Generative engine optimization (GEO) and AEO, explained
Generative engine optimization (GEO) is the work of making your business easy for AI tools to find, read and describe accurately. Answer engine optimization (AEO) is the same idea aimed at direct answers. Both build on SEO. We do that work, but nobody can guarantee a ranking or a mention.
This page explains GEO, AEO and AI search optimization in plain terms. It also says what the evidence supports and what no agency can promise.
What is generative engine optimization (GEO)?
Generative engine optimization, or GEO, means shaping your content and your public information so that AI tools can find it, understand it and describe your business correctly. These tools include ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and the AI summaries inside search engines.
The term comes from a research paper. Aggarwal et al., "GEO: Generative Engine Optimization" (KDD 2024) introduced the term. The authors tested ways to change how often a source appears in generative engine responses.
People also call this work AI SEO or AI search optimization. The names differ, but the goal is the same: when someone asks an AI tool about your field, the information it draws on about you should be accurate and easy to reach.
What is answer engine optimization (AEO)?
Answer engine optimization, or AEO, is about being a clear source for direct answers. An answer engine gives a person a short reply instead of a list of links. Voice assistants, featured snippets and AI summaries all work this way.
In practice AEO means writing pages that answer a question early and plainly. It also means keeping facts such as what you do, where you work and who you serve consistent across the web.
Many people use AEO and GEO as near synonyms. If you see them used interchangeably, that is normal. We treat them as one body of work.
GEO vs AEO vs SEO: what is actually different
SEO is the base. If search engines cannot reach and read your pages, neither GEO nor AEO has anything to build on. Google's own guidance says the same SEO fundamentals apply to its AI features, and that no special extra markup or file is required to appear in them.
- SEO: help search engines index your pages and match them to searches.
- AEO: write clear, direct answers to the questions customers ask.
- GEO: make accurate information available on the sources AI tools draw from.
- All three share the same foundation: a site that can be crawled and content that is useful.
What changes is the format of the result. Pew Research Center (22 Jul 2025) found that Google users who saw an AI summary clicked a traditional search result in 8% of visits, against 15% without one. They clicked a link inside the summary in 1% of visits. Ahrefs (4 Feb 2026) reported that the presence of an AI Overview correlated with a 58% lower average click-through rate for the top-ranking page, across 300,000 keywords on desktop, comparing Dec 2025 with Dec 2023.
So the work shifts. Being found still matters, and now being described correctly matters too.
Can you rank in ChatGPT?
Many people search for how to rank in ChatGPT. The honest answer is that ChatGPT answers are not a fixed ranked list. The same question can produce different answers on different days, for different people, with different wording.
Because of that, nobody can guarantee a position or a mention in ChatGPT. An agency that promises one is promising something it does not control.
What you can do is make accurate information about your business easier to reach and easier to read. That can help an answer name you. It does not make it certain. Our page on getting mentioned in ChatGPT or Perplexity goes into more detail.
What the evidence says works
The evidence is early. The main academic source is the KDD 2024 paper by Aggarwal et al. In lab tests, adding citations, quotations and statistics boosted a source's visibility in generative engine responses by up to 40%, and by up to 37% in a Perplexity.ai test. These are lab benchmarks, not promises about real-world results.
The same paper found that keyword stuffing, a classic SEO tactic, gave little to no improvement in their tests. That fits with plain advice: write for people, back claims with sources, and state facts clearly.
Beyond that, Google's guidance points back to fundamentals. Pages need to be indexed, useful and trustworthy. We build on that rather than chasing tricks. You can read more on our AI visibility page.
Where llms.txt fits
An llms.txt file is an optional, proposed file that some tools may read. It gives a short, structured guide to your site. We treat it as crawl readiness only.
It is not a ranking lever, a citation lever or a visibility lever. Google's guidance says no special file is required to appear in its AI features. Adding llms.txt will not make an AI tool mention you.
If you want one, it is quick to add and does no harm when it is accurate. We explain how in our llms.txt guide.
What Trendi does about GEO and AEO
Trendi is a done-for-you SEO and AI visibility service. We work in three parts, and we use these words with fixed meanings.
- Indexed: search engines can reach, read and store your pages.
- Found: pages are easier to find for the searches customers use.
- Mentioned: accurate information on the sources AI tools draw from, so an answer may name you.
We report mentions and links separately. A mention means an AI answer names the business in text. A link means the answer points to your site. They are different outcomes, and a report that blends them hides what is happening. You can see the format in our sample report, and the terms on our pricing page.
You can also run a quick check of your own site with our site check tool before you decide anything.
What we can't promise
- A position in ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini or any AI tool, because their answers are not a fixed ranked list.
- That any AI answer will mention your business or link to your site.
- A specific amount of traffic, since AI summaries change how people click.
- That adding llms.txt or any single file or markup will change your visibility.
- That lab results from research papers will repeat on your site.
FAQ
Is GEO different from SEO?
GEO builds on SEO rather than replacing it. SEO helps search engines index and match your pages. GEO adds a focus on how AI tools describe your business and which sources they draw from.
Can I rank in ChatGPT?
ChatGPT answers are not a fixed ranked list, so there is no position to hold. Nobody can guarantee a mention. You can make accurate information about your business easier to find and read, which may help an answer name you.
Does an llms txt file help with GEO?
It is an optional proposed file that some tools may read, so it helps with crawl readiness at most. It is not a ranking, citation or visibility lever. Google says no special file is required to appear in its AI features.
Are AEO and GEO the same thing?
They overlap heavily. AEO focuses on giving clear direct answers, and GEO focuses on how generative AI tools find and describe your business. In practice the work is largely the same.
How does Trendi report results?
We report mentions and links separately. A mention is when an AI answer names your business in text, and a link is when the answer points to your site. We report what we observe and do not promise outcomes.