What are AEO and GEO?
Answer engine optimization (AEO) is optimizing content so that search features and assistants that give direct answers, such as Google AI Overviews, voice assistants and Perplexity, pull from your site. Generative engine optimization (GEO) is the same idea aimed at generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude, which write answers from what they have learned and retrieved. In practice the two overlap so much that we treat them as one discipline, layered on top of traditional SEO.
Search interest reflects it. In Google Ads keyword data, US searches for "answer engine optimization" climbed from about 1,900 a month in early 2026 to roughly 4,400 in September (DataForSEO, 2026-10), and "AI search optimization" is up more than 50% over the same stretch.
How do AI assistants decide which businesses to cite?
Each tool works a little differently. ChatGPT leans on its training data and on Bing's index. Perplexity retrieves live pages and rewards recent content. Google's AI features use a technique called query fan-out, running many related searches at once. A July 2026 test of 50 small-business queries found citation rates for a small business's own website ranged from 27% in ChatGPT to 64% in Perplexity. It is a small, vendor-run study, so treat the exact figures as directional.
The common thread across guides and studies is a three-part test. A page tends to get cited when it is crawlable by AI bots, the business is recognized as a real entity in structured sources, and the page answers the question directly in a sentence that can be lifted out cleanly.
What is the AEO checklist for a small business website?
- Let AI crawlers in. Check your robots.txt. Many sites accidentally block GPTBot, PerplexityBot or Google-Extended through security plugins or old rules.
- Lead with the answer. Put a one- or two-sentence direct answer under each question-style heading, then add detail. That is the passage an assistant quotes.
- Add structured data. Use schema.org markup (LocalBusiness or ProfessionalService, FAQPage, Article, Service) following Google's structured data guidelines. Evidence that schema directly lifts AI citations is still thin, but it removes ambiguity about who you are and what you do.
- Keep your business facts identical everywhere. Name, address, phone, hours and services should match on your site, your Google Business Profile and every directory.
- Publish a clean llms.txt. The llms.txt proposal is a plain-text summary of your site written for AI tools. We publish one on our own site at /llms.txt. Adoption by AI providers is still uneven, but the file costs almost nothing.
- Show real expertise. Original data, named authors, specific numbers and cited sources give assistants something worth quoting. Vague marketing copy gets skipped.
- Earn mentions beyond your own site. Reviews, local news, industry directories and partner sites feed the entity understanding that AI tools rely on.
- Keep pages fast and readable. Slow, bloated pages are crawled less reliably. See our guide to Core Web Vitals.
Does AEO replace traditional SEO?
No. AEO is built on SEO. Google AI Overviews still draw heavily from pages that rank well and satisfy search intent, and technical basics like crawlability, speed and clear page structure matter for every AI tool too. One difference: Moz's 2026 analysis, summarized by CMSWire, found most Google AI Mode citations come from outside the organic top 10, so ranking first is no longer the only route to being named. The smart plan is one strong foundation, not separate tactics for each platform.
How do I measure whether AI assistants mention my business?
Measurement is still immature, so keep it simple. Every month, ask ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Google the five questions your best customers ask before they call, in the form "best [service] in [your city]." Record whether you are named, which sources are cited and which competitors appear. Track AI referral traffic in Google Analytics 4 as well. We build this into our SEO and AEO retainers, and AI solutions work such as chatbots can then turn the extra visibility into captured leads.
Where should a local business start?
Start with the page where customers decide: a clear service page, a service-area page for each city you serve, and an FAQ that answers real objections. Then fix the technical basics. If your site is slow or locked behind a heavy CMS, a static rebuild is often the fastest route to a crawlable, quotable site. Talk to us and we will tell you where your site stands today.
Frequently asked questions
What is answer engine optimization?+
Answer engine optimization (AEO) is structuring your content so that AI assistants and answer features, such as Google AI Overviews, Perplexity and voice assistants, can find, trust and quote your business directly in their answers.
What is the difference between AEO and GEO?+
AEO targets features that give direct answers in search, while GEO targets generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini that write answers from learned and retrieved content. The tactics overlap heavily, and both build on solid SEO.
How do I get my business cited by ChatGPT?+
Make sure AI crawlers can reach your site, answer customer questions in clear standalone sentences, add schema markup, keep your business details consistent across the web, and build mentions on trusted third-party sites.
Do I need an llms.txt file?+
It is optional and AI provider support is inconsistent, but it is a cheap, harmless way to summarize your site for AI tools. It does not replace good content or technical SEO.
