Guides · 2 October 2026
AI visibility vs SEO vs GEO: what's the difference?
Short answerSEO is getting your pages to rank in search results. AI visibility is whether AI assistants name your business, and describe it correctly, when people ask. GEO and AEO are labels for optimising for AI answers. For a local business the foundations are the same, and Google itself says optimising for its AI features is still SEO.
| Term | Means | For a local business |
|---|---|---|
| SEO | Search engine optimisation: ranking in search results. | Website basics, local listings, reviews. |
| AI visibility | Whether AI assistants find, name and describe you correctly. | Same basics, plus checking what AI actually says. |
| GEO | Generative engine optimisation: optimising for AI-written answers. | Mostly the same work as SEO. |
| AEO | Answer engine optimisation: being the answer, not just a link. | Clear, answer-first pages and complete listings. |
What's different
An AI answer may name one or a few businesses rather than showing ten links, so being unclear or inconsistent costs more. And you can't see a ranking, so you have to test by asking.
What's the same
Crawlable pages, accurate listings, helpful content and real reviews. Google says it doesn't need special markup or files for its AI features.
Questions people ask
Do I need separate GEO work?
For most local businesses, no. Do the basics well, then test what AI says and fix the gaps.
Related guides
Sources
- Google Search Central: Optimizing for generative AI features
- Search Engine Journal: Google says AEO and GEO are still SEO
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