If you've been reading about AI search recently, you've probably come across a growing collection of acronyms.
SEO.
AEO.
GEO.
And perhaps even LLM SEO.
Just when you thought digital marketing couldn't invent another three letter abbreviation.
The good news is that they're all closely related.
The even better news? If you're already investing in good SEO, you're not starting from scratch.
Let's break it down.
SEO: Search Engine Optimisation
SEO is the one most business owners are familiar with.
The goal is simple:
Help your website appear higher in search engine results when people search for products or services you offer.
For example:
- Web Design Fareham
- SEO Agency Hampshire
- Graphic Designer Near Me
Traditional SEO focuses on things such as:
- Website structure
- Technical performance
- Content creation
- Keyword targeting
- Backlinks
- User experience
For years, SEO has been the primary way businesses attract visitors from Google and other search engines.
And despite what some headlines might suggest, SEO isn't going anywhere.
AEO: Answer Engine Optimisation
AEO stands for Answer Engine Optimisation.
Instead of helping your website rank for a search term, AEO focuses on helping your content become the answer.
Think about Google's featured snippets.
Those answer boxes that appear at the top of search results.
Or voice assistants such as Siri, Alexa and Google Assistant.
Rather than presenting ten blue links, answer engines try to provide a direct response.
For example, if someone asks:
"What is the difference between SEO and AEO?"
The search engine may display a concise answer without the user ever clicking a website.
AEO helps improve your chances of becoming that answer.
This often involves:
- Answering questions clearly
- Using structured headings
- Creating FAQ content
- Implementing schema markup
- Writing concise, authoritative responses
GEO: Generative Engine Optimisation
GEO stands for Generative Engine Optimisation.
This is where things get interesting.
Generative engines include platforms such as:
- ChatGPT
- Gemini
- Claude
- Perplexity
- Microsoft Copilot
Unlike traditional search engines, these platforms generate entirely new responses based on the information they can access and understand.
Rather than showing a list of websites, they may simply recommend a business, summarise an article or answer a question directly.
For businesses, the challenge becomes:
How do you make sure AI knows who you are and what you do?
That's where GEO comes in.
How GEO Differs from Traditional SEO
Traditional SEO focuses on rankings.
GEO focuses on recognition.
You aren't simply trying to rank number one for a keyword.
You're trying to become the business that AI considers credible enough to reference.
That means focusing on:
- Expertise
- Authority
- Trustworthiness
- Consistent business information
- Topical authority
- Brand mentions
- Structured data
- High quality content
In many ways, GEO rewards businesses that genuinely know their subject.
Where Does LLM SEO Fit In?
LLM SEO is often used interchangeably with GEO.
LLM stands for Large Language Model.
These are the AI systems powering platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude.
So while GEO focuses on optimising for generative search engines, LLM SEO focuses on increasing your visibility within the models themselves.
Different name.
Similar objective.
The goal is to improve the likelihood that your business, expertise and content are recognised and referenced by AI systems.
Which One Matters Most?
The honest answer?
All of them.
SEO helps people find your website.
AEO helps your content become the answer.
GEO helps AI systems understand and reference your business.
They're not competing strategies.
They're increasingly becoming part of the same strategy.
What We're Seeing at Nettl
Many businesses are asking whether they should stop investing in SEO and focus entirely on AI.
We think that's the wrong question.
The businesses performing best in AI search are often the same businesses performing well in traditional search.
Why?
Because they have:
- Strong websites
- Useful content
- Clear expertise
- Consistent branding
- Trusted online reputations
The fundamentals haven't changed.
The way people discover them has.
The Future of Search
Five years ago, businesses focused almost entirely on Google.
Today, customers might start their journey on Google, ChatGPT, Perplexity or Gemini.
Tomorrow, that trend is likely to continue.
That's why modern digital marketing isn't just about ranking in search engines anymore.
It's about becoming visible wherever people are looking for answers.
Whether that's SEO, AEO, GEO or LLM SEO, the objective remains the same:
Make it easier for the right people to find the right business at the right time.
And that's exactly what good marketing should do.
