SEO, GEO and AEO: A Guide to Being Found in Search and AI

Description

Guide SEO, GEO and AEO: a guide to being found

SEO is being found in search results. GEO and AEO are being named or cited in AI-generated answers. They overlap far more than the three names suggest: a page that is crawlable, clear, sourced and trusted by other sites does well in both. Nobody can promise a ranking or a citation; the work is to remove what stops you being found.

Discuss your SEO/GEO/AEO strategy Last updated 2 October 2026

Three names, one job

Term

Where you appear

What you are optimising for

SEO, search engine optimisation

The list of results in Google or Bing

Being ranked for a query

AEO, answer engine optimisation

Direct answers: featured snippets, voice answers, AI summaries

Being the source of the answer

GEO, generative engine optimisation

Answers written by AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity

Being named or cited in the answer

The definitions are in the glossary, and the differences are set out in SEO vs GEO .

What the work consists of

Make the site readable by machines. Pages that load, can be crawled, and are not blocked by mistake. See the technical SEO audit .

Answer the question on the page. The answer first, in plain words, with the figures and sources that make it worth quoting.

Be consistent about who you are. The same name, description and details wherever the business appears.

Be referred to by others. Listings, reviews and mentions on sites people already trust. This is the part that most affects AI answers and the part a website alone cannot supply.

Measure honestly. See AI citation tracking for what can and cannot be measured.

What to be sceptical of

Anyone promising a first-page ranking, a place in AI answers, or results by a date. Search engines and AI tools publish no such guarantees, and WavX makes none. If your site is not showing on Google or not mentioned by ChatGPT, start with those two diagnostic pages; they cost nothing.

SEO services

Technical SEO audit A technical SEO audit tests whether Google can crawl, render and index your site. What WavX checks, what the report contains and what it cannot promise.

Core Web Vitals and page speed LCP, INP and CLS measured on real visitors, the causes found and fixed in code. What WavX measures, what you receive and what speed work cannot promise.

Schema and structured data JSON-LD structured data written from your real page data, validated and monitored. Which Google rich results exist in 2026, and what markup cannot do.

SEO for site migrations Changing domain, platform or URL structure? How WavX builds the redirect map, follows Google's site-move steps, and what to monitor after launch.

E-commerce SEO Filters, variants, pagination and product data decide whether a store's pages get indexed. What WavX audits and fixes, and when a store does not need it.

GEO and AEO services

AI visibility audit What an AI visibility audit checks, how to run the same checks by hand, why answers differ between runs, and what the published evidence says changes them.

Answer engine optimisation (AEO) AEO is restructuring pages so they answer a question directly and can be quoted with attribution. What WavX changes, what the engines say helps, and what cannot be promised.

llms.txt implementation llms.txt is a small Markdown index of your site for AI agents. It costs little. The evidence says search engines do not use it today. How WavX handles it, and when to skip it.

Google AI Overviews and AI Mode Google says AI Overviews and AI Mode need no special optimisation beyond being indexed and snippet-eligible. What that leaves to do, what to stop doing, and what is measurable.

AI citation and referral tracking Five ways to measure AI visibility today: Search Console, Bing Webmaster Tools, analytics referrals, server logs and repeated prompt runs. What each shows and what it cannot.

When you are not being found

Traffic dropped after a redesign Search traffic fell after a new design, platform or domain. The checks to run in Google Search Console, in order, and what Google's own site-move guidance says to fix.

Guides

How AI answer engines choose what to cite: the evidence, graded AI answer engines search first and write second, so a page has to be reachable by the engine's search crawler before anything else matters. This review grades each common claim about AI citations by the strength of the published evidence behind it.

How to Improve Your Website SEO Yourself in 2026 Want more Google traffic without hiring an expensive agency? This friendly guide shows you how to improve your website SEO yourself, step by step, in plain language — real actions you can start today.

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO): Complete 2026 Guide A complete 2026 guide to Generative Engine Optimization (GEO): what it is, why it matters, and how to rank in ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews.

What Is Technical SEO? A 2026 Guide for Business Websites A clear, actionable guide to technical SEO for Indian businesses, covering speed, crawlability, schema, and when to hire experts.

How to Do Keyword Research in 2026: Founder's Guide Discover how to do keyword research in 2026 to capture search traffic on Google and AI platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity for your business.

How to Rank Higher on Google in 2026: SEO Basics for Businesses A step‑by‑step guide to improving Google rankings in 2026, covering technical foundations, content strategy, local SEO and when to invest in custom development.

Local SEO for Small Business: A 2026 India Guide A complete 2026 guide to mastering local SEO for small businesses in India. Learn how to optimize your Google Business Profile, build citations, and dominate local search results.

How to Get Cited by ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity: The Complete GEO Guide Discover the step-by-step technical framework to align your brand with AI search models. Learn how to get cited by ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity using advanced GEO strategies.

SEO vs GEO: How Search Is Changing & What to Do in 2026 A deep dive into SEO vs GEO: learn how generative engine optimization is reshaping traditional search engines and how to adapt your digital strategy for 2026.

SEO vs Paid Ads: Where to Spend First for ROI in India? Should your small business invest in SEO or paid ads first? Compare costs, CAC, conversion speeds, and ROI timelines specifically tailored for Indian startups and businesses.

Local SEO for Small Business India: Rank on Google Maps Learn how local SEO for small business India helps brands dominate Google Maps, attract high-intent local customers, and capture top 'near me' search rankings.

How to Get More Customers Online: Web, SEO & Ads Strategy Learn how to get more customers online by combining custom web design, AI-ready SEO, targeted ad campaigns, and automated CRM retention systems.

Generative Engine Optimization: Get Cited by ChatGPT & Gemini Learn how Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) helps your business get cited by ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity, and discover how to adapt your digital strategy for AI-first search.

Frequently asked questions

Is GEO different from SEO?

Partly. The foundations are the same: pages that can be crawled, that answer the question plainly, and that other sites refer to. What differs is where the answer appears and how it is measured, since an AI answer may name you without sending a visit.

Can you get my business recommended by ChatGPT?

No one can promise that. AI answers vary from one run to the next and draw heavily on what other sites say about you. What can be done is to make your own pages clear and citable and to build the third-party presence those answers draw from.

Do I need an llms.txt file?

It costs little to add, and the published evidence says AI engines do not currently use it. Treat it as housekeeping, not as a result.

Related

Generative engine optimisation services

llms.txt generator

SEO vs GEO

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