If you've got five tabs open trying to work out whether AEO, GEO, and SEO are the same thing or three separate ones, here's the short version, then we'll unpack it. AEO, GEO, and LLMO are the same goal wearing different names, which is getting AI to cite you. SEO is the ground the whole thing stands on. And no, SEO didn't die. It got a second judge. Let's go piece by piece.

What is AEO?

AEO stands for Answer Engine Optimization. It's the practice of shaping your content so AI tools quote you inside their answers, not just so Google ranks you in a list of links. When someone asks ChatGPT or Perplexity a question and it writes back a paragraph with a few brands named in it, AEO is the work that gets your brand named.

Are AEO, GEO, and LLMO the same thing?

Basically, yes. You'll see Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), Large Language Model Optimization (LLMO), AI SEO, and AEO used more or less interchangeably. The industry hasn't settled on one word yet. They all describe the same outcome: your content showing up as a trusted source inside an AI's answer. Don't get hung up on the acronym. Focus on the outcome.

How is it different from regular SEO?

Think of it as two layers.

  • SEO is the fight for a spot in a list of ten blue links, where the person decides what to click.
  • AEO is the fight to be inside the answer the AI writes above that list, or inside ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini, where the model decides what to mention before the person clicks anything.

They barely overlap. ChatGPT and Claude share only about 8% of the sources they cite (erlin.ai, 2026), and more than 80% of what AI cites doesn't rank in Google's top 10. Same web, different winners.

Did SEO die?

No. This is the part the "SEO is dead" headlines get wrong. AI engines read the same web Google does. If your site is broken for Google, it's broken for ChatGPT too. There is no AEO without SEO. The foundation didn't change. A new floor got built on top of it, and what wins you that floor is a little different: direct answers, your own data, and a brand the model never has to guess about.

Which one do you need, and where do you start?

You need both, and you start by measuring. Get your SEO house in order, because it's the base. Then find out whether AI actually mentions you today, because that number tells you how much AEO work you need and where. Guessing is expensive. A quick measurement is free, and it turns a vague worry into a clear to-do list. That's where we'd start, and it's what the AI Visibility Scan is for.