What Is SEO for AI Called? AEO, GEO and What Google Says

What is SEO for AI called? Most people call it AEO, for answer engine optimization, or GEO, for generative engine optimization. Google calls it SEO.

If you came for a new acronym to sell, this will disappoint you. The name is the least useful thing about it.

What do AEO and GEO stand for?

AEO is answer engine optimization. GEO is generative engine optimization. You’ll also see plain “AI SEO”, which is probably what you typed.

Google’s own guide describes both as work “specifically focused on improving visibility in AI search experiences.” Think AI Overviews and AI Mode in Google, plus chat assistants elsewhere.

The names are real. The question is whether they describe a different job.

What does Google say about AEO and GEO?

Google answered it directly. In its guide to optimizing for generative AI features, it says: “From Google Search’s perspective, optimizing for generative AI search is optimizing for the search experience, and thus still SEO.”

Its page on AI features goes further. “There are no additional requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode, nor other special optimizations necessary.”

Both pages are on developers.google.com/search.

Why is “what’s it called” the wrong question?

Because the name question assumes a new discipline with new rules. Google says there isn’t one.

Here’s why. Google’s AI features pull pages from the same search index, ranked by the same core systems. The AI writes the answer, but it picks its sources the way Search always has. Google even names the technique: it runs extra related searches, which it calls “query fan-out”, and grounds the answer in the pages it finds.

So the real question isn’t “what’s it called?” It’s “is my page good enough to be picked?”

Once you ask that, most of the AEO debate stops mattering. You’re not choosing between SEO and something new. You’re doing SEO, and AI features are one more place it shows up.

A new name does help one group: people selling a separate service. Google links its guidance on evaluating third-party SEO advice right next to the AEO and GEO definition. Read it before you buy anything.

What AEO advice can you ignore for Google?

Google lists the popular “hacks” you can skip. Here they are, with what Google says.

Advice you’ll hear	What Google says
Add an llms.txt file	Google Search ignores it. It will neither harm nor help you in Google
Break content into small chunks	No requirement. Google can find the relevant part of a long page
Rewrite pages for AI	Not needed. AI understands synonyms and meaning
Chase mentions everywhere	Inauthentic mentions aren’t as helpful as they seem
Add special AI schema	There’s no special markup. Normal structured data still helps with rich results
Write a page for every variation of a search	Done to manipulate rankings, that breaks the scaled content abuse policy

Don’t spend a week on anything in the left column for Google’s sake. Google says it doesn’t use it.

What does get a page into AI Overviews?

Three things, all from Google’s docs.

The page must be indexed and eligible for a snippet. Same technical rules as normal Search. No extra ones.

Your site must be included in generative AI features in Search Console. Google’s guide lists this as a requirement. It’s a setting worth checking today.

The content must be worth citing. Google asks for “non-commodity” content. Its example sets a generic tips list against a first-hand story about one specific decision. Google wants the story, because nobody else could have written it.

To see how you’re doing, use Search Console. Google says AI feature traffic counts in the normal Performance report, and it also has a Generative AI performance report. For more, see How to Rank in AI Overviews.

What about ChatGPT and other AI tools?

Google’s docs only cover Google. Other assistants run their own systems, and Google doesn’t speak for them.

That’s why Google says it’s “completely fine” to make an llms.txt file for other services. It just won’t help you in Google. If ChatGPT is the goal, read How to Get Cited in ChatGPT.

Where does AI fit into doing the work?

On the work side, not the naming side. I build websites for local businesses with Claude Code, an AI that works inside the folder where a site’s files live.

It’s the same SEO, just faster. Claude Code can check every page’s title, headings and structured data in one pass. It can also check a claim against the source. Save Google’s AI guide into your project folder. Then ask Claude Code whether a pitch you’ve been sent matches what Google actually says.

So what should you call it?

Call it whatever your client types into Google. If they say AEO, say AEO.

Then do the work as SEO, because that’s what Google says it is. Don’t pay extra for a rename.

Frequently asked questions

Is AEO the same as SEO? For Google, yes. Google’s guide says optimizing for generative AI search “is optimizing for the search experience, and thus still SEO.” Other AI tools have their own systems.

What does GEO mean in marketing? Generative engine optimization: work aimed at showing up in AI-written answers. Google treats it as SEO and says there are no extra requirements for its AI features.

Does Google use llms.txt? No. Google says Google Search ignores llms.txt files, and they neither help nor harm your rankings there. Making one for other AI services is fine.

How do I know if my site shows up in AI Overviews? Use Search Console. AI feature traffic is counted in the Performance report, and Google also offers a Generative AI performance report. Check that your site is included in generative AI features there too.

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