Three-way comparison
SEO vs GEO vs AEO: three disciplines, one plan.
What each discipline wins, what they share, where AIO fits, and how to run them together.
Short answer
What is the difference between SEO, GEO and AEO?
SEO vs GEO vs AEO: SEO ranks your pages in search results. GEO gets your brand cited in answers that AI assistants write. AEO aims to make your page the direct answer an engine quotes. You can run all three in one plan.
In brief
Five things to know first.
Three different prizes
SEO wins a ranked position. GEO wins a citation in an AI answer. AEO wins being the answer an engine quotes.
The foundations are shared
Google says SEO best practices stay relevant because its AI features rest on its core Search ranking systems.
GEO and AEO overlap most
Both target answers instead of lists. The pair guides cover that overlap in depth.
AIO is a label, not a tactic
AI Overviews are a Google feature. The same shift is also called AI SEO or LLM SEO.
One plan beats three projects
A shared audit, shared pages and one baseline keep the work from splitting into three.
Side by side
SEO, GEO and AEO side by side.
SEO ranks pages in Google. GEO gets your brand cited in AI answers. In our test of 249 buyer questions, only 13% of cited sites ranked in Google's top 10. Rankings alone miss most citations.
| SEO | GEO | AEO | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you win | A high position in results | A citation inside an AI answer | Being the answer quoted |
| Where buyers see you | A list of links | The few brands an assistant names | A direct, quoted answer |
| What the engine does | Ranks pages for a query | Reads many sources, writes one answer | Picks a passage that answers directly |
| Success looks like | Position and clicks | Citations and mentions | Quotes across buyer questions |
The pairs
GEO vs SEO vs AEO, pair by pair.
Compared two at a time, the question is different each time. The pair guides go deeper on each one.
SEO vs GEO
A ranked page versus a cited brand. In our test, only 13% of cited sites ranked in Google's top 10.
SEO vs AEO
Ranking a page versus being the quoted answer. Read the AEO vs SEO guide for the detail.
AEO vs GEO
Both aim at answers. They differ in scope and measurement. The AEO vs GEO guide covers it.
And AIO?
AIO vs GEO explained.
AIO usually means Google's AI Overviews, one feature on Google's results page. In AIO vs GEO, GEO is wider: it covers every assistant that writes answers.
AIO and GEO also meet in practice. Google says its AI features rely on its core Search ranking and quality systems, so SEO work feeds both.
| Label | Usually means | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| SEO | Ranking in search results | Search engines |
| GEO | Being cited in generated answers | AI assistants and AI features |
| AEO | Being the direct answer quoted | Answer engines |
| AIO | Google's AI Overviews | One Google feature |
Want to see where you stand in all three?
We map the prompts your buyers use in ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity and Gemini, then show where you are cited and where rivals are named.
Our data
A Google rank doesn't make you a source.
In October 2026 we asked ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity 250 buyer questions: ten in each of 25 industries. We compared 249 against Google (US, desktop) that week.
Of the 3,690 sites the assistants cited, 486, or 13%, ranked in Google's top 10 for the same question.
A Google rank doesn't make you a source.
In October 2026 we asked ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity 250 buyer questions: ten in each of 25 industries. We compared 249 against Google (US, desktop) that week.
Myths
Not every tactic is required.
Google notes that terms like AEO and GEO are common online, but says many suggested “hacks” are not effective or supported by how its Search works.
| Common claim | What Google says | |
|---|---|---|
| llms.txt | You need an llms.txt file | Google Search does not use it |
| Chunking | Split content into tiny pieces | No requirement to do this |
| Schema | AI needs special markup | No special schema.org markup needed |
| Page variants | Make a page per question variant | Doing so to manipulate may breach spam policy |
Not sure where to start?
The audit shows which questions and sources matter most in your category, so you start where it counts.
One plan
Run all three as one plan.
Build on the SEO work you already do. Add the parts assistants and answer engines need, and measure each against one baseline.
Audit all three
Check Google rankings, then run your buyers' questions in ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity.Fix the foundations
Make sure crawlers can reach key pages, and that they are indexed and readable.Write answer-first pages
Put the direct answer and the specific facts first, so each one can be quoted alone.Build presence off-site
Complete profiles on the directories, review sites and communities assistants cite in your category.Measure each one
Track rankings and clicks for SEO, and citations for GEO and AEO, against one baseline.
Measuring
Measure each one its own way.
In our test of 249 buyer questions, only 13% of cited sites ranked in Google's top 10. LLMReach runs SEO and GEO as one plan. First step: keep your SEO, then add what assistants need.
| Discipline | Main metric | Question it answers |
|---|---|---|
| SEO | Rankings, clicks, traffic | Do I rank for the query? |
| GEO | Citations, share of voice | Am I named instead of rivals? |
| AEO | Quoted answers | Is my page the answer? |
| All three | Baseline before work | Did the work change anything? |
FAQ
SEO vs GEO vs AEO: common questions.
What is the difference in SEO vs AEO vs GEO?
SEO targets ranked results in search engines. GEO targets the answers AI assistants write, where a brand is cited or named. AEO targets being the direct answer an engine quotes. GEO and AEO are closely related, and both build on SEO foundations.
AEO vs SEO vs GEO: do I need all three, or only one?
Most businesses need all three, in one plan. Google says SEO best practices stay relevant for its AI features, so SEO remains the base. GEO and AEO add work on answers, off-site sources and citation tracking.
What is the difference between AIO and GEO?
AIO usually means Google's AI Overviews, one feature on Google's results page. GEO covers every generative engine, including ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity and Gemini.
In AIO vs GEO vs AEO, is AEO the same as GEO?
AEO and GEO are not identical, though they overlap heavily. AEO aims to be the direct answer an engine quotes. GEO aims to get your brand cited and recommended across generated answers. The AEO vs GEO guide covers the difference in detail.
Does ranking in Google get me cited by AI assistants?
Ranking in Google does not reliably get you cited. In our test of 249 buyer questions, only 13% of cited sites ranked in Google's top 10 for the same question.
Do I need an llms.txt file for AEO or GEO?
Google says its Search does not use llms.txt files or other special AI markup, so you do not need one to appear in Google's AI features. Other assistants may read such files differently, so treat it as an optional extra, not a requirement.
How do I measure SEO, GEO and AEO together?
Take one baseline before the work starts. Then track rankings and clicks for SEO, and mentions, citations and share of voice across an agreed set of buyer questions for GEO and AEO. Keep each metric separate so each points to a next step.
Free AI Audit
Find out where you stand in search and in AI answers.
You leave knowing where the gap is, what is causing it, and which changes would matter first, whether we work together or not.
What to expect
Audit
Before the call, we run your buyers' questions through ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity and Gemini.
Map
On the call, we show you where competitors are cited and you are not, and what's causing it.
Decide
An honest read on whether the Citation Stack fits. If it doesn't, you'll hear it on the call.
Don't see a time that works? Email Karim directly: contact@llmreach.ai