AEO vs SEO: getting cited, not just ranked

Answer engine optimization (AEO) is about getting your business cited inside the direct answers that engines like Perplexity, ChatGPT and Google's AI give — not just ranked in a list. It's closely related to GEO and rests on the same fundamentals.

Test your own AI visibility (free)

Checks the AI-search readiness signals on your website. No signup. ~15 seconds.

FAQ

What's the difference between AEO and GEO?They overlap heavily. AEO emphasizes being the cited source inside an answer; GEO emphasizes being recommended by generative models broadly. The same three signals — entity clarity, citation density, quotable content — drive both.

Which businesses need AEO?Any business buyers ask AI about — local services, SaaS, e-commerce, professional services. If an assistant could name a competitor instead of you, AEO matters.

How do I start with AEO?Baseline first. Run a free Cited scan — it checks the AI-search readiness signals on your website (crawler access, llms.txt, structured data and answer-ready content) and lists the fixes to make first.

See if AI recommends you — free

Most businesses score under 40/100 and have no idea. Find your score in 15 seconds, then fix it.

Run my free scan