GEO vs AEO vs SEO: what should a local business buy?
The names describe overlapping work. Compare the business facts, website changes and measurements in a proposal before deciding which help you need.
By AI Local Proof · Updated
Three terms, different emphasis.
| Term | What it emphasizes | Useful evidence |
|---|---|---|
| SEO: search engine optimization | Helping relevant pages and business information appear in search, including local results. | Search impressions and clicks, profile interactions, qualified inquiries and purchases. |
| AEO: answer engine optimization | Making useful answers accessible and clear in search and assistant experiences. | Which questions were tested, what answer appeared and whether the business or page was included. |
| GEO: generative engine optimization | How a business is represented, mentioned or cited in generated answers. | Saved answers, sources, competing businesses and the stated conditions for each observation. |
Google treats optimization for its generative features as part of SEO. Its official guidance does not require separate AI files or special schema. That guidance concerns Google; each assistant’s access and measurement conditions still need to be stated.
A practical example: the reservation page.
Instructional example, not a client result
A restaurant’s website links to an old menu and gives no clear reservation instructions. A directory lists different Friday opening hours.
The useful work: confirm the current menu, hours and booking process with the owner; update the approved public pages; then check the contact path and the questions diners ask.
The same corrections can help people, search engines and AI assistants understand the restaurant. Calling them SEO, AEO or GEO does not make them three separate projects. An assistant naming the restaurant afterward would be an observation, not proof that the changes caused more bookings.
Ask what will actually be delivered.
| Before buying | A clear answer should name |
|---|---|
| What are you measuring? | The questions, market, platform, dates, search conditions and unavailable answers. |
| What are you changing? | The pages, business facts or profiles, who approves them, and who installs the changes. |
| What does the price include? | Audit preparation versus implementation, ongoing work, third-party fees and any separate renewal. |
| How will you report progress? | Completed work and comparable visibility checks, with inquiries or purchases measured separately. |
Software may provide measurements, drafts, suggested actions or publishing features depending on its plan and your access. A service can add review and implementation responsibility, but the written scope should identify those tasks. Neither option guarantees inclusion: OpenAI’s ChatGPT search guidance explicitly says placement is not guaranteed.
Choose the next step that fits the problem.
If your hours, offerings or booking path are wrong, correct the approved facts first. If you want to understand whether AI recommends your business, consider the $297 audit for one business and one primary market. It supplies evidence and priorities, with a draft or patch where appropriate; installing changes is separately scoped.
Implementation requires a written scope, confirmed access and capacity before purchase. Ongoing local SEO is a different commitment from a one-time audit. Read AI visibility versus local SEO or compare the service options before choosing.
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