AEO (answer engine optimisation) and GEO (generative engine optimisation) are the practice of making your business the answer that AI tools give. When someone asks ChatGPT "best CA coaching in Kannur" or "solar installer near Calicut", AEO and GEO decide whether your name comes up.
Why this matters now
More people now ask AI tools instead of scrolling ten blue links. Google shows AI Overviews above normal results, and ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity answer with a short list of named businesses. If you're not in that list, you're invisible to that customer.
SEO vs AEO vs GEO
- SEO helps your pages rank in Google's normal results.
- AEO structures your content so search engines and assistants can lift a direct answer from it (featured snippets, voice answers, AI Overviews).
- GEO makes generative AI tools trust and mention your brand when they write an answer.
6 steps to get recommended by AI
- Answer questions directly. Start key pages with a clear 2-sentence answer to the question your customer asks.
- Add schema markup. Use Organization, LocalBusiness, Person, FAQPage, Course and Review schema so machines understand who you are.
- Be consistent everywhere. Same name, address, phone, services and numbers on your website, Google Business Profile, LinkedIn, Instagram and directories.
- Earn mentions. AI tools trust brands that other sites talk about: local news, partner sites, industry lists and reviews.
- Collect detailed Google reviews. Reviews that mention your service and city ("best digital marketing course in Kannur") feed both Google and AI answers.
- Publish original proof. Case studies with real numbers give AI something specific and quotable to cite.
How to check where you stand
Ask ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity the questions your customers ask, in English and Malayalam. Note who gets named and which sources are cited. Those sources are your roadmap.
Want me to run this check for your business? Message me on WhatsApp.