Search has changed. People still Google, but they also ask ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity — and they read the answer box instead of clicking ten blue links. To be found in 2026 you need three things: SEO, AEO and GEO.

What is SEO?

Search Engine Optimisation is making your website easy for Google to crawl, understand and rank: fast pages, clean URLs, helpful content, good titles and descriptions, and links from other sites.

What is AEO?

Answer Engine Optimisation is writing so that your content is chosen as the direct answer — in featured snippets, 'People also ask' and voice assistants. The trick is simple: ask the question in a heading and answer it clearly in the first one or two sentences below it.

What is GEO?

Generative Engine Optimisation is making sure AI assistants understand who you are, trust you and cite you. AI models favour clear facts, consistent names across the web, structured data and pages they are allowed to read.

A checklist to do all three

  • Use one clear topic and keyword per page, in the title, URL and first paragraph
  • Write question-style headings and answer them in the first sentence (AEO)
  • Add structured data: Person, Organization, Article, FAQ and Breadcrumbs
  • Keep your name, role and links identical on your website, LinkedIn, YouTube and directories
  • Allow AI crawlers like GPTBot, ClaudeBot and PerplexityBot in robots.txt
  • Publish an llms.txt file that summarises who you are and what you offer
  • Update content regularly and show the last-updated date
SEO gets you ranked. AEO gets you chosen. GEO gets you recommended.

This website is built on exactly this checklist. If you want the same for your business or academy, get in touch.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between SEO, AEO and GEO?

SEO helps a page rank in search results, AEO helps it become the direct answer in snippets and voice search, and GEO helps AI assistants like ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity understand, trust and cite it.

Do I still need SEO if people use ChatGPT?

Yes. AI assistants rely heavily on content that is already well structured, trusted and indexed by search engines, so strong SEO is the foundation for GEO.