If you’ve been following the SEO conversation this year, you’ve probably noticed two acronyms popping up everywhere: AEO and GEO. And if you’re anything like most business owners we talk to, you’re wondering whether these are just more marketing buzzwords – or something you actually need to care about.
Short answer: you need to care. But maybe not in the way you think.
At HyperWeb, we’ve been working with clients across both strategies for a while now, and the businesses getting the best results aren’t choosing one over the other. They’re using both – strategically, and for different reasons.
Let me break down what each one actually does, where they overlap, and how to figure out the right mix for your business.
What is AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation)?
AEO – Answer Engine Optimisation – is about structuring your content so it shows up as a direct answer in search results. Think featured snippets, People Also Ask boxes, and voice search responses.
When someone asks Google “how long does a website redesign take?” and a little box pops up at the top of the results with a direct answer – that’s AEO in action.
The content that wins these spots tends to be short, specific, and clearly structured. You’re answering a question directly, usually in a sentence or two, often underneath a question-based heading.
We had a client in the professional services space who was ranking on page one for several key terms but wasn’t getting the traffic they expected. When we restructured their FAQ content with proper question-based headers and concise answers underneath, they started picking up featured snippets within weeks. Their click-through rate jumped significantly – not because they ranked higher, but because their content was formatted in a way Google could actually use.
That’s the thing about AEO. It’s not always about climbing rankings. It’s about how your content appears once you’re already there.
“AEO isn’t about climbing rankings. It’s about how your content appears once you’re already there.”
What AEO Optimisation Looks Like in Practice
If you’re optimising for answer engines, you’re typically focused on a few specific things.
First, you’re using question-based headers. “What does a digital marketing agency do?” rather than “Our Services.” You’re matching the way people actually search.
Second, you’re providing clear, concise answers directly after those questions. Google wants to pull a clean snippet – give it one.
Third, you’re implementing schema markup like FAQ schema and HowTo schema. These structured data types tell search engines exactly what your content is and how it’s organised. If you’re not using schema markup yet, you’re leaving visibility on the table.
And fourth, you’re targeting keywords that trigger rich results. Not every keyword does – AEO works best for high-intent, question-based queries where Google is already showing answer boxes or snippets.
What is GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation)?
GEO – Generative Engine Optimisation – is the newer sibling, and it’s responding to a very different shift in search. Instead of optimising for a snippet box, you’re optimising to be the source that AI-powered search tools draw from when they generate answers.
Google’s AI Overviews, Bing’s Copilot, and other AI-driven search experiences are pulling information from across the web and synthesising it into summarised responses. The sites they cite in those summaries? Those are the ones winning with GEO.
As we covered in our recent article on how to get found in AI and LLM search, AI has disrupted the entire search workflow. When someone asks ChatGPT about your industry or queries Google about best practices in your field, they increasingly get comprehensive answers without clicking a single link. The AI synthesises information from multiple sources, provides context, and delivers actionable insights – all within the search interface. The businesses that get cited as sources in those answers are the ones investing in GEO.
This changes the game quite a bit. Instead of needing a short, punchy answer, you need depth. You need to be the authoritative source that an AI model trusts enough to reference.
I spoke with the owner of a manufacturing business recently, who was frustrated because his website traffic had dropped despite his content being “perfectly optimised.” When we looked at his analytics more closely, we found that Google’s AI Overviews were answering his target queries directly – and citing his competitors. His content was technically fine, but it lacked the depth and original perspective that AI models were looking for when selecting trusted sources.
That’s the GEO challenge. It’s not just about being correct – it’s about being the most trustworthy, well-cited, regularly updated source on your topic.
“GEO isn’t just about being correct – it’s about being the most trustworthy, well-cited, regularly updated source on your topic.”
What GEO Optimisation Looks Like in Practice
GEO is a different beast from AEO, and the optimisation reflects that.
You’re creating in-depth, expert content that goes beyond surface-level answers. This is where thought leadership actually matters – not as a buzzword, but as a ranking signal. AI models are trained to identify expertise, and content that demonstrates genuine knowledge performs better. As we noted in our GEO guide, AI engines value content that demonstrates clear “information gain” – content that adds unique insights rather than rehashing existing knowledge.
