In the GEO paper, adding statistics and quotations performed strongly across its measures, and citing sources also helped. Simple keyword stuffing, a tactic borrowed from old-school SEO, did not perform well.

SEO vs AEO vs GEO infographic styled as a periodic table: three element tiles for search, answer and generative engine optimization with their goals, where each appears and the win, plus findings from Google, the GEO paper and OpenAI, and four steps to follow.

Oct 5, 2026

SEO vs AEO vs GEO Infographic: What's the Difference?

SEO vs AEO vs GEO explained: the goal of each, where it shows up, what Google, OpenAI and the GEO research paper say, and what to do about all three.

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<a href="https://searchinsider.io/infographics/seo-vs-aeo-vs-geo"><img src="https://searchinsider.io/research/seo-vs-aeo-vs-geo/seo-vs-aeo-vs-geo-infographic.png" alt="SEO vs AEO vs GEO infographic styled as a periodic table: three element tiles for search, answer and generative engine optimization with their goals, where each appears and the win, plus findings from Google, the GEO paper and OpenAI, and four steps to follow." style="max-width:680px;width:100%;height:auto;" /></a><p>Source: <a href="https://searchinsider.io/infographics/seo-vs-aeo-vs-geo">SEO vs AEO vs GEO infographic</a> by Search Insider.</p>

SEO vs AEO vs GEO: what's the difference?

The short answer: SEO earns rankings in search results. AEO shapes content so engines can give it as the direct answer. GEO aims to get your content cited inside AI-generated answers. They overlap more than the acronyms suggest.

Based on Google Search Central, OpenAI, Microsoft and the GEO research paper.

What it shows

SEO: rank in Google and Bing results and win the click.
AEO: be the direct answer in featured snippets, People Also Ask and voice assistants.
GEO: be cited as a source inside AI Overviews, AI Mode, ChatGPT search and Copilot.
Google says SEO best practices remain relevant for AI Overviews and AI Mode, with no extra requirements.
You can't mark a page as a featured snippet. Google's systems decide.
The GEO paper found adding sources, quotes and statistics raised visibility in AI answers by up to 40%. Keyword stuffing didn't work.
Sites that block OAI-SearchBot won't be shown in ChatGPT search answers.

What to do

First: Get the SEO basics right: indexed, crawlable, eligible for a snippet.
For AEO: Answer the main question in the first two sentences.
For GEO: Back claims with sources, quotes and real numbers.
For ChatGPT and Copilot: Allow OAI-SearchBot and Bingbot in robots.txt.

The walkthrough

What is the difference between SEO, AEO and GEO?

SEO (search engine optimization) aims to rank pages in search results. AEO (answer engine optimization) aims to have search platforms give your content as the direct answer, in places like featured snippets, People Also Ask and voice assistants ^[5]. GEO (generative engine optimization) aims to get content cited inside AI-generated answers ^[3]. All three depend on the same foundation: crawlable, indexed, helpful pages.

Where did the term GEO come from?

GEO was introduced in a research paper, accepted to KDD 2024, that called it a new paradigm for helping content creators improve their visibility in generative engine responses ^[3]. The authors reported that GEO methods can boost visibility by up to 40% in generative engine responses ^[3].

What works for GEO?

In the GEO paper, adding statistics and quotations performed strongly across its measures, and citing sources also helped ^[3]. Simple keyword stuffing, a tactic borrowed from old-school SEO, did not perform well ^[3].

Do you need separate optimization for AI Overviews?

Google says the best practices for SEO remain relevant for AI features such as AI Overviews and AI Mode, and that there are no additional requirements or special optimizations needed to appear in them ^[1].

Can you choose to be a featured snippet?

No. Google says you can't mark a page as a featured snippet: its systems decide whether a page would make a good one and elevate it ^[2]. You can opt out with the nosnippet rule, which blocks all snippets, including featured snippets ^[2].

How do you appear in ChatGPT search and Copilot?

OpenAI uses the OAI-SearchBot crawler to surface websites in ChatGPT search, and sites that opt out of it will not be shown in ChatGPT search answers ^[4]. Microsoft says Copilot Search in Bing cites its sources prominently, with a list of every link used to build the answer ^[6]. Allowing these crawlers in robots.txt is the first step.

Sources

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