A growing number of customers no longer scroll through ten blue links. They ask ChatGPT "which digital marketing consultant in Mumbai should I hire?" or read the AI Overview at the top of Google. Those answers name a few businesses and ignore the rest.

Two new terms describe the work of getting into those answers: GEO and AEO. Here is what they mean in practice.

What is GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation)?

GEO is about making your business easy for AI assistants to understand, trust and cite. Tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Perplexity build answers from what they can find and verify across the web. If information about you is thin, inconsistent or hard to read, you are unlikely to be mentioned.

What is AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation)?

AEO focuses on being the direct answer. That includes featured snippets, "People also ask" boxes, voice assistants and AI summaries. It rewards content that answers a specific question clearly and early, in a format machines can lift.

How AI search is different from normal SEO

  • Answers, not lists: AI tools usually name only a handful of options.
  • Entities matter: the AI needs to recognise your business as a real, consistent entity.
  • Trust signals carry weight: reviews, mentions on other sites and clear expertise.
  • Structure helps: question-and-answer formats and schema markup are easier to quote.

8 practical steps to improve your AI visibility

1. Check what AI tools say about you today

Ask ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity the questions your customers ask, such as "best AC repair service in Kandivali". Note who gets mentioned and whether your details are correct.

2. Fix your entity data

Make sure your business name, address, phone, services and description match exactly across your website, Google Business Profile, social profiles and directories.

3. Add schema markup

Structured data such as LocalBusiness, Service, FAQPage and Article tells machines exactly what each page is about.

4. Write answer-first content

Start pages and sections with a clear one or two sentence answer, then explain. Use headings phrased as real questions.

5. Publish genuine expertise

Explain how you work, what things cost and what to watch out for. Specific, experienced content is what AI tools prefer to quote.

6. Earn mentions on other websites

Local news, industry directories, partner sites and interviews all build the credibility AI tools look for.

7. Keep collecting reviews

Recent, detailed reviews on Google and other platforms are strong trust signals for both search engines and AI assistants.

8. Let AI crawlers read your site

Check that your robots.txt does not block major AI crawlers you want to be visible to, keep pages fast, and consider an llms.txt file that summarises your business and key pages.

Does this replace SEO?

No. GEO and AEO sit on top of good SEO. A technically sound, well-structured site with real expertise is what both search engines and AI assistants reward.

Get an AI visibility check

I run AI visibility audits that show how ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews describe your business today. Learn more about AI SEO, GEO and AEO, or book a free consultation.