Three abbreviations, one goal: being found and understood. Here is what each one actually means for a small business.
If you have spoken to anyone about your website recently, you have probably heard at least one of these three abbreviations. They are not competing strategies. They describe three different ways people now find businesses.
SEO — search engine optimisation
This is the familiar one. SEO is the work that helps your business appear when someone searches on Google or Bing: clear page structure, sensible headings, fast loading, useful content and pages that describe what you actually do and where you do it.
AEO — answer engine optimisation
People increasingly ask questions rather than type keywords. AEO is about structuring your content so a search engine or answer platform can find a clear, direct response on your site — a real answer in plain language, placed under a heading that matches the question.
GEO — generative engine optimisation
When someone asks ChatGPT or a similar tool for a recommendation, it draws on what it can read and understand about you. GEO is the work that makes your expertise, services and location clear and consistent enough that AI tools can understand and reference your business accurately.
Nobody can guarantee a place in an AI answer. What you can do is remove the ambiguity that keeps you out of one.
Where to start
Start with the foundations. A well-structured, clearly written website serves all three at once. The rest is refinement.