SEO and AEO: Does Your Business Need Both?

By Sasha Mason, Founder & Marketing Strategist at Local Lab Digital

The way people search for businesses is changing.

People still open Google and search for a service nearby. But they are also asking ChatGPT, Google’s AI features, Perplexity and Microsoft Copilot questions such as:

Who is the best family-friendly tour operator in Port Douglas?
Which accountant in Cairns works with tourism businesses?
Where should I stay near the Great Barrier Reef?
Who is a reliable builder in my area?

Instead of scrolling through a page of search results, they may receive one generated answer containing a small number of recommended businesses and supporting links.

This has led to growing interest in answer engine optimisation, usually shortened to AEO.

So, does AEO replace SEO?

No. SEO and AEO serve slightly different purposes, but they rely on many of the same foundations. Businesses that want to remain visible online should understand both.

What is SEO?

SEO stands for search engine optimisation.

It is the work involved in helping a website appear in traditional search results when someone searches for a relevant product, service or piece of information.

For a local business, this may include:

making sure the website can be crawled and indexed
improving website speed and mobile usability
creating useful pages for individual services
using clear page titles and headings
strengthening local search signals
improving the Google Business Profile
earning genuine reviews and relevant links
publishing content based on real customer questions

The aim is to help search engines understand the business and recognise when its website is relevant to a search.

When SEO works, the business may appear higher in search results, receive more website visitors and generate more calls, enquiries or bookings.

What is AEO?

AEO stands for answer engine optimisation.

It focuses on helping a business or its content appear within AI-generated answers.

This might mean:

a website being linked as a source in Google’s AI results
an article being cited by ChatGPT or Perplexity
a business being included in an AI-generated recommendation
information from a website being used to answer a customer’s question

With traditional search, the goal is often to earn a visible position that encourages someone to click.

With AI search, the business may be mentioned or cited directly within the answer.

That distinction matters because customers can now receive useful information without visiting ten different websites first. The businesses included in the generated response may have an advantage before the customer has clicked anything.

Where does GEO fit?

You may also have seen the term GEO, which stands for generative engine optimisation.

AEO, GEO and AI search optimisation are often used to describe overlapping areas of work. There are differences in how some marketers define them, but most business owners do not need three separate strategies.

What matters is whether search engines and AI platforms can:

Find your business.
Understand what it does.
verify important information.
Trust the available evidence.
Use or cite that information when answering a relevant question.

Be cautious if someone packages SEO, AEO and GEO as three completely separate services filled with mysterious technical requirements. Much of the work should connect.

How are SEO and AEO different?

	SEO	AEO
Primary goal	Appear prominently in search results	Be included or cited in an AI-generated answer
Common platforms	Google and Bing search results	Google AI Overviews and AI Mode, ChatGPT, Perplexity and Copilot
Typical result	A ranking and website click	A citation, link, description or recommendation
Core measurements	Rankings, impressions, clicks and enquiries	AI citations, mentions, referral traffic and enquiries
Content focus	Match the search and satisfy the visitor	Provide accurate, clear and usable information that can support an answer
Foundation	Accessible, relevant and trustworthy website	The same foundation, with additional attention to clarity, consistency and source accessibility

The destination may be different, but there is considerable overlap in how you get there.

Does good SEO help with AI visibility?

Yes, particularly within Google.

Google says that its existing SEO guidance still applies to AI Overviews and AI Mode. A page generally needs to be indexed and eligible to appear in Google Search before it can be used as a supporting link in these AI features. Google also says there are no additional technical requirements for appearing in them.

That means the fundamentals still matter:

technically healthy pages
clear website structure
useful and original content
descriptive headings
accurate business information
reputable external signals
pages that directly address relevant searches

Google’s AI features can perform several related searches behind the scenes when building a response. Google calls this “query fan-out”. This allows the system to investigate different parts of a question and find supporting pages across related topics.

For a business, this reinforces the importance of having detailed pages that explain its services, locations, expertise and answers to common customer questions.

Read Google’s guidance on AI features and websites

What about ChatGPT, Perplexity and Copilot?

Google is only one part of the AI search landscape.

ChatGPT uses a crawler called OAI-SearchBot to discover content for ChatGPT search. OpenAI advises website owners not to block this crawler if they want their content to be included in ChatGPT summaries and citations.

Perplexity has its own search crawler, PerplexityBot. Microsoft also provides AI visibility reporting for sites appearing across Copilot and other Microsoft surfaces.

This creates a new technical consideration for businesses. A website may be available to Google while accidentally blocking another platform through its robots.txt file, firewall or security settings.

Allowing a crawler does not guarantee that a business will be mentioned. It simply ensures the platform has the opportunity to access the relevant content.

Read OpenAI’s publisher guidance and Perplexity’s crawler documentation.

