What are GEO and AEO: how to show up in AI answers

Why showing up in AI matters

Search has changed. Google shows AI-generated summaries, AI Overviews, on close to half of all searches, and more and more people ask their questions directly to ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity.

The impact on traffic is real. A field study published in 2026 found that AI Overviews cut clicks by 38% on the searches where they appear, and other analyses report drops of up to 61%. The flip side: brands that AI cites as a source gain visibility and get more clicks than those that don’t appear.

In other words, being on the first page is no longer enough. You have to be part of the answer.

SEO, AEO and GEO: the differences

They aren’t separate disciplines. AEO and GEO work on the same foundation as SEO: a crawlable site, useful content and authority.

What Google said about AEO and GEO

On May 15, 2026, Google published a guide for site owners about its AI features. The key points:

• AI Overviews and AI Mode use the same index and ranking systems as traditional search. There’s no separate optimization layer.
• To appear, a page must be indexed and eligible to show snippets.
• The llms.txt file isn’t used by Google Search, and no special schema.org markup is needed for AI.
• It warns against inauthentic mentions: buying reviews or posts to look more relevant.

That’s why Google describes AEO and GEO as “SEO”. Platforms like ChatGPT or Perplexity have their own systems, but they also favor sources that are trustworthy, clear and current.

How to work on AEO and GEO on your website

1. Answer in the first paragraph. Citation analyses show that AI takes most of its information from the top of the page. Lead with the answer, then expand.
2. Use questions as headings. Structure content with headings that mirror how your customers ask: “How much does…?”, “How do I choose…?”.
3. Bring your own data. Statistics, case studies and expert opinions make your content easier to cite.
4. Update your key pages. Much of the content AI cites is only a few months old. Review your most important pages every 3 to 6 months.
5. Build authority. Media mentions, industry directories, real reviews and links from trusted sites matter to Google and to AI models.
6. Let crawlers in. Make sure your robots.txt doesn’t block Googlebot or the search crawlers of AI platforms.

How to measure your AI visibility

Make a list of 20 to 30 questions your ideal customer would ask, for example “Which digital marketing agency do you recommend for a B2B company?”, and check every month what ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google answer. Note whether your brand appears, in what position and which sources are cited.

Complement this with Google Analytics 4, to see visits coming from chatgpt.com, perplexity.ai or gemini.google.com, and Search Console, to track impressions and clicks on searches where AI Overviews appear.

Frequently asked questions