AEO vs. GEO vs. LLM SEO: What's the Difference?

What is the difference between AEO, GEO and LLM SEO?

AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) focuses on on-page content formatting so it can be lifted into direct answers like featured snippets, voice replies and AI Overviews. GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) focuses on the off-site mention and citation profile that gets a brand named inside generative AI responses. LLM SEO is the umbrella term covering both, plus the technical SEO foundation underneath them.

AEO in One Paragraph

AEO is about how your content is written. Pose a question as an H2, answer it in 2-4 sentences, add FAQPage schema, repeat. The goal is to be the snippet, the AI Overview, the Alexa answer, the ChatGPT quote. AEO work happens on your own site.

GEO in One Paragraph

GEO is about how often the rest of the web mentions you and what it says about you. The goal is to make your brand a frequent, positive entity in the corpus that LLMs train on and retrieve from. GEO work happens off your site — press, podcasts, directories, reviews, expert quotes.

LLM SEO in One Paragraph

LLM SEO is the parent discipline. It includes AEO, GEO and the traditional technical SEO (crawlability, structured data, site speed, backlinks) that makes both possible. Most real-world programs run all three together because they reinforce each other.

Which One Should You Start With?

Start with technical SEO and AEO because they are entirely under your control. GEO compounds slower because it requires earned coverage. Our LLM SEO optimization page lays out the full sequence, and our AI SEO agency NYC page shows how we package the three together.