How SEO, AEO, and GEO Work Together to Get You Seen in 2025

mcbrandsph
Aug 15
2 min read

If you’ve ever typed a question into Google, read a blog post, or searched for “best coffee shop near me,” congratulations — you’ve already met SEO, also known as search engine optimization.

But what is SEO?

At its core, it’s the behind-the-scenes digital strategy that decides which websites show up first in search engine results. It has been one of the most effective digital marketing strategies out there for more than a decade.

But here’s the twist:

The way people search is changing. We’re not just typing in keywords anymore — we’re talking to Siri, Alexa, Gemini, and even ChatGPT. This shift has given rise to two new acronyms in the search game: AEO and GEO.

Let’s break down this SEO–AEO–GEO trio and see who does what in today’s digital world.

SEO: The OG of Online Visibility

Search Engine Optimization is all about making your website rank higher on Google, Bing, or any search engine your audience uses. The goal? Get noticed, get clicked, and (hopefully) get customers.

SEO works by:

Searching and ranking the right keywords people are actually searching for

Optimizing your website content and structure Building backlinks from credible sources

Fine-tuning technical factors like page speed, mobile-friendliness, and meta tags

Think of it as the foundation of your digital visibility. Without SEO, you’re building a store in the middle of the desert — beautiful, but unseen.

Example:

A dental clinic in Manila uses SEO so that when someone searches “affordable braces in Manila,” they appear on page one.

AEO: The Quick-Answer Specialist

Enter Answer Engine Optimization.

If SEO aims for clicks, AEO aims for instant answers. It’s built for the voice-search and Q&A era — the time when people ask, “Hey Google, what’s the capital of Iceland?” and get the answer without clicking a single link.

AEO works by:

Structuring content so machines can understand it (schema markup, FAQs)

Giving short, clear, direct answers

Anticipating the exact questions your audience might ask

Example:

You search “height of Mount Everest” and Google shows the answer right on the results page — that’s AEO in action.

GEO: The AI-Ready Game-Changer

Now comes Generative Engine Optimization — the newest player. This isn’t about search engines crawling your site. It’s about making sure AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, or Grok can understand your content, reference it, and even feature it in AI-generated summaries.

GEO focuses on:

Writing content that’s comprehensive, trustworthy, and conversational

Covering topics deeply enough that AI considers you an authority

Using structured headings, context-rich writing, and brand mentions so AI knows who you are

Example:

Someone types into Google’s SGE: “Compare solar companies in Manila.” GEO helps ensure your company’s name appears in that AI-generated list.

The Bottom Line

SEO is your foundation. AEO is your quick-win strategy. GEO is your future-proofing move.

If you want to win in the search game of 2025 and beyond, you’ll need all three. They all make sure your brand is not only found but chosen.