If you’ve been reading about AI search, you’ve probably seen two acronyms used almost interchangeably: GEO and AEO. Some agencies in Malaysia sell “GEO”, some sell “AEO”, and several sell “GEO and AEO” as one service. So are they different things, or the same thing with two names?
The short answer: they describe mostly the same work, with a slightly different emphasis. Here’s where each term comes from, how they differ, and what it means for your business.
What is AEO?
AEO stands for Answer Engine Optimization. It’s the older of the two terms. It grew out of the era of Google featured snippets, “People Also Ask” boxes and voice assistants like Siri and Google Assistant, when search engines started answering questions directly instead of just listing links.
AEO focuses on making your content the answer: a short, direct, well-structured response to a specific question that a search engine or assistant can lift and show (or read aloud) without the user clicking through.
Typical AEO work includes:
- Writing pages around the actual questions customers ask
- Answering each question clearly in the first sentence or two
- Using FAQ sections and structured data (schema markup) so machines can read the answers
- Keeping facts like opening hours, prices and locations accurate and consistent
What is GEO?
GEO stands for Generative Engine Optimization. The term comes from a 2023 research paper by researchers at Princeton, Georgia Tech and IIT Delhi, which tested how different content changes affected visibility in answers written by generative AI. You can read our summary in what is GEO?.
GEO focuses on being cited and recommended inside answers that AI tools write from many sources, such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude and Google AI Overviews. When someone asks “what’s the best dental clinic in Shah Alam?”, a generative AI doesn’t return one snippet. It writes a recommendation, often naming several businesses, based on what it has read about each one across the web.
That’s why GEO puts extra weight on:
- Brand authority: what reviews, directories, media and other websites say about you
- Citable content: pages AI can quote with confidence, with specific facts and sources
- AI crawler access: making sure tools like GPTBot and PerplexityBot are allowed to read your site
- Entity consistency: the same name, address, phone number and description everywhere
GEO vs AEO: side by side
| Aspect | AEO | GEO |
|---|---|---|
| Stands for | Answer Engine Optimization | Generative Engine Optimization |
| Grew out of | Featured snippets, voice assistants | Generative AI search (2023 onwards) |
| Main goal | Be the direct answer to a question | Be cited and recommended in AI-written answers |
| Typical output | One answer, lifted from one page | A written answer drawing on many sources |
| Leans on | Question-led content, FAQs, schema | All of that, plus brand authority and mentions across the web |
| Where it shows up | Google snippets, voice assistants, AI answers | ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude, Google AI Overviews |
The overlap is much bigger than the difference. Question-led content, FAQ pages, structured data and accurate business information help with both.
Other names you might see
The field is young, so the vocabulary hasn’t settled. Besides GEO and AEO, you’ll also see AI SEO, AI search optimization, LLM optimization (LLMO) and AI visibility. They all point at the same goal: being found and recommended when people use AI tools instead of, or as well as, Google.
Which one does your business need?
You don’t need to choose between them. If a customer asks ChatGPT for “a reliable accounting firm in PJ” or asks Google a question that triggers an AI Overview, the same foundations decide whether you’re mentioned:
- Clear answers on your own site. Service pages and an FAQ that answer real customer questions directly. See why your FAQ page is your most important GEO asset.
- Structured data. Schema markup that tells machines who you are, where you are and what you do. See what is schema markup?.
- Access for AI crawlers. A robots.txt file that doesn’t accidentally block them. See is your website blocking AI crawlers?.
- A consistent reputation. Reviews, directory listings and mentions that agree with each other and with your website.
When you compare agencies, the acronym matters much less than two questions: what exactly will you change, and how will I see whether it worked? An agency selling “AEO” and one selling “GEO” may be doing identical work, or one of them may be reselling basic SEO under a new name. Our guide on how to choose a GEO agency in Malaysia has eight questions that help you tell the difference.
How we use the terms at SeenBy Digital
We call our service GEO, because our focus is getting Malaysian businesses cited and recommended in generative AI answers. But the work covers AEO too: question-and-answer content, FAQ and structured data, AI crawler access, citable content and brand authority, all measured with a 0 to 100 GEO score.
Want to know how visible your business is in AI answers today, whichever acronym you prefer? Get your free GEO score from SeenBy Digital →