Are AEO, GEO and AI SEO the same thing?
Mostly, yes. AEO (answer engine optimization), GEO (generative engine optimization), AI SEO, LLMO and AIO are mostly names for one aim: a business being visible and accurately described in answers written by AI. GEO comes from a 2023 research paper; the other names are used in different ways by vendors and publications, with no agreed definition. Google calls the work still SEO for its own search. What a seller will check and report tells you more than the label.
The labels, side by side
| Label | Stands for | Where you will see it |
|---|---|---|
| GEO | Generative engine optimization | A 2023 research paper by Pranjal Aggarwal and colleagues; also named in Google's 2026 guide |
| AEO | Answer engine optimization | Some software vendors, according to Wikipedia; named in Google's 2026 guide alongside GEO |
| AI SEO | Search optimization aimed at AI answers | Some tool makers' product marketing, according to Wikipedia |
| LLMO, AIO | Large language model optimization; artificial intelligence optimization | Listed by Wikipedia as other terms for the same concept |
Why there are so many names
GEO has a clear starting point: the paper that introduced it, which the related answer on what GEO is describes. The other names are harder to trace: Wikipedia's article on generative engine optimization says usage "varies across practitioners, vendors, and publications, with no consensus definition". It also notes that one vendor treats AEO and GEO as the same practice but argues that GEO can be confused with geography. Not every vendor treats them as one: Wikipedia notes that Microsoft Advertising defines AEO and GEO differently, so ask any seller which they mean.
As general advice, a new name often signals a seller's branding rather than different work. The aim behind every label is the same: when a customer asks an assistant who to hire, the answer names your business and describes it correctly.
What Google says
Google's 2026 guide to its generative AI search features names AEO and GEO as terms "you may see used" for work aimed at visibility in AI search. From Google Search's perspective, it says, that work "is optimizing for the search experience, and thus still SEO". The guide also says many suggested "hacks" are not effective, and points anyone weighing outside AEO or GEO advice to its guidance on judging third-party SEO advice.
That is Google's view of its own search. ChatGPT, Perplexity and other assistants are run by other companies, so it is still worth checking their answers separately; the related answer on GEO vs SEO covers how the two are measured.
What to ask instead of comparing labels
- What does your label mean, in one sentence, for my customers?
- Which assistants and which customer questions will you check, and will I see the answers before and after?
- How will inquiries that come from AI answers be recorded, apart from those from search?
- What will you do differently from work aimed at Google search, if anything?
- Will you promise that an assistant recommends me? The honest answer is no, because no business or seller controls what an assistant writes.
Before you sign
The related answer on questions to ask before hiring an SEO or GEO agency has the full list, and the related answer on what a GEO agency does describes what the work should deliver. Ascent Vision uses the name GEO for this work and treats the other labels as the same aim.
Sources
- Aggarwal et al., "GEO: Generative Engine Optimization" (arXiv 2311.09735, KDD 2024)
- Google Search Central, "Google's Guide to Optimizing for Generative AI Features on Google Search" (last updated July 10, 2026)
- Wikipedia, "Generative engine optimization" (as read October 24, 2026)
Related answers
- What is GEO (generative engine optimization)?
- GEO vs SEO: what is the difference, and do you need both?
- What should you ask before hiring an SEO or GEO agency?
- What does a GEO agency actually do for a business?
GEO: recommended in AI answers
When a customer asks ChatGPT, Perplexity or Google's AI who to call, the answer names a few businesses. GEO is the work of making yours one of them.