SEO, AEO and GEO are not three isolated disciplines. They are different perspectives on the same goal: making relevant content discoverable, understandable and visible.
SEO – the search foundation
Search Engine Optimisation focuses on crawling, indexation, rankings, snippets, search intent and organic visibility. Those foundations also remain relevant to many AI-search systems.
AEO – answers and sources
Answer Engine Optimisation additionally asks how content should be structured so systems can answer specific questions reliably and recognise the underlying source.
GEO – generative systems and entities
Generative Engine Optimisation places greater emphasis on generative answer systems, brand and entity signals, authority, source credibility and representation in generated answers.
What should businesses do in practice?
Instead of launching three separate projects, use one roadmap that connects technical foundations, content, internal linking, entities, sources and monitoring.