AI search optimisation: SEO, GEO and AEO

You may be looking for a GEO agency, AEO help or someone to improve your AI search visibility. At The Choice, we call the goal AI visibility: understanding whether your business appears in relevant answers, how it is described and what information needs attention.

These terms overlap. They are not three separate packages you must buy. SEO, GEO and AEO describe different parts of the same customer journey.

SEO: being found in search

Search engine optimisation covers the foundations that help search engines discover and understand useful pages. For a local business, that means accessible pages, clear services, accurate business information and relevant local detail. It also means measuring whether search visitors make useful enquiries, not just watching a ranking.

GEO: visibility in generated answers

Generative engine optimisation is commonly used for work aimed at being represented in AI-generated answers. The practical questions are: does the answer name your business, describe it accurately, recommend it for the right need, or cite a page you own? Those are different outcomes and should be recorded separately.

For a plumber, a useful test might ask who handles hot-water-cylinder replacements in their actual service area. That is more relevant than asking an AI to describe the business by name and calling the response a recommendation.

AEO: helping people get a useful answer

Answer engine optimisation usually focuses on making answers easy to find and understand. Explain the work, suitability, service area, pricing factors and booking process. Answer the question directly before adding detail. This helps a customer compare their options whether they reach you through an AI answer or a normal search result.

Do I need a special AI website?

Not necessarily. Google says its existing SEO practices remain relevant to AI Overviews and AI Mode; there is no extra technical requirement or special AI schema. Eligible pages still need to be indexed and available for search snippets. Inclusion is not guaranteed. Read Google's guidance on AI features.

Structured data describes visible facts in a machine-readable format. It is not a recommendation switch. Markup must match the page and does not guarantee a particular search appearance. Google's structured data introduction explains the distinction.

What would we actually do?

1. Check: test agreed buyer questions and record the responses, including absences.
2. Fix: correct confusing services, location details and technical access problems.
3. Build evidence: publish useful answers and genuine work examples with permission.
4. Watch: repeat comparable tests and keep a record of changes and limitations.

Start with the free Starter Snapshot or a paid Visibility Check. You get a defined scope before further work is agreed, not a promise to be first in every AI answer.

Ask an agency how it proves the work

Ask to see the tested questions, dates, screenshots, missing results and any baseline. Ask what they changed and what they cannot conclude. Our measurement method sets out those distinctions, and our proof library shows real observed examples.