Someone asks ChatGPT for the best tool in your space. It names three brands. The whole game now is being one of those three, not the tenth blue link nobody scrolls to.

What GEO and AEO actually mean

GEO is generative engine optimization. AEO is answer engine optimization. Different letters, same job: get your brand named inside the answer an AI gives, instead of buried on a results page a reader never opens.

For years the goal was a top spot in Google. Now a real chunk of people ask the model and take what it says, no clicking around. So the question changed. It’s no longer “do I rank for this,” it’s “when someone asks the AI, does my name come up.” That’s what these two acronyms are circling. Mostly the same fundamentals you already know, pointed at a new reader: the model.

Where the full guide lives

I wrote the long version in the guide to AI search visibility. It walks through what GEO and AEO really are, how to check whether you’re getting cited today, and where to start fixing it. If you want the depth, start there.

The step-by-step pieces are coming: how to show up in AI Overviews, how to get named in ChatGPT, the specific moves that work. None of those are written yet. I’d rather ship them when I’ve actually run the play than pad this page with theory. They’ll appear here as I publish.

So for now, a small offer. Want to see whether the AI engines mention you at all right now? I’ll run a quick check and send you what I find. No pitch, just a straight read. Grab a slot and tell me the brand and the question your buyers would ask.