What do the terms mean?
| Term | Meaning | Common focus |
|---|---|---|
| SEO | Search engine optimisation | Helping relevant pages be discovered and understood in search. |
| AEO | Answer engine optimisation | Making information useful for systems that present direct answers. |
| GEO | Generative engine optimisation | Improving how information is represented in AI-generated responses. |
These are working descriptions, not three universally agreed technical standards. Providers may use AEO and GEO differently. Ask which systems, pages and customer questions a proposal actually covers.
For one platform’s perspective, see Microsoft Advertising’s introduction to GEO.
Where does the work overlap?
Consider a furniture maker in Penang. A product page needs accurate dimensions, material descriptions, photographs, delivery details and a clear way to enquire. Those facts help a person whether they arrived from a search listing, a generated answer or a recommendation from a friend.
Now imagine that the delivery page says “Peninsular Malaysia” while the product page promises nationwide delivery. Rewriting the opening paragraph as a short question and answer does not resolve that contradiction. Confirm the real service terms first.
The same applies to old prices, unavailable products and unsupported claims. Better presentation starts with dependable information.
Does GEO replace SEO for Google?
Google’s documentation for AI features says that foundational SEO remains relevant to AI Overviews and AI Mode. It does not prescribe a separate technical shortcut that guarantees selection.
That makes “replace everything with GEO” an unhelpful instruction for a small business. Identify the missing information or access problem first. Our AI Overviews guide explains the Google feature in more detail.
How to assess an SEO, AEO or GEO proposal
Ask for examples of the actual work before comparing package names. A useful proposal should make it possible to answer these questions:
- Which pages will change, and what customer problem does each change address?
- Who will verify facts, product details and business claims?
- Will the work fix missing information or merely reword existing text?
- Which observations will be recorded before and after the changes?
- What can be measured, and what cannot be guaranteed?
If a report counts mentions in generated answers, ask how the questions were chosen and whether the same process is repeated. Ten favourable screenshots from selected questions do not describe every customer’s experience.
A manageable starting point
Choose one product or service with repeated customer questions. List the information people need to decide whether it suits them, then compare that list with the page. Fix the most important gap and assign someone to keep the information current.
Next, check that visitors can reach the page from the rest of the site and complete the intended action. These are concrete improvements you can inspect without depending on a particular acronym.
Use the SEO guide for small businesses to set priorities, or explore on-page SEO for a closer review of individual pages.