Definitions
| Term | Goal | Measured by |
|---|---|---|
| SEO | Rank in search results | Rankings, clicks, organic traffic |
| AEO | Be the answer an assistant gives | Share of answers, accuracy |
| GEO | Be cited by generative AI | Share of answers, citations |
In practice AEO and GEO describe the same work. We use "AI visibility" because buyers understand it.
What's shared
- Crawlable, fast, clear pages.
- Content that answers real questions.
- Links and mentions from trusted sites.
What's different
- One answer, not ten links. Being fourth in an answer is very different from being fourth in results.
- Third-party pages carry more weight in what AI says about you.
- Accuracy matters. AI can repeat old facts; SEO rarely had that problem.
One caution
Google's spam policies treat many pages generated mainly to manipulate rankings, without adding value, as scaled content abuse. Pages written for AI need the same quality bar as pages written for people.
Who should own it
AI visibility sits between SEO, content and PR. In small teams, the SEO owner usually takes it on, with PR helping on independent sources.
Questions
Is GEO replacing SEO?
No. AI assistants search the web, so SEO foundations still matter. GEO adds new goals and measures on top.
Do we need a separate agency?
Not necessarily. You need someone who measures AI answers and works on sources as well as pages.
What's the first AEO task?
Track 20 buyer questions and write down who AI names. Everything else follows from that list.
How measurement differs in practice
SEO teams are used to rankings that are stable for days and reported by tools at scale. AI answers vary by wording, location and time, and the same question can produce different vendors on different days. That's why AI visibility is measured as a share across many questions and days, not as a single position.
Skills the work needs
- SEO: crawling, indexing, site structure.
- Content: clear answers, comparisons, facts.
- PR and partnerships: independent mentions and sources.
- Analytics: tracking AI answers and AI traffic.
Few people have all four. Many teams split the work and share one tracked set of questions.
Start here: AI visibility for B2B. More articles in AI visibility.