What helps a business appear in AI-generated answers?

There is no single setting that switches on AI visibility. It is usually the result of several signals working together.

Make the business easy to understand

Use the same business name, location, services and contact information across the website, Google Business Profile and important business directories.

If different sources describe the business in conflicting ways, platforms have less certainty about which information is accurate.

Create proper pages for important services

A short services list on the homepage is rarely enough.

Each important service should have a useful page explaining:

what the service includes
who it is for
where it is available
what makes the approach different
what customers commonly ask
what the next step is

This gives search and AI platforms more context to work with.

Answer real customer questions

Good content does not need to sound as though it was written for a robot.

It should answer the questions customers genuinely ask before they buy, enquire or book. Clear answers, descriptive headings and useful examples make information easier for people and technology to interpret.

Add first-hand knowledge

AI can generate a generic explanation of almost any topic. Your advantage is the information it cannot invent responsibly.

That may include:

observations from working with customers
local knowledge
original examples
case studies
detailed processes
professional opinions
common mistakes you see
lessons drawn from practical experience

This type of content demonstrates genuine expertise and gives other platforms a reason to reference your website.

Strengthen your wider online presence

AI platforms may use more than a business’s own website when forming an answer.

Reviews, reputable directories, media coverage, industry associations, partner websites and other credible mentions can all help confirm that a business exists and is known for a particular service.

For local businesses, a complete Google Business Profile and a consistent review process remain especially important.

AEO shortcuts to be careful with

AI search has created a rush of new services, tools and promises. Some are useful. Others repackage questionable SEO tactics under a new name.

Google specifically advises businesses to focus on established SEO practices instead of supposed AEO or GEO hacks such as unnecessary AI text files, artificially “chunking” content or chasing inauthentic mentions.

A few claims to treat cautiously include:

“Every business needs an llms.txt file”

An llms.txt file has been proposed as a way to provide AI systems with a simplified version of a website. It may have uses in particular circumstances, but Google says creating unnecessary AI text files does not improve visibility in its AI search features.

“You need to rewrite your entire website for AI”

You should not need two versions of your website, one for humans and one for machines.

The priority remains clear, accurate and useful information for customers. Existing pages may need to be improved, expanded or reorganised, but that is different from rebuilding everything around an uncertain formula.

“Special AI schema guarantees citations”

Structured data can help search engines interpret particular information and can support eligible search features. It is valuable when it accurately reflects the visible page content.

However, there is no special schema markup that guarantees inclusion in Google’s AI answers.

“We can guarantee ChatGPT will recommend you”

No agency controls which businesses an AI platform recommends. Visibility can be improved, but guaranteed placement claims should be treated very carefully.

Read Google’s current generative AI optimisation guidance.

Does every business need to invest in AEO now?

AI visibility is becoming more important, but it may not be the first priority for every business.

If your website does not clearly explain what you do, begin there.

If people are visiting but not enquiring or booking, review the customer journey and conversion points.

If your Google Business Profile is incomplete, inaccurate or has very few recent reviews, strengthen your local foundations.

If important service pages are missing, create them before chasing advanced AI tactics.

These improvements support SEO, customer conversion and AI visibility at the same time.

AEO is most useful when it builds on a business that already has a clear offer, reliable information and a website capable of turning attention into enquiries.

How can you measure AI visibility?

AI visibility measurement is still developing.

Depending on the platform and website, businesses can look at:

citations and links in AI-generated answers
referral traffic from ChatGPT and other AI platforms
impressions in Google’s Generative AI performance report
visibility data in Bing Webmaster Tools
changes in branded searches
enquiries that mention ChatGPT or another AI tool
repeated testing of important customer questions

Google’s Generative AI performance report is currently being rolled out, so it may not yet appear in every Search Console account.

It is also worth remembering that AI answers can change. Results may vary based on wording, location, freshness and the sources available at the time.

Where should a local business begin?

Start with the foundations.

Check whether:

your website can be crawled and indexed
AI search crawlers can access your public content
your services and locations are clearly explained
your business details are consistent online
your Google Business Profile is complete
you have genuine and recent customer reviews
your content demonstrates real experience
important pages answer the questions customers ask

You do not need to abandon SEO and begin again.

You need to make sure your existing online presence is clear, credible and accessible wherever people now search.

Local Lab Digital helps local and regional businesses improve their visibility across Google and AI-powered search. We look at the website, local search presence, content and technical foundations together, then identify what genuinely needs attention.

If you would like to know how visible your business is in AI search, get in touch with Local Lab Digital.

Sasha Mason is the founder and marketing strategist behind Local Lab Digital. With more than 20 years’ experience in marketing, she helps booking-based businesses across Australia improve how they’re found across Google, Maps and AI-powered search, and turn that visibility into more enquiries and bookings.