Does AEO replace SEO?

No. An answer engine cannot extract from a page it never retrieved, and retrieval is still an SEO problem. AEO is a layer on top.

What is the fastest GEO improvement?

Publish an llms.txt file, add a visible 'cite this page' block with a stable URL and date, and make sure key statistics appear as plain text rather than inside images.

How do I measure GEO results?

Track referral traffic from AI assistants in analytics, monitor brand mentions in generated answers by testing your key questions periodically, and watch for citation links in tools that expose sources.

Do FAQ sections still help?

Yes for readers and for extraction, even though the FAQ rich result was retired in most cases. Visible question-and-answer text remains one of the easiest formats for machines to quote.

Can one page cover SEO, AEO and GEO?

Yes, and it should: rank-worthy depth, an answer-first opening under each question heading, structured data matching visible text, cited original facts, and a machine-readable copy of the content.

Decision guide

SEO vs AEO vs GEO

The short answer

They are layers, not alternatives. SEO gets you retrieved, AEO gets you extracted as the answer, GEO gets you cited by generative systems. The same page can and should do all three.

Classic SEO optimises for a ranked list of links: crawlability, relevance, authority, and click-through. AEO optimises for extraction — being the concise answer a search engine lifts into a snippet or an assistant reads aloud. GEO optimises for citation inside a generated answer, where the reward is being named as the source.

The overlap is large. Clean technical foundations and genuine authority serve all three. The differences show up in how you structure sentences, mark up meaning, and expose machine-readable copies of your content.

Side by side

SEO / AEO compared with GEO
Criterion	SEO / AEO	GEO
Primary target	Ranked results and snippets	Generated answers and citations
Unit of success	Position and clicks	Being named as a source
Key on-page tactic	Question headings, 40–60 word answers, FAQ markup	Original data, quotable statements, clear attribution
Key technical tactic	Schema, sitemaps, Core Web Vitals	llms.txt, plain-text renderability, consistent entities
Content style	Answer first, then depth	Cite-ready facts with dates and sources
Measurement	Search Console impressions, snippets won	Referrals from AI tools, brand mention tracking

Choose seo / aeo when…

You need measurable traffic in the next two quarters.
Your queries still show classic ten-blue-link results.

Choose geo when…

Your audience increasingly asks assistants before searching.
You own original data or first-hand expertise worth citing.

SEO vs AEO vs GEO: frequently asked questions

Does AEO replace SEO?: No. An answer engine cannot extract from a page it never retrieved, and retrieval is still an SEO problem. AEO is a layer on top.
What is the fastest GEO improvement?: Publish an llms.txt file, add a visible 'cite this page' block with a stable URL and date, and make sure key statistics appear as plain text rather than inside images.
How do I measure GEO results?: Track referral traffic from AI assistants in analytics, monitor brand mentions in generated answers by testing your key questions periodically, and watch for citation links in tools that expose sources.
Do FAQ sections still help?: Yes for readers and for extraction, even though the FAQ rich result was retired in most cases. Visible question-and-answer text remains one of the easiest formats for machines to quote.
Can one page cover SEO, AEO and GEO?: Yes, and it should: rank-worthy depth, an answer-first opening under each question heading, structured data matching visible text, cited original facts, and a machine-readable copy of the content.