AI search optimization vs SEO
SEO earns a position in a list of links on Google or Bing. AI search optimization, also called GEO or AEO, earns a mention inside an answer written by ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Copilot or Google AI. They share most of their foundations, so most businesses need SEO as the base with four additions on top.
| Compared on | SEO | AI search optimization |
|---|---|---|
| What it earns you | A position in a list of links | A mention inside a generated answer |
| Where you appear | Google and Bing results, Google Maps | ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Copilot, Google AI Overviews |
| How it is measured | Rankings, clicks, calls, direction requests | Your share of answers on a fixed set of buyer questions, and which sources are cited |
| What it rewards | Relevant pages, links, reviews, technical health | Direct answers, structured data, consistent facts, mentions on trusted sites |
| Crawlers involved | Googlebot, Bingbot | OAI-SearchBot, Claude-SearchBot and PerplexityBot, alongside Googlebot and Bingbot |
| How long it takes | Maps in 60 to 90 days, organic rankings in four to nine months | Foundations in 30 days, citations build over months |
Why the difference matters now
When an AI summary answers the question, fewer people click through to a website. Being named in the answer becomes the visit you used to get.
When Google shows an AI summary, people click a regular search result in 8% of visits. Without a summary they click in 15%.
of US consumers now use ChatGPT and other generative AI tools for local recommendations. A year earlier it was 6%.
Read more about AI search optimization and SEO and local search, or scan your site to see where you stand.
Questions people ask
Is GEO the same as AEO?
Yes. GEO (generative engine optimization) and AEO (answer engine optimization) are two names for the same work. We call it AI search optimization.
Do I still need SEO if customers use AI?
Yes. AI engines lean on existing search indexes as well as their own crawlers. Google AI Overviews use Google’s index, and other assistants combine their own crawlers with results from search providers. A site that is invisible to search is usually invisible to AI too.
Does structured data help with AI search?
It helps engines understand who you are, what you sell and where, which makes your facts easier to extract and quote. It is one factor among several, alongside readable content and what other sites say about you.
What should I add to SEO for AI search?
Four things: allow the AI search crawlers, add structured data, rewrite key pages to answer the question in the first two sentences, and earn mentions on the sites the engines already cite for your category.
See what AI crawlers find on your site
The scan checks whether ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity and Google can get into your site, read it and tell who you are. You keep the results either way.