Guide for agencies
What AEO and GEO mean for local agencies
AEO and GEO are the work of getting a business named when someone asks an AI assistant for a recommendation. For a local business, they are the AI side of local SEO. Here is what that means in practice, using our study of 6,682 local businesses in 25 US markets.
The terms, in plain English
- AEO, answer engine optimization: being the answer when someone asks a question instead of scanning a list of links.
- GEO, generative engine optimization: being included in answers written by AI. It describes nearly the same work as AEO.
- AI SEO, AIO, LLM SEO: other names for the same idea. The industry hasn't settled on one.
- AI visibility: the plain-English result, and usually the best phrase to use with a client: does AI name this business or not?
How it differs from local SEO
| Local SEO | AEO and GEO | |
|---|---|---|
| What the customer sees | A list and a map to compare | A short answer naming a few businesses |
| Second chances | Further down the page, or page two | None: named or not named |
| Where results come from | Mainly Google's own ranking | Several assistants that rarely agree |
| What gets read | The business's site and Google profile, and more | Mostly other sites that mention the business |
What AI assistants actually read
Only 20.5% of the pages they cited were the businesses' own websites.
- Lists, articles and other sites: 52.7% of citations
- Directories and review sites: 26.7% of citations
- Businesses' own websites: 20.5% of citations
The most-cited sites included Yelp, Trustanalytica, BestInHood, Reddit and the Better Business Bureau. That is why this work reaches well beyond the client's own website.
With Seeably: see which sites AI relies on in a client's market, and which competitors appear on them.
What separates the businesses that get named
Share of businesses named by at least one assistant, by number of Google reviews.
- Reviews help, but they aren't enough. Even with 1,000+ reviews, 47% were never named.
- A perfect rating doesn't settle it. Businesses rated 4.8 to 5.0 were named 18.4% of the time, against 20.4% for those rated 4.5 to 4.7.
- A website matters. 17.5% of businesses with one were named, against 4.4% without.
These are patterns in one study, not proof of cause, so treat them as a guide to where to look first.
How to explain it to a client
"When people ask ChatGPT or Google's AI for a business like yours, they get a few names instead of a list. Those answers come mostly from other websites that talk about you. We check whether you're named, see who is named instead, and work on the places AI reads."
Then show them their own result. It makes the idea clear in a way that a definition can't. The free AI visibility checklist gives you the areas to cover.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between AEO and GEO?
In practice, very little. AEO (answer engine optimization) and GEO (generative engine optimization) both describe getting a business named in AI answers. You will also see AI SEO, AIO and LLM SEO used for the same work.
Does AEO replace local SEO?
No. It builds on it. A complete Google profile, reviews and a good website still matter, and businesses with a website were named about four times as often as those without one. AEO adds the other places AI reads.
Can an agency guarantee that AI will name a client?
No. AI answers vary from day to day and differ between assistants, so promise the work and honest reporting rather than a specific result.
Which AI assistants should an agency check?
More than one. In our study, 70.7% of the businesses recommended were named by only one of ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Perplexity, so a single check says little about the others.
For your niche
Read next: How to sell AI visibility to local clients
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