AEO vs SEO vs GEO: Understanding the Battle for Digital Visibility

Organic Search Strategy is changing. SEO has become a household term. But now, new contenders like AEO and GEO are entering the ring. Understanding the differences—and how they work together—is crucial for businesses that want to dominate online.

In this guide, we’ll break down AEO, SEO and GEO, explain how each fit into your digital strategy and offer insights on how to balance them for maximum success.

What is SEO?

SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is the traditional heavyweight. It’s all about optimising your website to rank higher on search engines like Google. SEO focuses on:

 Keywords: Identifying and using terms your audience is searching for.

  Technical performance: Improving site speed, mobile friendliness and security.

  Content: Creating high-quality, relevant and valuable pages and articles.

  Backlinks: Earning links from other reputable sites to build authority.

At its core, SEO helps your content appear when people type queries into search engines. It’s essential for driving organic traffic to your website.

What is AEO?

AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation) is a newer approach, rising alongside AI and voice search technologies. Platforms like Google’s Featured Snippets, ChatGPT, Siri and Alexa prioritise direct answers over traditional page links.

AEO focuses on:

  Providing clear, concise answers: Structuring content to directly answer user queries.

  Structured data: Using schema markup so search engines better understand your content.

  Contextual authority: Becoming a trusted source in your niche through consistent, expert information.

With AEO, the goal isn’t just ranking high—it’s becoming the answer. In an AEO world, getting a user to your site may not even be the goal; being the trusted source is the win.

What is GEO?

GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) is the newest player, specifically tuned for optimising content for generative AI platforms like ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini and other large language models (LLMs).

GEO strategies include:

 Writing AI-friendly content: Clear, structured and factual information that AI models can easily ingest and reproduce.

  Building brand presence: Ensuring your brand is mentioned and associated with expertise across multiple trusted sources.

  Focusing on conversational queries: Writing for the way people ask rather than the way they search.

Unlike SEO, where users are directed to your website or AEO, where you aim to be the answer, GEO ensures that AI-generated answers mention or are influenced by your brand or expertise.

How Should You Use Them to Optimise Organic Search Strategy?

Rather than thinking about AEO, SEO and GEO as competing strategies, think of them as layers of a complete digital visibility plan:

  Start with SEO: Solid website foundations, content strategy and keyword research.

  Enhance with AEO: Add FAQ sections, structured answers and schema markup to win direct answers.

  Prepare for GEO: Build broad authority, write for conversational understanding and get your brand associated with trustworthy information.

The best strategies today don’t pick just one, they blend all three.

The future of online visibility is no longer just about getting clicks—it’s about being found, being trusted and being recommended. SEO, AEO and GEO each serve a different role in this journey.

If you want your brand to thrive in traditional search, direct answers and AI conversations alike, it’s time to embrace all three.

At DigiBubble, we help businesses adapt and grow in a constantly shifting digital world. Whether you’re looking to boost your SEO, become the go-to answer in your industry or ensure AI platforms recognise your brand—we’ve got you covered.

Get in touch today for a free strategy session and discover how we can put AEO, SEO and GEO to work for your business.