You’re backing up claims with original data and reputable citations. If you’re making a statement about industry trends, link to the research. Better yet, conduct your own surveys or analyse your own client data. Original insights are gold for GEO. Documenting specific results – “our integration approach reduced client onboarding time by 40% across 15 businesses” – carries far more weight with AI systems than vague claims about improvement.
You’re establishing author credentials. Google’s emphasis on E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) isn’t going away – it’s becoming more relevant as AI models evaluate source quality. Author bios, credentials, and demonstrated experience all contribute.
And you’re keeping content fresh. AI models favour recently updated information. A blog post from 2022 that hasn’t been touched since won’t carry the same weight as one that’s been reviewed and updated this year. This is something we advise all our website development clients to build into their content maintenance workflow.
So Which One Should You Focus On?
Both. But how you weigh them depends on your business and your audience.
AEO is your quick-win visibility play. If people are searching for specific questions related to your industry – and they probably are – AEO helps you capture that traffic fast. It’s particularly effective for service-based businesses where potential customers are comparing options or looking for straightforward answers before making a decision.
GEO is your long-term authority play. It’s how you build a presence in the AI-driven search environment that’s becoming the default. As more users interact with AI Overviews and similar features, the businesses that show up as cited sources will have a significant competitive advantage.
“AEO is your quick-win visibility play. GEO is your long-term authority play. The smart approach uses both.”
The smart approach is to use AEO for high-intent queries where someone is looking for a quick answer – “how much does Google Ads management cost?” or “what is GEO in SEO?” – and use GEO for broader topic authority where you want to be the go-to resource AI models reference.
We’ve seen this dual approach work well with our SEO clients. One client in the B2B space had their FAQ pages optimised for AEO (picking up snippets for specific questions) while their long-form industry guides were built for GEO (earning citations in AI Overviews). The combination meant they were visible whether someone was asking a quick question or doing deeper research.
Common Mistakes We See Businesses Making
There are a few patterns that come up repeatedly when we talk to businesses about AEO and GEO, and they’re worth flagging.
Treating AEO and GEO as an either/or decision. They solve different problems. Choosing one and ignoring the other means you’re only showing up for half your potential audience.
Neglecting human readability. This one’s a classic. You can optimise for snippets and AI models all you want, but if the content reads like it was written for a robot, people will bounce. Google notices that too. Every piece of content should be written for a person first and optimised for search second – a principle we apply across all our content and digital marketing work.
Ignoring content freshness. Both AEO and GEO reward up-to-date content. If you published a great resource two years ago and haven’t touched it since, it’s losing ground to competitors who are regularly refreshing theirs.
Skipping schema markup. This is one of the most overlooked technical elements in SEO. Schema tells search engines what your content is about in a language they understand perfectly. Without it, you’re relying on Google to figure things out on its own – and it doesn’t always get it right.
Failing to track results separately. AEO success looks different from GEO success. Featured snippet wins, People Also Ask appearances, and voice search visibility are AEO metrics. AI Overview citations, source references, and long-form engagement are GEO metrics. If you’re lumping them together, you can’t tell what’s working.
“Every piece of content should be written for a person first and optimised for search second.”
What This Means for Your Business
The search landscape in 2026 is more complex than it was even a year ago. AI-powered search isn’t replacing traditional results – it’s layering on top of them. That means your content needs to work on multiple levels: answering specific questions clearly (AEO), demonstrating deep expertise that AI models trust (GEO), and still being something a real person wants to read.
The businesses that get this right will be the ones who approach it strategically rather than reactively. That means auditing your current content, identifying which pages should target snippets and which should aim for AI citations, implementing the technical foundations like schema markup, and maintaining a regular update cycle.
If you want to go deeper on how AI-driven search is reshaping content strategy, our article on getting found in AI and LLM search covers the broader GEO landscape in detail – including how to structure content for AI consumption, measure success in the AI era, and build the kind of authority that AI recommendation engines actually reward.
If you’re not sure where your content stands right now – or if you’re seeing changes in your search visibility that you can’t quite explain – it’s probably time to look at how AEO and GEO fit into your broader SEO strategy.
At HyperWeb, we help businesses across Australia build search strategies that account for where search is heading, not just where it’s been. If you want to talk about how AEO and GEO apply to your specific situation, get in touch – we’re always happy to have that conversation.
