What is the difference between SEO, GEO and AEO?
SEO is optimisation for ranked results: relevance, authority and technical health determine position in a list of links.
GEO is optimisation for generative systems that synthesise answers from multiple sources. These systems reward clear entity definition, consistent terminology, factual density and verifiable context.
AEO is optimisation for direct answer extraction: a concise, self-contained answer positioned immediately under a question-shaped heading.
Why answer-first writing wins
Both generative and answer engines need to lift a coherent statement without the surrounding paragraph. If your answer only makes sense after three paragraphs of preamble, it cannot be extracted.
Practically: state the answer in the first two sentences under the heading, then expand.
Entity clarity is the new keyword density
Generative systems build a model of who you are, what you do and what you are related to. That model is assembled from consistent naming, structured data, and repeated unambiguous descriptions across your site.
If your service is called four different things across your website, you are actively weakening your own entity signal.
The practical checklist
Unique title and description per page. One H1. Question-shaped H2s. A direct answer paragraph under each. FAQ blocks with schema. Organisation, Service, Article and Breadcrumb structured data. Internal links using descriptive anchors. Fast, accessible, crawlable pages.