Short answer
They overlap heavily, and many people use them interchangeably. AEO (answer engine optimization) focuses on getting your content used as the direct answer, in featured snippets, voice assistants and AI answers. GEO (generative engine optimization) focuses on AI systems that generate answers, and on getting your brand mentioned and cited in them. In practice, the same work serves both.
| AEO | GEO | |
|---|---|---|
| Started with | Featured snippets, voice search | ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, AI Overviews |
| Main goal | Be the answer | Be named and cited in the answer |
| Key work | Question-led pages, concise answers, FAQ schema | AI crawler access, entity clarity, authority, AI visibility tracking |
| Measured by | Snippets and answer placements | Mentions, citations, share of voice in AI answers |