Ten years ago, "getting found online" meant one thing: ranking on page one of Google. Today a customer looking for a dentist in Anna Nagar, a crypto exchange or a wedding photographer in Kochi might type into Google, ask their phone, or open ChatGPT and simply ask, "which one should I choose?"
Each of those moments works differently. That is why three terms now matter: SEO, AEO and GEO.
SEO — ranking in search results
Search Engine Optimisation is still the foundation. It covers your website's technical health, the pages you publish and the authority you earn from other sites. When someone scans a list of results and clicks, SEO decides whether yours is one of them.
- Fast, mobile-friendly pages
- Content that matches what people actually search for
- Links and mentions from trustworthy sites
- A well-maintained Google Business Profile for local searches
AEO — being the direct answer
Answer Engine Optimisation is about winning the answer box: featured snippets, "People also ask" and what voice assistants read aloud. The searcher may never click, but they see your brand as the source of the answer.
The work is practical: find the real questions your customers ask, answer each one clearly in the first two sentences, and structure the page with headings, lists and FAQ schema so search engines can lift the answer.
GEO — being cited by AI
Generative Engine Optimisation focuses on AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews. These tools build answers from many sources: your website, reviews, news coverage, directories and comparison articles. GEO strengthens every one of those sources so your brand is included — and described accurately.
What actually moves AI visibility
- Consistent facts about your business across the web
- Coverage in publications AI tools trust
- Original data, guides and comparisons others quote
- Clear, structured pages that are easy to cite
Where should you start?
For most businesses the order is simple. Fix your SEO foundations first — AI tools lean heavily on pages that already rank. Then answer your customers' top 20 questions properly (AEO). Then build the third-party presence that gets you cited (GEO).
The good news: the same honest work — being genuinely helpful, consistent and well-regarded — powers all three.
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