AEO vs. GEO vs. AI SEO

Introduction

Optimizing your brand's presence in LLMs (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Meta AI) is a burgeoning field of marketing. Since this is a new field, there is not yet alignment on the most appropriate name. A common way conversations on this topic begin is "AEO, GEO, AIO...whatever it's called these days".

Linguistic Conventionalism

• Ultimately, the name of a concept and the definition of it are determined by a group of people reaching a collective agreement (linguistic conventionalism).
• It is helpful to align on a single name to describe an idea such as marketing for LLMs, because it simplifies discussion and allows us to develop a shared set of concepts and frameworks.
• We at Graphite, AthenaHQ, and Surfer joined together to put forth our most compelling arguments in favor of AEO, GEO, and AI SEO respectively. We collectively seek to help accelerate alignment by debating in this thread, which name is most appropriate.
• Then, we encourage people to vote for their preferred name.
• The losers of this debate have agreed to shave the winning name into their heads. (half kidding)

Why Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)?

By Ethan Smith, CEO @ Graphite.io

Why AEO

"Answers" most closely describe the response from LLMs, whereas "generative" may refer to things such as the generation of images and video, which are likely different in nature to text answers in LLMs.

AEO has no such existing association. If you ask "Which are the best AEO agencies?" the answers are all agencies that offer LLM optimization services.

Why Not GEO

It is true that AI can generate far more than just answers. With products such as AI Image Generator, Dall-E, and Mirage.app, you can generate images and even video. With Character.ai you can generate people, characters, and worlds. AI is indeed a "generative engine."

However, LLM products such as ChatGPT focus on chat, and chat primarily provides answers. So, the discipline of optimizing for LLMs such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini is in fact optimizing specifically for answers.

There will likely be other new fields that focus on optimizing a brand's presence in images, videos, and worlds. But, these optimization strategies will likely be very different from those that optimize for text based answers. Thus, these are most appropriately described with a separate name.

From a practical perspective, "GEO" has strong existing associations with geospatial mapping technology. If you ask ChatGPT and Perplexity "Who are the best GEO agencies?" the answers are agencies focused on geospatial services, not marketing for LLMs. So, even AI itself does not think GEO refers to optimizing for itself.

Why Not AI SEO

LLMs frequently leverage search to generate answers (LLM + Rag). Often, when you ask a question, first a search is performed, then the LLM summarizes the results. For example, if you search for "what's the best project management software," a search for "best project management software" is run, then the LLM summarizes the search results.

I have argued since 2024 that marketing for LLMs is an evolution of SEO and argued against those that claim this is a completely different field that requires new optimization strategies. So, there is a strong argument to favor a name that explicitly references the original field of SEO, but with the modifier AI — AI SEO.

However, Google has used AI in their search for over a decade. Referring to AI SEO as something entirely new suggests that AI was not previously used as a core part of search technology. Further, AI chat is built for conversations, not just searching. By calling the field AI SEO, it implies that AI chat is only used for search.

In order to precisely describe marketing for LLMs, which provide answers as opposed to only search results, the most appropriate name is AEO.

Why Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)?

By Alan Yao, Co-Founder @ AthenaHQ.AI

Why GEO

GEO names what we actually optimize: a generative, tool-using engine that plans, routes, calls functions, and now even transacts. In agentic flows, success means getting the engine to select your tool, call your API with the correct arguments, cite your source, and return or execute the result, not simply producing a more optimized paragraph. This is now standard capability across stacks (function/tool calling that lets models decide when to act), and assistants are already pushing into real tasks like booking or purchasing, so "answer" is too narrow for where usage is going. Also the fact that there's an article titled "GEO over SEO" in certain circles speaks volumes.

Why Not AEO

This is a neutrality issue. Perplexity brands itself as an "answer engine." That means "AEO" bakes one vendor's positioning into the field's name.

On the common pushback "Users ask questions; they expect an answer." They expect resolution. Sometimes that's a one answer paragraph. Often it's a plan, a comparison with citations, a calendar slot booked, a cart filled, or a form filed. GEO is about increasing the likelihood that the engine routes through your content and your tools to deliver that resolution.

Why Not AI SEO

This term has recognizability and rides the SEO brand equity, but it conflates a distinct discipline with legacy SEO and risks being perceived as a bolt-on rather than a new optimization surface. It will attract SEO teams, but it underspecifies agent behavior and tool routing.

