AEO vs. SEO for Local Businesses: What's the Difference?
SEO (search engine optimization) aims to rank your web pages in a list of links. AEO (answer engine optimization) aims to get your business named inside the answer an AI assistant gives. They share the same foundation: a site search engines can read, accurate listings and good reviews. AEO puts extra weight on being mentioned across trusted sites, stating facts plainly, and measuring results by asking the AI rather than checking a ranking.
Same foundation, different finish line
With classic search, a customer types "plumber Peabody," sees ten links and a map, and chooses. With an AI assistant, they ask "Who should I call about a burst pipe in Peabody?" and read one answer. The business that's named in that answer gets the call. The ones that aren't never get considered.
The good news: the work overlaps heavily. Google says there are no special requirements or extra optimizations needed to appear in its AI Overviews or AI Mode beyond being indexed and following normal search best practices. Good local SEO is the base layer of AEO.
Side by side
| SEO | AEO | |
|---|---|---|
| Goal | Rank a page high in a list of links | Get your business named in the AI's answer |
| Where customers see you | Google results and the map pack | ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews and AI Mode, Gemini, Perplexity, Copilot |
| What counts most | Relevant pages, links to your site, your Google Business Profile | The same, plus consistent facts across many sites and mentions on sources AI trusts |
| How you measure it | Your position for a keyword | How often you're named when the questions are asked, and by which assistants |
| How stable results are | Rankings move slowly | Answers can change from one ask to the next, so you track rates over time |
What AEO adds on top of SEO
Mentions matter, not just links
AI assistants build answers from what many sources say about you: directories, review sites, local news, "best of" lists, forums. A link to your website from those sites helps SEO; for AEO, being described accurately on them matters even when there's no link at all.
Facts in plain text
An AI answering "who's open Saturday" or "who does emergency calls" needs to find that fact written down somewhere it can read. Text in images, buried PDFs or vague marketing copy ("we're here for you!") doesn't help it.
Consistency everywhere
If your phone number or business name differs between Google, Yelp and your website, a search engine can usually sort it out. An AI assembling an answer from several sources is less likely to be confident they're the same business.
A different way to measure
There's no "rank" in an AI answer you can check once. You ask the questions your customers ask, several times, on several assistants, and track how often you're named. See how to check what AI says about your business.
Do you need both?
Yes, and you don't have to pay for them separately to get started. For a small local business, the order we recommend is:
- Make sure search engines can find and index your site (Google Search Console, Bing Webmaster Tools).
- Claim and complete your Google Business Profile, Bing Places and Apple Business Connect, with identical details.
- Put your services, towns and key facts on your site in plain words.
- Build reviews that describe your work, and reply to them.
- Get listed and mentioned on the sites AI cites in your trade and area.
- Check what AI says each month, and adjust.
Steps 1 through 4 are classic local SEO. Steps 5 and 6 are where AEO goes further.
Common questions
Is SEO dead because of AI?
No. Google's AI features are built on its search index, and AI assistants search the web to answer local questions. Good SEO is the foundation that AEO builds on.
Is AEO the same as GEO?
Mostly, yes. GEO stands for generative engine optimization. Both describe making your business easy for AI assistants to find, trust and recommend; people use the terms interchangeably.
If my SEO is good, will AI recommend me automatically?
It helps a lot, but it isn't automatic. AI answers often hinge on specific facts, like emergency service or the towns you cover, and on what other sites say about you.
Want to know what AI says about your business?
We ask ChatGPT, Google's AI and Perplexity the questions your customers ask, and show you who they recommend and why. Free.