What is SEO vs. AEO vs. GEO?

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) focuses on positioning your content in search engine results pages through keyword placement, content structure, technical SEO, backlinks and building authority. AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) targets direct answers in AI-driven search engines and featured snippets, using short answers, FAQs, structured data and semantic optimization. GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) focuses on optimizing your content so that AI systems trust it and use it as a source when generating responses, through establishing topical authority, creating citable content and providing clear sources.

Is traditional SEO still necessary?

Absolutely. A strong website foundation is still essential for ranking well in any context. SEO tactics naturally align with and overlap AI visibility optimization strategies, so the work you do for traditional search also supports your AI visibility.

Do SEO and AI optimization work together?

Yes — they are deeply synergistic. Strong SEO provides the foundation that makes AI optimization possible, while AI optimization extends your reach into new platforms where buyers are actively researching. By integrating traditional SEO with AI visibility strategies, you create a comprehensive approach that captures attention at every stage of the buyer journey, across every platform they use.

How do I know if my site is appearing in AI results?

Tracking AI visibility requires a different approach than traditional analytics. While traditional SEO focuses on keyword rankings and clicks, AI visibility tracking relies on monitoring referral traffic and manual prompt tracking. Benchmark scores can also be helpful as AI optimization tools are being developed and evolving rapidly.

How will an SEO and AI visibility program make a business impact?

When your content appears in traditional search results and in AI-generated answers, you dramatically expand your reach. Every touchpoint where a potential customer discovers your brand is an opportunity to influence their buying decision. Visibility drives pipeline — and invisibility costs you leads.

Where do I start with an SEO & AI Visibility Program?

We typically recommend starting with an SEO & AI Visibility Audit to give you a clear picture of where you currently stand across traditional search and AI platforms, identifying your biggest opportunities and providing a strategic roadmap for improvement. From there, we develop a customized program that aligns with your business goals and targets the channels that matter most to your audience.

AEO & GEO Services

Improve your findability in AI sources with Answer Engine Optimization & Generative Engine Optimization services. Your buyers aren't just Googling anymore. They're asking ChatGPT which senior living community fits their parent's needs. They're asking Perplexity to compare industrial suppliers. If your business isn't part of that answer, you've lost the buyer before they ever visit your website.

AEO builds on the foundation of SEO, with many of the same ranking factors in common, but AI puts extra weight on a few specific factors such as reviews and reputation. If you are not making efforts to improve how you are showing up in AI, your competitors will.

See How You Show Up in AI

AEO & GEO Results

If you are unsure if anyone is finding you in AI, you are in the right place. Spot checking and searching yourself can only get you so far. It takes a comprehensive approach of prompt tracking, monitoring referral traffic, citations and grounding queries.

AI tends to drive less traffic than organic search, but those who visit your website from an AI platform are likely to spend more time on your page and fill out a form because they have pre-qualified themselves through the initial AI responses.

270%

ROI on GEO strategy

See how one equipment builder turned AI search visibility into real sales revenue.

Read the case study

169%

AI-referral traffic growth

Learn how a proactive shift to AI visibility kept a senior community ahead of competitors.

Read the case study

AEO

Answer Engine Optimization

AEO makes you the answer.

What is AEO?

AEO targets direct answers. The goal is straightforward: when someone asks an AI tool a specific question, your content is what gets pulled back as the response. Methods include short, clear answers, FAQ-structured content, schema markup and semantic optimization.

How is AEO different from SEO?

SEO ranks your content in search results. AEO gets your content chosen as the direct answer in AI algorithms, no scrolling required.

AEO strategy needs content built with intention: clear, well-structured and mapped to the questions your buyers are already asking. That's what puts real progress within reach sooner, not years down the road.

GEO

Generative Engine Optimization

GEO cites you for answers.

What is GEO?

GEO is the practice of building your brand into a trusted source AI systems recognize and cite when generating answers.

Where AEO gets you chosen as the direct answer to one specific question, GEO gets your brand referenced across many different questions and responses, over time. It's less about answering a single query and more about becoming the source AI systems reach for when they need credibility behind a claim.

How is GEO different from AEO?

AEO works page by page: structure one answer well, and it can get pulled into a response. GEO works at the brand level: it's built through a body of content and a reputation that accumulates over time.

That means the effort looks different too. AEO rewards clear, well-structured content you can act on now. GEO rewards consistency: the backlinks, citations and reviews that build up over months and keep compounding.

How We Partner with You

STEP 1: GET FOUND

AI Visibility Research & Strategy Audit

Start by finding out where you stand.

Most companies have no data on what ChatGPT, Perplexity or Google's AI answers say about them — or whether they come up at all.

The audit gives you that data. We scan your website, evaluate your presence across multiple platforms and analyze how you stack up against competitors in both traditional search and AI-powered recommendations. You get a strategic report that shows where your best opportunities are, including:

Current AI platform visibility

Technical SEO issues making you invisible

Content gaps keeping you out of AI recommendations

Competitive analysis: who's showing up when you're not

Prioritized recommendations for maximum impact

Ready to see what your customers see? Let’s uncover your brand’s visibility and turn those insights into measurable growth.
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STEP 2: GROW

AEO/GEO Marketing Programs

Turn the audit into an ongoing program.

Building prominence and favorability in AI-generated answers takes time and investment. We offer programs at several levels based on your needs and your size, so you can start where it makes sense and scale from there.

Once your program is in place, we'll build a roadmap for your monthly AEO/GEO strategy, with updates and enhancements such as:

Building FAQ and structured Q&A content

Placing clear, concise answers high on the page

Adding technical markup that helps AI parse your content correctly

Refreshing content regularly

Building authority through consistent content and branding

Earning quality citations and reviews

Continuous monitoring and reporting: As part of your program, we collect data and refine tactics month over month to make sure we're hitting your KPIs. You get monthly reports tracking visibility across AI platforms and referral traffic from AI sources, with plain explanations of the progress toward your goals.

Curious whether AEO, GEO or both make sense for where you are right now? Contact us, and one of our visibility experts will walk you through it.
Questions? Ask Away

How do I know if my business is showing up in AI?

We use a combination of monitoring referral traffic, benchmark scores and prompt tracking to measure visibility and success in AI.

Are people really using AI instead of Google?

We’ve found that more and more people are doing their initial research and comparing options on AI platforms. Your audience is having full conversations about your offerings, price and how you stack up to their other options before ever reaching out. And when those searchers do finally contact you, they tend to be super qualified leads because they’ve already done their research.

How do you know AEO/GEO is impacting sales?

People are starting their research with AI instead of Google. If you're not showing up favorably in AI-generated results, you could be losing leads to competitors who are.

If you're a HubSpot CRM user, you don't have to guess. HubSpot can show you which visitors came from an AI source and track whether they turn into leads and customers.