GEO vs SEO vs AEO: What Actually Changes for a Small Website

GEO vs SEO is mostly a question of where your content shows up: SEO aims for a place in search results, while GEO (generative engine optimization) aims to be used and cited inside AI-generated answers. AEO, answer engine optimization, is an older name for roughly the same idea. For a small website, the foundations are the same; what changes is how you write, how you are mentioned elsewhere, and how you measure.

Published: 2026-10-16 · 7 min read · Satelo

Three acronyms in one table

Other labels such as “LLM SEO” or “AI SEO” describe the same territory. The names compete; the work overlaps heavily.

Where “GEO” came from

The term was popularized by a research paper, “GEO: Generative Engine Optimization” by Aggarwal and colleagues, first posted in November 2023 and accepted to KDD 2024. The authors built a benchmark of queries, rewrote source pages in different ways, and measured how visible each source became in AI-generated answers.

Some findings are useful for small sites, read with the caveats below:

• Adding cited sources, quotations and statistics to content worked best among the methods tested, according to the full paper.
• Keyword stuffing offered little to no improvement and did worse than the unchanged text in their main results.
• Sources that ranked lower in the underlying search results gained more from citing sources than the top result did.

Caveats: the main experiments used a custom engine built on an older OpenAI model, plus a smaller test on Perplexity. Real AI products change constantly. Treat the paper as evidence about writing style, not a recipe that guarantees citations.

What Google officially says

Google's page on AI features and your website is short and direct:

• “There are no additional requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode, nor other special optimizations necessary.”
• To be shown as a supporting link, a page must be indexed and eligible to appear in Google Search with a snippet.
• AI Overviews and AI Mode may run several related searches across subtopics (“query fan-out”), which can surface a wider set of pages than a classic results page.
• Traffic from AI features is included in Search Console's Performance report under the “Web” search type; it is not broken out separately.
• The controls are the usual ones: nosnippet, data-nosnippet, max-snippet and noindex.

In other words, for Google, GEO is SEO. If you are not indexed, you can't be cited.

What OpenAI says about ChatGPT search

ChatGPT search uses its own crawler. OpenAI's bot documentation separates three agents: OAI-SearchBot (for showing sites in ChatGPT search), GPTBot (for model training) and ChatGPT-User (visits on behalf of a user). OpenAI recommends allowing OAI-SearchBot in robots.txt to help your site appear in search results. You can block training while still allowing search; our guide to blocking AI crawlers in robots.txt shows how.

What really changes for a small site

1. Passages matter more than pages

AI answers quote or paraphrase parts of a page. A section that answers one question in its first two sentences, with a clear heading, is easier to use than a long intro. Write so each H2 can stand alone.

2. Evidence is the new keyword

The GEO paper's strongest methods were citing sources, adding quotations and adding statistics. For a small site that means real, linked sources and your own data with its method shown. It never means invented numbers: a made-up statistic that gets quoted by an AI is still made up.

3. Mentions count, not just links

AI systems learn what a brand is from how others describe it. Being named on relevant sites, forums and reviews helps them connect your name to your topic, link or not. See AI Overviews and brand mentions and our guide to getting mentioned by AI.

4. Clear entity information

Say plainly who you are, what the site covers, and where else you exist (profiles, organization details). Consistent names and descriptions across the web reduce confusion between you and similarly named sites.

5. Measurement gets fuzzier

Many AI answers satisfy the question without a click. Expect to track mentions and AI referral visits alongside classic clicks, and accept that the data will be incomplete.

What does not change

• Crawlability and indexing. Blocked or unindexed pages can't be cited by Google's AI features or ChatGPT search.
• Helpful, original content. Thin rewrites of other pages give an AI nothing new to cite.
• Trust signals. A real author, an About page, sources and honest dates.
• Spam rules. Manipulative tactics, from keyword stuffing to bought links, don't become acceptable because the target is an AI.

A worked example: one section, before and after (illustrative)

Imagine a small gardening blog with a post on growing basil indoors. A typical section reads:

“Basil is one of the most popular herbs in the world, loved by cooks everywhere. Many people wonder about light. In this section we'll explore everything you need to know about light for basil, so keep reading!”

