AEO glossary: the words, in plain English
Eight words you will hear if somebody pitches you AI search work. They are defined here so you can judge the pitch, not so you can do the job yourself. Each one links to the page that answers it at length.
What these words mean.
Answer engine optimization (AEO)
Work aimed at being named in the answer an assistant gives, rather than ranked in a list of links. What it costs →
Generative engine optimization (GEO)
The same work under a different name. Some people use GEO where the assistant writes an answer and AEO where it picks one. In practice they describe one job. What the work is →
AI Overview
Google's written answer above its own search results, shown with a few cited sources. Where answers come from →
Citation
A source an assistant names or links to support something it has said. What to ask a provider →
Entity
The single thing an assistant takes your business to be, assembled from your name, address, phone number and category. Check yours →
Schema markup
Machine-readable notes in a page's code stating what the page is and what it says. It changes nothing a visitor reads. It removes the guesswork for the software deciding whether to quote you. Validate yours →
AI crawler
The software an assistant uses to read the web, such as GPTBot or ClaudeBot. It is separate from Google's crawler, and a site can be open to one and closed to the others without anybody noticing. See which can reach you →
AI visibility
Whether assistants name your business when buyers ask questions in your category, and how often. Measure yours →
Want to know where you stand?
The free report asks five buying questions in your category and shows every company that came back, including whether yours did.
What your Workforce could recover
An estimate from the numbers you enter. Not a guarantee.
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