When searching "GEO", geospatial terms come up; people hear "AEO" and think American Eagle Outfitters. This is why we should lead with the full term "Generative Engine Optimization" and use GEO in context. So if the goal is a durable, vendor-neutral term, GEO is the cleaner, future-proof label.

Why AI SEO?

By Tomasz Niezgoda, CMO @ SurferSEO.com

Why AI SEO

At Surfer, we call it AI SEO — short for AI Search Optimization.

Some might argue it should be AISO. I stand behind AI SEO, and here's why it works better than AISO, AEO, or GEO:

• It shows a clear evolution of our discipline. SEO has always adapted to new search behaviors: directories, keyword search, mobile, voice, and now AI assistants. Framing it as "AI SEO" emphasizes continuity and evolution, rather than starting from scratch.
• It's easy to understand for leaders outside marketing. "SEO" already carries brand equity. Adding "AI" signals the next phase without requiring someone to learn a new acronym or decode jargon. CMOs, founders, and executives immediately grasp that this is SEO adapted for AI-driven search experience.
• It reflects how LLMs operate as wrappers for search. Assistants don't replace search — they extend it. AI models still retrieve, rank, and synthesize information from the same sources SEO teams already optimize (the familiar top 10 in Google, Bing, or any other index). AI SEO captures this continuity while pointing to the new frontiers ahead. AISO, by contrast, suggests a break from search engines — when in fact the core principles of SEO still apply.
• It keeps the focus on search as an action. People don't "generative-engine" something, and they don't "answer-engine" something. They search — in Google, ChatGPT, Perplexity, or even Meta AI. That human intent hasn't changed, only the interface and the engine have. AI SEO is powerful because it centers on the user's action (search) rather than the engine's mechanics or the output format.

AI SEO bridges the past and future.

• Familiar enough to build trust and adoption.
• Expansive enough to cover new challenges in optimizing for AI assistants.
• Grounded in what users actually do: search.

That's why we believe AI SEO is the clearest, strongest, and most future-proof name for this next chapter.

For a deeper dive, see The Next Phase of Search.

Why Not AEO

AEO is too narrow. It ties the field to "answers" when assistants increasingly deliver plans, comparisons, tool calls, and transactions — not just text snippets.

Why Not GEO

GEO is too abstract. "Generative" risks diluting the focus on discovery and overlaps with fields like image or video generation.

Why Not AISO

AISO is too forced. While technically accurate, it's not how people talk. The market already uses AI SEO — and introducing a new acronym only creates confusion and slows adoption.

What Does AI Think?

In order to solve this debate, we decided to consult with something smarter than all three of us combined: AI. So, we asked ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini what they think.

ChatGPT

Why GEO

I'd pick Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) because it best reflects what's new about LLM platforms: they generate responses rather than just retrieving them, and the name feels future-proof as these systems expand beyond text into multimodal outputs.

Why Not AEO

I wouldn't pick AEO because "answer engine" is too narrow and tied to an older era of voice search and featured snippets.

Why Not AI SEO

I wouldn't pick AI SEO because it's too vague and risks confusion with "using AI for SEO" rather than "optimizing for AI systems."

Full argument: chatgpt.com

Perplexity

Why AI SEO

AI SEO is the clear winner because it has the strongest market demand (250,000+ monthly searches vs. 1,300 for GEO and 720 for AEO) and requires zero explanation to stakeholders, while building naturally on existing SEO knowledge and infrastructure.

Why Not AEO

Answer Engine Optimization has a narrow scope that may become outdated as AI evolves beyond simple Q&A to more complex generative interactions.

Why Not GEO

Generative Engine Optimization creates major confusion with geographic marketing terminology, requiring constant clarification in professional settings and making it difficult to find relevant content online.

Full argument: Perplexity

Google Gemini

Why AEO

AEO is the superior term because it clearly and intuitively defines the strategic objective: optimizing content to be selected for direct, concise, and synthesized answers, which aligns with the enduring user intent in the zero-click era. This clarity provides seamless continuity with existing search marketing practices focused on winning featured snippets and maintaining visibility across answer engines.

Why Not GEO

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is rejected due to a critical acronym failure, as the term "GEO" is already globally and historically established in both common usage and LLM training data to refer to geography, creating insurmountable linguistic conflict and strategic ambiguity.

Why Not AI SEO

AI SEO is not the preferred strategic label because its functional ambiguity conflates the toolset (using AI to enhance traditional SEO processes) with the strategic outcome (optimizing content for AI visibility), which risks diluting the focus of the core marketing mandate.