation) aims to get your business cited in AI-generated responses. Both sit on top of good SEO. Google says there are no additional requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode beyond standard SEO best practice.
What is AEO?
Answer engine optimisation is the practice of writing and structuring content so that search engines, voice assistants and AI tools can extract a clear, correct answer. It includes featured snippets, voice answers and summary boxes. The core method is simple: put the answer first, then explain.
What is GEO?
Generative engine optimisation focuses on being included and cited when AI systems write an answer from multiple sources. Because these systems retrieve and summarise web pages, the pages they trust tend to be clear, accurate, well-organised and backed by a recognisable, consistent brand.
How do AEO, GEO and SEO compare?
| SEO | AEO | GEO | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goal | Rank and earn clicks | Be the direct answer | Be cited in AI responses |
| Main output | Web page in results | Snippet or spoken answer | Mention or link in an AI answer |
| Core work | Technical health, content, links | Answer-first writing, clear structure | Trust, clarity, consistent entity details |
What does Google actually say?
Google’s documentation on AI features states that there are no additional requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode, and that you do not need special AI files, new markup or new schema. A page must be indexed and eligible to show with a snippet. Google recommends the same fundamentals as before: allow crawling, link internally, provide a good page experience, keep important content in text and make sure structured data matches visible text. It also says AI feature traffic is counted in the Web search type in Search Console.
A practical checklist
- Answer first. Start each section with a one- or two-sentence direct answer.
- Use question headings that match how people ask.
- Add facts that can be checked, with named sources and dates.
- Show who is behind the content with an author or team, an about page and contact details.
- Keep business details identical on your site, Google Business Profile and directories.
- Let crawlers in. Check robots.txt and any security layer are not blocking search crawlers.
- Use tables and lists where they make comparisons easier to read.
- Measure it. Watch Search Console impressions and clicks and look for referral visits in Google Analytics 4.
What not to do
- Do not promise or pay for guaranteed AI citations. No one controls them.
- Do not mass-produce pages to cover every possible question, which risks breaking Google’s spam policy on scaled content.
- Do not expect FAQ markup to create rich results. Google stopped showing FAQ rich results in May 2026, though a visible FAQ still helps readers.
Where to start
Begin with your most important service page: rewrite the opening as a direct answer, add a short FAQ, confirm your details are consistent and make sure the page is indexed. Our AEO and GEO service does this across a whole site, and the semantic SEO guide explains the topic coverage behind it.
