What is AEO, GEO and AI SEO? (And which one you need)

All four describe work aimed at showing up inside AI-written answers, not only in the blue links below them. GEO was named in a research paper. AEO, AI SEO and LLM SEO are industry labels with no official definition, and agencies draw the lines between them differently.

Google itself calls AEO and GEO "terms you may see used to describe work specifically focused on improving visibility in AI search experiences."

GEO was named in a 2023 paper by Pranjal Aggarwal and co-authors, "GEO: Generative Engine Optimization," accepted to the KDD 2024 conference. The researchers rewrote web pages in different ways and measured how much of each page showed up in AI-generated answers. In their tests, adding sources, quotations and statistics helped most, by up to 40% on their measure. Keyword stuffing, an old SEO habit, gave "little to no improvement," and on Perplexity it did 10% worse than leaving the page alone.

AEO is usually used for writing the clear answer to a question so a tool can lift it into its reply. AI SEO and LLM SEO are catch-all names for the same aim. Mindflow calls this work AI search optimization. (In local marketing, "geo" can also mean geographic targeting. That's a different thing.)

Not in what you actually do. Google's guide for site owners says its AI features "are rooted in our core Search ranking and quality systems," and that optimizing for them "is optimizing for the search experience, and thus still SEO." Google also says there are "no additional requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode, nor other special optimizations necessary."

What is different is the result the customer sees:

• An answer, not a list. A homeowner who asks ChatGPT "which plumber should I call?" gets a few names in a paragraph. There's no page two to scroll to.
• Named versus cited. An AI answer can name your business, link to a page as a source, or both. A page can be cited without the business being named.
• More places that count. The answer often leans on other websites about you, such as BBB or a state license lookup, not just your own site.

Those differences change where the work goes. They don't make it a separate service.

When they search, from web pages they retrieve. Google says AI Overviews and AI Mode retrieve pages from its Search index to ground the answer, then show links to the pages that support it. To be eligible, a page "must be indexed and eligible to be shown in Google Search with a snippet." The site also must not be excluded through Search Console's Search generative AI control; sites are included by default.

Google also describes "query fan-out": the AI runs several related searches at once to fill in the answer. Its example: a question about a weedy lawn can trigger searches for herbicides, chemical-free removal and prevention. So a page that answers your customers' follow-up questions has more chances to be used.

ChatGPT works in a similar way when it searches. OpenAI says its crawler, OAI-SearchBot, "is used to surface websites in search results in ChatGPT's search features," and sites that block it "will not be shown in ChatGPT search answers," though they can still appear as navigational links.

The practical point: if search engines can't find, crawl and trust your pages, AI answers built on search can't use them either.

Not reliably. In our Home-Service Visibility Study, we checked 8 trades in 50 US metros in October 2026. ChatGPT named 352 of 1,183 businesses in the Google Maps top three when we asked which companies a homeowner should call. It named 569 of 1,193 businesses in Google's local pack.

So strong Google placement and AI mentions overlap, but one doesn't guarantee the other. The gap was different in every trade:

"ChatGPT" here means the OpenAI API with web search, asked five times per trade and city. The app may answer differently, and these counts show association, not cause. The full rules are on the methodology page.

Mostly other websites about the company. We asked ChatGPT whether named contractors were legit and good to hire, and counted the links in 11,982 answers. BBB was cited in 10,582 of them, a government or licensing site in 10,288, and the company's own website in 9,557. Full results are in what ChatGPT checks before recommending a contractor.

Some sources you might expect were rare. Across all 13,982 answers in the study, Yelp was linked in 85, Google in 161 and Nextdoor in 290.

Your own website still matters. Among Maps top-three businesses, the company's site was cited in 643 of 704 answers about businesses ChatGPT also named, against 1,246 of 1,694 for businesses it didn't name. That's an association, not proof the website caused the mention.

The honest work is plain: make your business information accurate and consistent everywhere answers check it, and publish pages that answer what customers ask. That's the same foundation good SEO has always needed, pointed at the sources AI answers lean on.

1. Let search engines in. Your pages need to be indexed in Google, and your site shouldn't block OAI-SearchBot if you want to appear in ChatGPT search. If you use Search Console, check that Settings > Search generative AI is set to include your site.
2. Fix the records answers check. Your BBB profile, state license record and business registration should show the same business name, address and phone number as your website.
3. Keep your Google Business Profile current. Google tells local businesses to keep Business Profile information up to date for its AI features.
4. Answer real customer questions on your site. Services, areas, prices or what affects them, licensing, warranties. Google's guide says unique, useful content will likely matter "more than any of the other suggestions."
5. Earn reviews the honest way. Reviews show up across the sites answers cite. Our reviews and reputation page covers what we found.

