AEO AND GEO – The new kids on the block in 2025
AI has rapidly changed the way users search and what content is retrieved from the internet.
Organic website traffic continues to decline as these new ways of searching for information evolves. Zero-click searches are expected to surpass 70% in 2026. How will this affect the Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) businesses have painstakingly invested into their websites?
Effective SEO is still fundamental in driving traffic to websites, but additionally, we need to consider the emerging AI generated platforms and include Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) and Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) into website content.
Read on for more information on how Stream Design can help you achieve this.
SEO Refresher
The main goal of SEO is to get your website ranking higher in Google or Bing search results. When a search is conducted, it results in a list of website links that the user can then choose to visit.
Some methods to achieve this are:
- using keywords and key phrases in your website content;
- adding back-links;
- improving website structures to make it easier for the search engines to find the relevant content; and
- targeting content to your local market.
SEO Case Study
Our valued client, Experience Tasmania, luxury coach touring company with a long reputation as a reliable tourism business, wanted to increase their leads and bookings through their website. An overhaul of their website was done, recommendations given and content and structure updates implemented to optimise their website for search engines. The result was a 300% increase of organic search visitors within 7 weeks extending to 360% increase within a year.
AEO – Just moved into the ‘hood’
Users (us) are asking questions (and lots of them) to search for content – think Siri, Alexa and Google Snippets technology. These new AI generated search platforms scan the internet to find the most relevant and popular answers to the questions being asked.
If you want your website to benefit from this kind of user inquiry and end up in the search results, your website content should include concise and structured answers, credible citations and back-links. One simple way to add relevant AEO content to your website is to include a frequently asked questions (FAQ) section with brand mentions.
Appearing in AEO searches grows brand awareness and credibility which ultimately drives traffic to your website. If you happen to have your citation or link to google page or similar found within the search results – even better. This may be included if your content is deemed credible by the AI algorithm.
Friendly neighbours or competitive rivals?
Luckily for everyone, SEO and AEO are friendly neighbours. AEO will not replace SEO but aim to work together as complementary strategies.
AEO focuses on optimising your presence in AI-powered platforms that target conversational and voice-based searches. Use structured formats like FAQs, featured snippets, and schema markup to improve your AEO ranking.
SEO focuses on increasing your ranking through text-based queries on traditional search engines. Favoured content includes long-form, keyword-rich content.
Wait … but what about the new GEO family?
These new kids on the block won’t be able to give you a cup of sugar (yet) but do offer a lot.
This AI technology is used for generating content. This technology writes a full response – a detailed explanation and paragraphs of content on the query it responds to. There are many AI platforms appearing and the capabilities are changing daily. Read on for a summary of four popular platforms and what you might use them for.
For research – use Perplexity
Perplexity has a reputation of using credible, up-to-date information with sources you can cross-check, so it’s a good platform for research projects, good for students and anyone needing rigorous information.
Creative writing / Brainstorming / Coding – try OpenAi
OpenAi (ChatGPT) is a good platform to use for idea creation, drafting, debugging code and storytelling. It appears creatively good, but content needs cross-checking as it might lack credibility and can ‘hallucinate’ with incorrect information.
Conversational assistant – Gemini is a good ‘go to’
Google Gemini is a powerful multi-modal assistant, handling text, images and code seamlessly, with great memory and insight into Google services. It works in real time so good for up-to-date facts. It does store conversation history so that has privacy implications.
For a social media aware bot, with attitude – use Grok
Grok in the AI chatbot connected to X, so useful if you want a chatbot with some personality that uses real-time social contexts and memes. It has good vision able to interpret images and diagrams, and it remembers your historical conversations which gives further context to new questions.
These are just a few of many, which are all are evolving rapidly, watch this space and do your own investigation if you think you can benefit from using these platforms.
A comparison of SEO, AEO and GEO, for example “How are Tasmanian oysters farmed”?
If we asked the same question, here is an example of the different responses we might expect to receive by using SEO, AEO and GEO:
Here’s a list of website links e.g. farms, tourism sites.
Farmed in clean waters with baskets and longlines.
Oysters are grown in racks and baskets, the water is monitored…
We are offering you a free review of your website and its content
With this new information in hand, we hope you can see that sitting back and leaving things to fate, won’t be effective if you want your website to be relevant in searches using modern and evolving technology – and we are here to help.
Stream Art Design and our SEO specialist partner The Website Clinic are offering search engine and answer engine optimisation of your website to keep your content relevant in this changing environment.
Here’s how it works:
Step 1 – Get started with your FREE Ranking and SEO Performance Review.
Step 2 – Compilation of targeted AEO/SEO recommendations tailored to your site.
Step 3 – Ongoing Monthly Growth Plans to move with the times. Each plan is designed to build visibility across Google, AI answer engines, and generative search platforms.
To find out more and to book your FREE session (and to take advantage discounted prices) please visit: The Website Clinic.
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Sources:
https://www.thewebsiteclinic.com
https://www.semrush.com/blog/aeo-vs-seo
https://www.seo.com/ai/aeo-vs-seo
https://www.briskon.com/blog/zero-click-searches/#impact-of-zero-click-searches
https://chatgpt.com used to generate AI platform summary
