AEO, SEO, GEO: Cutting Through the Jargon for Small Business Owners

If you’ve been hearing terms like AEO, SEO, and GEO thrown around lately and wondering what they all mean, you’re not alone. The digital marketing world loves its acronyms, but behind these three-letter codes lies something crucial for your business: how people find you online.

The good news? You don’t need to be a tech wizard to understand these concepts. Let’s break down what each one means, why they matter, and most importantly, what you should actually do about them.

The Big Picture: Search is Changing

Before we dive into the acronyms, here’s what’s happening in plain English:

The old way you used to find things: Someone searches “best wineries near me” on Google, clicks through several websites, reads reviews, and makes a decision.

The new way: Someone asks ChatGPT or Google’s AI “what’s a good winery to visit near me?” and gets a direct answer citing 2-3 specific places without ever clicking a website.

This shift is happening right now. According to research from SparkToro, over 60% of Google searches now end without a click to any website. People are getting their answers directly from AI-powered tools and search features. We’ve already seen this trend play out in the Google Analytics results each month, traffic is coming from AI.

That’s why understanding these three optimisation strategies isn’t just marketing jargon, it’s about staying visible to your customers.

SEO (Search Engine Optimization): The Foundation

What it is: SEO is optimising your website to rank higher on traditional search engines like Google and Bing. So, for example, when someone types “wine tasting room near Hunter Valley” into Google, SEO is what helps your cellar door tasting room appear on the first page instead of being buried on page five, where no one looks. As noted on Search Engine Land https://searchengineland.com/seo-priorities-2025-453418 SEO  is evolving quickly, but there’s lots of ways you can use this to drive traffic to your site.

H2: How SEO Works

Search engines use “crawlers” (basically automated programs) that scan billions of web pages, trying to understand what each page is about and how helpful it is. SEO helps you speak the search engine’s language by:

• Using the right keywords that your customers actually search for
• Creating quality content that answers people’s questions
• Building a fast, mobile-friendly website that’s easy to navigate
• Earning links from other reputable websites (like local news, travel blogs, or industry publications)
• Adding structured data that helps search engines understand your content

This has been a key focus over the years, often creating content (often on a blog) to help make your brand discoverable when people are in the discovery phase. Even with AI search growing, Google’s documentation shows that pages ranking well in traditional search are usually the same pages AI tools pull from and recommend. So it’s not dead as an action; strong SEO gives you a foundation that helps with everything else.

AEO (Answer Engine Optimization): Getting Featured

What it is: AEO is optimising your content so AI-powered tools like ChatGPT, Google’s AI Overviews, Perplexity, and voice assistants cite your business directly in their answers.

Instead of showing up in a list of 10 links, your business is the answer that gets spoken aloud by Alexa or quoted in ChatGPT’s response. Often, this gives the customer the information that they are looking for without having to visit your website, which is why we’ve seen a natural decline in search traffic over the last few years.

How AEO Works

AEO focuses on positioning content as direct answers to user queries in AI-powered search environments. These AI systems pull information from across the web and synthesise it into a single, conversational answer. Your goal is to make your content the source they trust and reference.

Key Differences: AEO vs. SEO

Using a craft brewery example:

Bad AEO: A generic page with a headline that says “We make great beer!”

Good AEO: Content structured like this:

• Question as heading: “What’s the difference between an IPA and a pale ale?”
• Direct answer: “IPAs (India Pale Ales) have higher hop content and alcohol levels (6-7% ABV) than pale ales (4.5-5.5% ABV). IPAs taste more bitter and aromatic, while pale ales are more balanced and sessionable.”
• Additional context: Brief explanation of brewing methods, hop varieties, food pairings
• Clear formatting: Bullet points, short paragraphs, FAQ structure

This format makes it easy for AI tools to extract and cite your answer when someone asks that question. It is changing the way that we communicate some of this content online with the goal of making sure that you’re answering questions.

Based on guidance from CXL’s comprehensive AEO guide there are some best practices to consider:

• Answer questions directly – Put the answer in the first 1-2 sentences
• Use question-based headings – “What is…”, “How to…”, “When should…”
• Keep it concise – A 35-word definition followed by clear steps works better than lengthy paragraphs
• Add structured data – Use FAQ schema, HowTo schema, and other markup (learn more at Schema.org)
• Cite your sources – AI engines favor content that references credible sources
• Update regularly – AI tools prioritize fresh, current information

Why AEO matters now: With 400+ million people using OpenAI products weekly, according to OpenAI’s recent data, and analysts predicting 25% of organic traffic will shift to AI chatbots by 2026, businesses that aren’t optimising for answer engines risk becoming invisible to a huge portion of their potential customers.

GEO (Generative Engine Optimization): Influencing AI Understanding

This one is one of the newer talking points to get your head around. GEO is optimising how AI large language models (LLMs) understand and represent your brand when they generate responses.

It’s not just about being cited once. It’s about ensuring AI systems consistently understand who you are and what you’re known for across thousands of potential questions.

How GEO Works

While AEO focuses on getting cited for specific answers, GEO focuses on manufacturing brand visibility and relevance to be surfaced in AI answers as part of the solution. It’s about shaping how AI models perceive and talk about your business overall. This is where having a more active presence online through targeted public relations can assist to make sure that your brand is credible and mentioned across multiple touchpoints.

