AEO and GEO in plain language

AEO usually means answer engine optimisation: making information useful and understandable when a search experience answers a question directly. GEO usually means generative engine optimisation: improving how a business's information can be discovered and represented in AI-generated responses.

These are industry labels, not universal technical standards. Agencies may use them differently. For an SME, the useful question is simpler: can customers and search systems find accurate information about your business, understand it, and verify the claims?

The objective is not to persuade a chatbot to repeat a slogan. It is to publish dependable information that helps a prospective customer make a decision, while keeping the website accessible to relevant search systems.

AI visibility is not a guaranteed placement

ChatGPT can search the web and provide responses with links to sources. That does not mean every response uses live web search or that every relevant business will be mentioned. Its search behaviour and the sources presented can vary with the request and context. 1

Google AI Overviews are part of Google Search, not a separate directory you can submit your company to for guaranteed inclusion. Google's guidance says established SEO practices remain relevant and that no additional requirements or special optimisations are necessary for its AI features. 2

Treat promises of guaranteed ChatGPT recommendations, fixed AI rankings or automatic citations with caution. Even when your page is technically eligible and useful, a system may select other sources or provide no relevant citation for a particular query.

Start with access and indexability

Check Google Search foundations

Google explains that a supporting page must be indexed and eligible to appear in Search with a snippet to be eligible as a supporting link in AI Overviews or AI Mode. Eligibility still does not guarantee appearance. 2

Check that important pages load publicly, are not accidentally marked noindex, and are reachable through normal internal links. Review robots rules and any security layer that could block legitimate crawlers. Use Search Console to investigate indexing issues rather than assuming that a published URL has been indexed.

Understand OpenAI's crawler controls

OpenAI's publisher guidance identifies OAI-SearchBot as relevant to inclusion in ChatGPT search summaries and snippets. It distinguishes this from GPTBot, which relates to potential model training. Review these controls separately instead of treating all AI crawlers as interchangeable. 3

Ask your developer to review robots.txt and firewall behaviour against current official documentation. Allowing access supports discovery; it does not purchase or guarantee recommendations. Equally, robots changes should reflect your publishing and data policies, not just marketing goals.

Make your business unambiguous

A website should answer basic identity and suitability questions without requiring inference:

  • What is the business called, and who operates it?
  • What products or services does it actually provide?
  • Which locations or delivery areas does it serve?
  • Who is the offer suitable for, and who is it not for?
  • What credentials or experience support relevant claims?
  • How can someone verify details or contact the business?

Keep this information consistent across your website and legitimate profiles. Resolve conflicting opening hours, outdated service descriptions and old pricing statements where you control them.

Clarity is useful for people and information retrieval. It is not evidence of a secret “entity score” or a fixed AI ranking factor.

Publish answers worth using

Build around real buying questions

Start with questions from sales calls, support messages and customer research. Useful topics might include installation requirements, maintenance responsibilities, comparison criteria, service exclusions and the factors that affect cost.

For example, a commercial cleaning company could explain the difference between routine office cleaning and specialist sanitation, including scope, scheduling and circumstances requiring a site assessment. That is more useful than a generic page repeating “best cleaning company”.

Add evidence and boundaries

Use original examples, transparent methods and named contributors where relevant. If you publish a case study, describe the starting situation, work performed, measurement period and limitations. Obtain permission before sharing customer details.

Separate facts from estimates. State the geography or jurisdiction when advice depends on local requirements. Include review dates when information changes, and update the substance rather than merely refreshing the date.

Structure for comprehension

Use descriptive headings, short paragraphs, meaningful tables where helpful, and direct explanations. An answer-first introduction can help a reader decide whether the page addresses their problem.

There is no established universal paragraph length that guarantees citation. Do not fragment every page into repetitive question blocks or produce hundreds of near-identical pages to chase prompt variations.

Use structured data without magical claims

Structured data can describe supported information in a machine-readable format. It should accurately reflect visible content and follow the requirements of the feature you are implementing.

Google explicitly says no special schema.org structured data is needed for its AI features. Adding FAQ, organisation or local business markup does not guarantee inclusion in an AI answer. 2

Prioritise accurate content, crawl access and usability before purchasing an “AI schema” package. Schema should clarify reality, not invent reviews, credentials, offices or service coverage.

Measure discovery and business value

Track referrals from AI services where identifiable, the landing pages visited, and subsequent enquiries or sales. OpenAI says ChatGPT search referral URLs include a source parameter that can support analytics. 3

Combine this with Search Console trends, branded search behaviour and customer feedback. Record a small set of commercially relevant prompts for occasional observation, noting date and context. Such checks are directional observations, not a stable ranking report or proof of market-wide visibility.

A practical first month is straightforward: audit access, correct business information, improve a few important service pages, and publish one genuinely useful answer resource. Then assess the quality of the resulting visits and enquiries. Sustainable AI discoverability is best approached as a publishing and SEO discipline, not a guaranteed placement scheme.