Nothing here can be quoted as an answer. A passage-friendly rewrite:

“How much light does indoor basil need? In my apartment, basil on a south-facing sill grew steadily, while plants on a north-facing sill stretched and dropped leaves within weeks. If you don't have a bright window, a small LED grow light placed close to the plants is the usual fix; check the light maker's guidance for distance and hours.”

The rewrite answers the question in the first sentence after the heading, adds first-hand experience, avoids invented numbers, and points to where the precise figures should come from. That is the same edit that helps a featured snippet, a reader skimming on a phone, and an AI answer.

Should a small site invest in GEO now?

A simple way to decide:

• If your pages aren't indexed or rarely rank, fix classic SEO first. Google's AI features draw on the same index.
• If you rank but clicks are falling, passage-friendly rewrites and evidence help both results pages and AI answers.
• If your niche is often asked about in AI assistants, add weekly spot checks and work on mentions on other relevant sites.

In every case, the work is the same work: no separate “GEO budget” is needed to start.

Myths to ignore

• “llms.txt is a ranking factor.” llms.txt is a proposal from September 2024 for a Markdown file that helps AI agents use a site. Its own site does not claim any search engine uses it, and Google lists no special requirements for AI features. It can be useful for agents; it is not a ranking lever. More in our llms.txt guide.
• “You need special schema for AI Overviews.” Google says no special optimizations are necessary.
• “SEO is dead.” Google's AI features draw on indexed pages; ranking well and being cited are tied together.
• “GEO agencies can guarantee citations.” No one controls which sources an AI picks for a given answer.

A 30-day plan for a small website

1. Days 1–3: check access. Confirm key pages are indexed in Search Console and that robots.txt allows Googlebot and OAI-SearchBot (if you want ChatGPT search). Check no page you want cited uses nosnippet.
2. Days 4–10: rewrite your top five pages for passages. Put a direct answer under each H2. Add sources for every claim and remove any number you can't source.
3. Days 11–17: add first-hand evidence. Your own data, tests, photos or examples with the method shown.
4. Days 18–24: fix entity basics. About page, author pages, consistent name and description across your profiles.
5. Days 25–30: set up measurement. In GA4, watch the AI Assistant channel; in Search Console, track clicks on the Web search type; once a week, ask a few AI assistants the questions your pages answer and log whether you appear.

Repeat the cycle on the next five pages. For platform-specific details, see how to get cited by ChatGPT and how to rank in Copilot.

What to do next

Start with step one of the plan: access. Satelo's free Quality Score check shows how your site looks from outside, using mostly open data such as domain age, Common Crawl presence and PageSpeed, with the evidence behind each number, in about 30 seconds. That gives you a baseline before you rewrite anything.

FAQ

What is the difference between GEO and SEO?

SEO aims for visibility in search results; GEO aims for your content to be used and cited in AI-generated answers. For Google's AI features, the foundations are the same: indexing, helpful content and snippet eligibility.

Is AEO the same as GEO?

Mostly. AEO (answer engine optimization) is an older term focused on direct answers such as featured snippets and voice assistants; GEO focuses on generative AI answers. The practical work overlaps heavily.

Do I need special optimization for Google AI Overviews?

Google says there are no additional requirements or special optimizations needed. A page must be indexed and eligible to show with a snippet to be a supporting link.

Does llms.txt help with GEO?

There is no evidence it affects rankings or citations. llms.txt is a proposal to help AI agents use a site, and Google lists no special requirements for AI features.

How do I track traffic from AI search?

In Search Console, AI feature traffic is part of the Web search type. In GA4, check the AI Assistant channel; some AI visits still appear as Direct.

Where did the term GEO come from?

It was popularized by the 2023 research paper “GEO: Generative Engine Optimization” by Aggarwal and colleagues, later accepted to KDD 2024.

Read next

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Generative engine optimization: how to get cited in AI answersGenerative engine optimization (GEO) without hype: where the term comes from, what Google, OpenAI and Yandex say about AI answers, plus a page checklist.

How to Get Your Website Into ChatGPT Search: OAI-SearchBot, Bing and MentionsHow to get your website indexed by ChatGPT: allow OAI-SearchBot, unblock OpenAI at your CDN, get into Bing, earn mentions and check server logs to confirm.

How to Rank in Microsoft Copilot: Start With the Bing IndexHow to rank in Microsoft Copilot: get indexed by Bing, set up Bing Webmaster Tools, ping IndexNow, fix meta tags that block citations, and track citations.