SEO and GEO: the differences and how to set priorities
Neaptide · July 16, 2026 · 4 min read · Updated: October 3, 2026
Compare SEO, GEO and AEO by tasks and results. Decide what to improve first on a new site, online store or expert service without arbitrary budget splits.
On this page
SEO helps people find a website through search engines. GEO usually refers to visibility in generative answers, and AEO covers direct-answer formats more broadly. The three overlap. One useful page can serve a visitor from search and someone choosing with the help of an AI assistant.
The practical differences
| Question | SEO | GEO / AEO |
|---|---|---|
| Where results appear | Search results and page visits | An answer, brand mention or source link |
| What to inspect | Indexing, queries, impressions and clicks | Saved answers and accuracy for selected questions |
| What to improve | Access, structure, content and relevance | The same pages plus gaps found in answer audits |
| Business value | Search-attributable enquiries and sales | Trackable visits and enquiries; mentions recorded separately |
The table compares the work and how its results are measured. It does not describe two independent algorithms: ordinary search also picks out relevant passages within pages. Google itself says that optimising for its generative search features is still SEO.
Choose work for your situation
- New site: check indexing, core offers, contact details and the enquiry path before extensive AI testing.
- Online store: correct errors in the catalogue, prices and stock, then fill in specifications and purchase conditions. Find the comparisons buyers still need.
- Expert service: explain methods, limits, delivery stages and evidence of experience. Check whether AI describes the offer accurately.
- Falling traffic: investigate by page and query. Check seasonality, indexing, competitors and site changes before attributing the decline to AI answers.
Avoid a universal budget split
A rule such as ‘70% SEO, 30% GEO’ knows nothing about your site. If customers cannot work out the price or send an enquiry, fixing that page matters more than another round of mention tests. If AI answers keep repeating the wrong terms, find where they come from and correct the sources you control.
Keep a single list of proposed changes. For each one, note the problem, the evidence, the expected benefit, the effort and how you will check the result. Say the page does not state whether migration is included in the price: add that, and link to the instructions. Then watch the enquiries on that point and check whether AI answers describe the terms correctly. With one list you are less likely to pay two providers for the same change.
Keep the metrics distinct
A ranking, a citation and a sale are three different events. A mention is not a visit, and coming first in one answer is not a lasting first position. Branded searches can also rise because of advertising, press coverage or the season.
For search, use Search Console alongside your own enquiry and sales data. For AI tests, keep the settings and every individual answer. Search Console has a separate Generative AI performance report for Google’s generative features, described in Google’s documentation. Do not merge platform reports and manual samples into a single ‘market share’. They are not counted over the same set of searches or answers.
Start with one manageable improvement
- Choose one offer and several important customer questions.
- Record current pages, search performance and answers from selected AI services.
- Fix one evidenced obstacle, such as access, incomplete terms or incorrect information.
- Check the page, then repeat observations. If several things changed, do not credit one edit for the whole result.
A useful plan explains what prevents a customer from choosing and how to check the improvement. Renaming SEO does not fix that problem, and a missing llms.txt does not make SEO work incomplete.