SEO, AEO and GEO: does your business need all three?
Updated: Oct 5
2-minute read
After a day folded over a laptop like a badly stored deckchair, your shoulders are demanding a change of management.
A colleague recommends reformer pilates. You ask your phone:
“Where can I try beginner-friendly reformer pilates near my office after work?”
Two studios appear in an AI-generated answer. You check the times, book a taster and buy grip socks. Apparently, even your feet need specialist equipment.
Ten minutes away, another studio offers exactly what you wanted: small classes, patient instructors and a 6.30pm beginner session.
It didn’t appear.
That’s where three rather uninviting acronyms come in.
SEO: help people find your website
Search engine optimisation helps search engines find, understand and show your website in their results.
For our pilates studio, that means a useful page explaining its classes, location and timetable, on a website that works properly.
“Beginner reformer pilates in Exeter” tells people something. “Discover your strongest self” could be a gym, a therapist or a particularly ambitious yoghurt.
AEO: answer the actual question
Answer engine optimisation means making your content useful when search tools provide direct answers.
Think: “Can I do reformer pilates if I’ve never tried it?”
A helpful answer might be:
“Yes. Our beginner classes introduce the equipment, explain each movement and give you time to build confidence.”
Put that information where people can read it. Nobody should need to excavate your Instagram account to discover whether beginners are welcome.
GEO: help AI use your information
Generative engine optimisation focuses on how your business appears in answers created by AI tools.
Those answers may draw on your website and other online sources. Clear service details, accurate listings and credible supporting information help establish what you offer.
They don’t guarantee a recommendation. There is no secret button marked “Make ChatGPT love me”.
Three acronyms. Plenty of overlap.
You don’t need three separate marketing strategies. Google says its established SEO practices remain relevant to its AI search features, with no special optimisation required.
Start with information that helps a customer choose.
Be specific. State where you are, who classes suit, what they cost and when they run.
Answer booking questions. Explain what to wear, whether equipment is provided and what happens at a first class.
Keep details consistent. Your website, Google Business Profile and booking page should agree.
Check the whole journey. Try a customer’s question, then follow the result through to booking. One search is a spot-check, not a verdict.
Your next customer doesn’t care which acronym brought them to you. They want to know whether you’re right for them, and whether they can get there after work.
Make those answers easy to find. Their shoulders have suffered enough.
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