What are AEO and GEO, and how do they differ from SEO?

SEO is being found in a list of links. AEO — answer engine optimisation — is being the answer a search engine shows above that list. GEO — generative engine optimisation — is being the source an AI assistant draws on when it answers without showing a list at all.

Why they converge

All three reward the same thing: a specific, well-structured, checkable answer from a credible source. What changes is who reads it. A page written to rank for a keyword often has the answer buried in the ninth paragraph; a page written to be the answer opens with it.