AEO and GEO for AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity

AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) is the work of becoming a cited source when answer engines give a direct answer, and GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) is the work of being included when generative AI composes an answer. The key point is that this isn't a new secret formula, but rather first securing eligibility for search visibility, then refining SEO more precisely.

• The prerequisite for AI feature visibility is still indexing, allowing crawling, allowing snippets, and JS renderability.
• Search crawlers like Googlebot, Bingbot, OAI-SearchBot, Claude-SearchBot, and PerplexityBot must be distinguished from training bots.
• Pages that get cited need to contain information that's hard for a model to produce from training data alone, such as specific figures, firsthand experience, and unique details.
• Semantic HTML, clear heading structure, presenting the topic up front, Core Web Vitals, and accessible forms and controls benefit both crawlers and agents alike.
• llms.txt is not a ranking signal, and structured data along with image, video, and local business data have significant value when there are documented search/rich results.
• Measurement should rely on Search Console, Bing Webmaster Tools, and actual citation testing, and one should not conclude AI summary visibility from click changes alone.