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SEO, GEO and AEO: a long game worth starting now
Buyers are moving from the search box to AI answers. We have seen a shift like this before, when business moved online.
Three terms, one job
SEOsearch engine optimizationPeople find you in Google and Bing results.
GEOgenerative engine optimizationYour text lands in the ready-made answer above the results: Google AI Overviews, AI Mode.
AEOanswer engine optimizationAssistants name you: ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity.
All three read the same thing: the pages on your site. If your site answers what buyers ask (what it costs, how to choose, how one option differs from another), you are the one they show and quote.
Why it is a long game
An article keeps working for months and years, and every new one stacks on top of the ones already live. For the first few months you barely notice it. After that it adds up. The business that started earlier and kept going wins.
the 2000sWhoever put up a website first still gets customers from search.
nowWhoever answers the questions in their niche first is who AI will keep naming.
Seen enough? Skip to the audit.