AEO vs GEO vs AI SEO

Key Concepts

AEO (Answer Engine Optimization): Optimizing content for visibility and citations in AI-generated responses. This is the term Profound uses.

GEO (Generative Engine Optimization): The same practice as AEO. Popularized by Andreessen Horowitz in their 2025 thesis, which framed generative engine optimization as “Act II of search.”

AI SEO: Search engine optimization applied to AI search. Same job as AEO, with the name carried over from traditional SEO.

Quick Reference

• The shared goal: Influence what an AI says when someone asks a question in your category. That means your brand gets named, or your content shapes the answer.
• Which term to use: Pick AEO and stick with it. Stacking multiple acronyms in one sentence makes you sound unsure and confuses your audience.
• What stays constant across all three terms: People ask questions, and AI search engines, voice assistants, and bots answer them. Visibility goes to the most relevant, credible, authoritative answers.
• The key difference from traditional search: There is no page two. You are either in the answer or you are not.
• When you hit an unfamiliar term: Use the Profound AI search glossary (300+ terms, each with a definition and example sentence). It is updated as the field evolves, so bookmark it rather than memorizing terminology.