Think of it this way:

• SEO = Getting your website found
• AEO = Getting your answer featured
• GEO = Shaping how AI understands your entire brand

According to HubSpot’s research on GEO, GEO often presents diverse formats—PDFs, mind maps, code—on one page, reducing clicks, while SEO focuses on getting people to click through to your site.

An Example for Wine & Tourism Business

Let’s use a destination hotel in McLaren Vale:

SEO approach: Optimise website pages for Google search rankings like “boutique hotel McLaren Vale”

AEO approach: Create FAQ content so AI can quote your answers about McLaren Vale accommodations

GEO approach: Build a comprehensive online presence so when AI systems encounter any question about wine country hotels, romantic getaways, or luxury tourism in your area, they recognise you as an authority. This includes:

• Expert features in travel publications like Gourmet Traveller or regional tourism sites like McLaren Vale Tourism
• Mentions in articles about hotel and tourism trends
• Reviews and discussions on multiple platforms (Google, TripAdvisor, travel forums)
• Active presence on travel-focused social media
• Clear, consistent business information everywhere online
• Partnerships with local wineries and tourism boards

GEO Best Practices

1. Build entity clarity – Make sure your brand, what you do, and what you’re known for is crystal clear across all platforms
2. Earn diverse mentions – Get featured in news, blogs, podcasts, and community discussions
3. Use structured data extensively – Organization schema, Product schema, and more (consult Google’s structured data guide)
4. Create authoritative content – In-depth guides, original research, expert insights
5. Monitor your AI presence – Check how ChatGPT, Perplexity, and others describe your business

Why it matters: AI systems now sit between the question and the result, and as Foundation Inc explains, success is measured by reference rates—how often your brand is cited or used as a source. GEO ensures you’re not just visible once, but consistently recognised.

How do you get started? Where to focus first

To build your digital presence and authority over time, you need all three, and they work together. Think of it like this:

• SEO is your foundation – it gets you discoverable online
• AEO is your front door – it gets you featured as the answer
• GEO is your reputation – it shapes how AI understands your whole business

1. Start with Solid SEO Basics

If you haven’t already:

• Claim and optimise your Google Business Profile
• Ensure your website is mobile-friendly and fast
• Create helpful content around topics your customers search for
• Get listed in relevant tourism directories and wine industry associations
• Gather customer reviews

Why tackle this first? Research from Princeton University and other institutions shows that 40.58% of AI citations come from Google’s top 10 search results. Good SEO gives you a head start with AI tools.

2. Layer in AEO Tactics

Once you have SEO basics down it’s time to build on your presence and think about how you are responding to customer questions. This may be a different language to think about content being created, it’s not about a beautifully written narrative, this is about being helpful.

• Add an FAQ section answering common customer questions
• Structure your content with clear questions as headings
• Give direct, concise answers (save the long explanations for later in the page)
• Implement FAQ schema markup (or hire someone to do it)
• Think about the questions customers ask you every day—answer them on your website

Start simple: Pick your 10 most frequently asked customer questions and create clear, well-structured answers on your website.

3. Build Your GEO Presence

This is where online public relations and outreach works. There’s also some benefits here that can be driven by a solid social media strategy.

• Contribute guest posts or quotes to travel and wine industry publications
• Get involved in your local tourism community (and get covered in local news)
• Build a presence on platforms where your customers hang out (Instagram, travel forums, wine enthusiast communities)
• Share your expertise through multiple channels
• Keep all your business information consistent everywhere online

Remember: GEO isn’t replacing SEO—it’s reshaping it. These strategies work together.

The Mindset Shift: From Traffic to Trust

Here’s the most important thing to understand: The goal isn’t just traffic anymore, it’s trust and authority.

In the old SEO world, success meant getting clicks to your website. In this new AI-powered world, success might mean:

• Your business being the one an AI recommends
• Your answer being cited with attribution
• Your brand being recognized as an authority even if people never visit your site

Yes, this can feel uncomfortable. You’re working to be visible in places you can’t fully control. But that’s exactly why being proactive matters.”Won’t AI just steal my content without sending traffic?” Sometimes, yes. But as reported in Search Engine Land, companies like NerdWallet reported 35% revenue growth despite a 20% decrease in site traffic by ensuring their content and brand expertise still reached consumers through featured snippets and AI citations. Being the trusted source still drives business, even through indirect paths.

Audit your presence and make sure that your business information is consistent everywhere (Google, social media, your website).

If you’ve been doing any online marketing, you’ve possibly already started:

• Customer reviews? That’s building trust signals for AI
• Blog posts? That’s potential AEO content
• Social media presence? That’s part of your GEO strategy
• Local business listings? That feeds all three approaches

The shift isn’t about throwing out everything you know. It’s about adapting what’s already working to speak to both humans and the AI systems that help humans find you.

SEO, AEO, and GEO aren’t separate strategies competing for your attention—they’re three aspects of the same goal: being findable when your customers are looking for help.

• SEO keeps you visible in traditional search
• AEO makes you the featured answer
• GEO ensures AI systems know who you are and what you do best

Start where you are. Use what you have. Focus on being genuinely helpful to your customers, and structure that helpfulness so both humans and AI can find and understand it.

The businesses that thrive won’t be the ones with the biggest marketing budgets—they’ll be the ones who adapt early, stay consistent, and keep their customers at the centre of everything they do.

Need a hand? Reach out and the Mastermind team are happy to demystify your questions.