Getting found
GEO vs SEO vs AEO: what's the difference?
SEO gets your business found on Google. AEO and GEO get your business quoted when someone asks ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot or Google's AI answers a question instead. They sound like three jobs, but most of the work is the same, and we do all of it in one plan.
The short version
- SEO gets you found on Google. AEO and GEO get you quoted in AI answers.
- Google says the best practices for SEO remain relevant for its AI features.
- At Fixr Systems all three are one plan, from £500 a month.
GEO vs SEO vs AEO at a glance
| SEO | AEO | GEO | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stands for | Search engine optimisation | Answer engine optimisation | Generative engine optimisation |
| Where you show up | Google and Bing results | A direct answer to a question | Answers written by ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini and Google's AI |
| How it's counted | Rankings, clicks and enquiries | How often your page is the answer | How often an assistant cites your site |
What is SEO?
SEO, or search engine optimisation, is the work that gets a website shown when someone searches Google for what you sell. It covers how the site is built, what each page says and who links to it. SEO is the foundation for the other two.
Google says so itself. Its guidance says the best practices for SEO remain relevant for its AI features, and a page has to be indexed in Search before an AI answer can link to it. (Source: Google Search Central, AI features and your website.)
What is AEO?
AEO, or answer engine optimisation, is the work that makes your page the direct answer to a question. Each page takes one question and answers it in the first lines, in plain words, with the price or the fact stated.
We build every site this way. On Woodwork UK, ChatGPT sent its first visitor 7 days after the site launched. On SV Autos, the first ChatGPT visitor came on day 27, and on day 35 a visitor from ChatGPT filled in the enquiry form. (Source: each site's analytics and enquiry record, 2026.)
What is GEO in SEO?
GEO, or generative engine optimisation, is the work that gets your site cited when an AI assistant writes an answer. The assistant reads several pages, writes its own reply and names the sources it used. GEO is about being one of those sources.
UK Homesteading is a site we built with 382 pages, each answering one question. Microsoft's AI answers cited it 12,900 times in three months. In early August 2026 it was cited 4 times a day, and by late September it was cited 783 times a day. (Source: Bing Webmaster Tools, AI Performance report, to 30 September 2026.)
Are AEO and GEO the same thing?
In practice, yes. AEO and GEO are two names for getting a business quoted in AI answers, and you will also see it called AI SEO or AI search optimisation. The work behind each name is the same.
Do I need SEO, AEO and GEO?
You need the work, but you do not need to buy it three times. The sites above were not built once for Google and again for AI. Each one was built once, with clear pages, real figures and sources shown, and it earned both.
That is why SEO and AI search optimisation are one plan at Fixr Systems, from £500 a month, rolling monthly. Every month you see your rankings, how often your site was cited in AI answers, and the enquiries that followed.
Tell us what the business does, and we respond to enquiries within two working days.
Before you ask
Can GEO replace SEO?
No. An AI answer can only link to a page that Google has indexed, so GEO depends on SEO being done first.
Is SEO dead now with AI?
No. Google says SEO best practices remain relevant for its AI features. The pages that rank well are the same pages AI assistants quote.
How long does GEO take to work?
It varies by site. On Woodwork UK, ChatGPT sent a visitor after 7 days and Copilot cited the site from day 19. On SV Autos, the first ChatGPT visitor came on day 27.
Sources
- Google Search Central, AI features and your website, checked 8 October 2026
- Fixr Systems case study: UK Homesteading, figures from the AI Performance report in Bing Webmaster Tools, to 30 September 2026, checked 8 October 2026
- Fixr Systems case study: Woodwork UK, figures from the site's analytics and Bing Webmaster Tools, checked 8 October 2026
- Fixr Systems case study: SV Autos, figures from the site's analytics and enquiry record, checked 8 October 2026
Photo: Nathana Rebouças on Unsplash
About the author
Ben Criddle founded Fixr Systems and has been building for UK small businesses since 2024: web design, SEO and AI search, AI automation and custom software. He builds every project himself, and writes and checks every guide on this blog against the sources listed with it. Recent work includes a mobile mechanic's website that reached page one of Google for 394 keywords within nine weeks of launch, measured in Search Console, and a WhatsApp CRM that has brought more than 17,000 leads into one system for a courier training business.