What didn't stand out in our data: LocalBusiness schema markup. Among Maps top-three businesses we crawled, 139 of 298 that ChatGPT named had it, against 352 of 648 that it didn't name (website figures come from our saved crawl files, counted before our final data rulings; see the methodology). Schema is still useful for Google's rich results, but it didn't separate the two groups, and Google says there's no special schema needed for its AI features.

Check each claim against what the platforms themselves publish. Google's own advice on hiring an SEO now asks whether an agency's "AEO" or "GEO" advice is "aligned with Google Search's official guidance." Here are common claims, and what the platforms themselves say.

One more: AI search sold as a pricey add-on with no clear list of work. Ask what will change on your site and listings each month. If the answer is vague, so is the service.

No. Google's guide asks "Is SEO still relevant for generative AI search?" and answers "In short, yes!" The reason it gives: its AI features rely on its core Search ranking and quality systems to find pages. In our study, ChatGPT named 569 of 1,193 local-pack businesses, so a strong Google presence and AI mentions often overlap, though not always.

What has changed is that the customer may get an answer before a list of links. That makes accurate information, useful pages and a good reputation more important, not less.

None of them as a separate purchase. You need one SEO program that covers Google's results, its Maps listings and AI answers together, because the same work feeds all three. If an agency sells AEO, GEO and SEO as three line items, ask what each one does that the others don't.

Questions worth asking any agency:

• What exactly will you change on my website and listings, and how often?
• Which sources do AI answers cite for businesses like mine, and how will you check ours are accurate?
• Do you follow Google's published guidance for AI features? Can you show me where?
• What do you promise, and what don't you promise?
• Who owns the accounts and content if we part ways?

At Mindflow, AI search optimization is part of every SEO plan, not an add-on. We don't promise rankings or AI placement. The work is accurate, consistent business information and pages that answer your customers' questions. Plans and terms are on our pricing page. Youssef Hodaigui has done SEO since 2004.

Is GEO the same as AEO? In practice, mostly yes. Both describe work to show up in AI-written answers. Some agencies say AEO is about being the direct answer and GEO is about being one of several cited sources, but there's no settled definition. Google treats both as SEO. What matters is the work behind the label, not which acronym is on the proposal.

Do I need an llms.txt file for AI search? Not for Google. Google says its Search, including AI Overviews and AI Mode, ignores llms.txt and similar files, so adding one won't help or hurt you there. Some other tools may read them. It's a small file, but it shouldn't be the reason you pay an agency.

Will schema markup get my business into ChatGPT? There's no evidence it does on its own. In our study's saved crawl files, LocalBusiness schema was on 139 of 298 Maps top-three sites ChatGPT named and 352 of 648 it didn't name. Google says no special schema is needed for its AI features. Schema still helps Google understand your pages and qualify for rich results.

Can an agency guarantee ChatGPT will recommend my company? No. No agency controls what an AI answer says. In our study we asked each question five times, and "named" means named in at least one of those five answers, which is not a stable ranking. An honest agency commits to the work, such as accurate listings and useful pages, not to a placement.

If I block GPTBot, will I disappear from ChatGPT? Not from search. OpenAI uses GPTBot to collect content for training its models and OAI-SearchBot to show sites in ChatGPT search. They are separate settings. You can block GPTBot and still allow OAI-SearchBot, which OpenAI recommends if you want to appear in ChatGPT search answers.

How can I see whether AI tools mention my business? For Google, the Search Console Generative AI performance report shows how your pages perform in its AI features. For ChatGPT, ask the questions your customers ask, such as which company to call for your service in your city. Our free AI Visibility Review includes what Google's AI and ChatGPT say for two searches.

• Google Search Central, Optimizing your website for generative AI features on Google Search (last updated July 10, 2026; read October 28, 2026)
• Google Search Central, AI features and your website (last updated December 10, 2025; read October 28, 2026)
• Google Search Central, Do you need an SEO? (last updated June 5, 2026; read October 28, 2026)
• Google Search Central Blog, Top ways to ensure your content performs well in Google's AI experiences on Search (May 21, 2025; read October 28, 2026)
• Aggarwal, P. et al., GEO: Generative Engine Optimization, arXiv:2311.09735, accepted to KDD 2024 (read October 28, 2026)
• OpenAI, Overview of OpenAI crawlers (read October 28, 2026)
• Mindflow, Home-Service Visibility Study and methodology (collected October 3–17, 2026)

Want to know what Google's AI and ChatGPT say about your business today? Book a free AI Visibility Review.