What is GEO — and how does it fit with AEO?

If you've read our post on AEO, you already know the basics. AI tools are changing how people find businesses. Getting your website picked up as a trusted source matters more than ever.

GEO is part of the same story. Here's how it fits.

GEO — Generative Engine Optimisation.

GEO is about how AI tools actually process and use your content — not just whether they find it, but whether they understand it well enough to reference it accurately.

Tools like ChatGPT and Google's AI Overviews don't copy and paste from your website. They read it, digest it, and rewrite it in their own words. GEO is the work you do to make sure that process goes in your favour — that the AI gets your business right, credits you, and keeps coming back to you as a source.

So what's the difference between AEO and GEO?

They're closely linked. The simplest way to think about it:

• AEO — getting your business mentioned as the answer to a question
• GEO — making sure AI models understand your content well enough to use it properly

In practice, if you're doing AEO well, you're covering most of the GEO ground at the same time. The distinction matters more at a technical level than it does for most small business owners.

Do you need to treat them separately?

Not really — not yet anyway.

GEO as its own discipline is still finding its feet. The thinking around it is developing quickly, and a lot of what people call GEO today will just become standard good practice for any website within the next couple of years.

What matters right now is getting the foundations right — clear content, a well-structured website, accurate and consistent information about your business. That does the job for both.

Why we focus on SEO + AEO.

Our service is built around SEO and AEO — traditional search plus the new wave of AI-driven results. GEO sits within that naturally, because the same work that makes your website good for AEO makes it good for GEO too.

We don't split it into three separate services and charge you three times. We just do it properly.

If you want your business showing up — on Google and in AI answers — have a look at what we do or get in touch for a straight conversation about where your site stands.

Want to go deeper? Read our full guide: Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO): A practical guide.