AEO shapes content to appear in direct answer formats. These include A featured snippet is a highlighted answer excerpt that Google displays above the classic results. It answers a query directly and is often called position zero.Open glossary entry → in classic search, answers to frequently asked questions (FAQ) and voice search results.
Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) optimizes content for direct answers such as featured snippets, FAQ answers or voice assistants. It focuses on answering frequently asked questions clearly and in an extractable way.Open glossary entry →, Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) covers measures that improve the chances of a brand or website being found, understood, extracted, classified and used as a source by generative AI answer systems. GEO extends classic SEO rather than replacing it.Open glossary entry → and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) covers all measures that help a website become more visible in unpaid (organic) search results.Open glossary entry → overlap but are not identical:
- SEO targets rankings, clicks and organic traffic in classic search engines.
- AEO targets direct answers such as featured A snippet is the compact display of a result in the search results, usually made up of a title, URL and description. It is what users see before clicking.Open glossary entry → and FAQ answers.
- Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) extends the focus to mentions, citations and Share of Voice in AI answers measures the proportion of mentions a brand receives within a prompt set compared to competitors. It indicates the competitive position in AI answers.Open glossary entry → in generative AI answers.
Content with clear definitions, concise answers at the start of a section, lists and tables works better for both AEO and GEO. A good answer structure increases the chance that answer engines pick up the relevant passage.