AEO & GEO Glossary

Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)

Also known as: AEO, Answer Engine SEO

Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) is the practice of optimizing content to appear in AI-generated responses from platforms like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Claude, Microsoft Copilot, Perplexity, DeepSeek, Grok, Qwen, and voice assistants. Unlike traditional SEO which focuses on ranking web pages in search results, AEO focuses on making your brand the trusted answer that AI assistants cite and recommend. AEO involves structuring content for easy extraction, implementing proper schema markup, building topical authority, and creating comprehensive, accurate content that directly answers user questions.

AI Citation

An AI citation occurs when an AI assistant references, mentions, or attributes information to a specific brand, website, or source in its response. AI citations are the primary goal of AEO, as they provide brand visibility, authority signals, and can drive qualified traffic. Different AI platforms handle citations differently—Perplexity provides linked citations, while ChatGPT may mention brands without links.

AI Overview

Also known as: Google AI Overview, SGE (Search Generative Experience)

AI Overview is Google's AI-generated summary that appears at the top of search results for many queries. Launched as part of Google's Search Generative Experience (SGE), AI Overviews synthesize information from multiple web sources to provide direct answers. As of 2025, AI Overviews appear in approximately 16% of all Google desktop searches in the United States, significantly impacting click-through rates for traditional organic results.

AI Share of Voice (ASoV)

AI Share of Voice (ASoV) is a metric measuring a brand's percentage of citations in AI-generated responses compared to competitors within a specific category or topic. For example, if AI assistants mention your brand in 30% of relevant responses and competitors are mentioned in the remaining 70%, your ASoV is 30%. ASoV is becoming a critical KPI for marketing teams as AI search grows.

AISO (AI Search Optimization)

AISO stands for AI Search Optimization, an umbrella term combining AI-focused search optimization strategies. According to industry research, AISO has seen 90% growth in usage and is increasingly appearing in job postings as companies seek professionals who can optimize for both traditional and AI search. AISO encompasses elements of SEO, AEO, and GEO.

Conversational Query

A conversational query is a search or question phrased in natural, human-like language rather than traditional keyword format. AI assistants are optimized for conversational queries like "What's the best way to reduce customer churn?" rather than "reduce customer churn methods." AEO strategies must account for how users naturally phrase questions to AI assistants.

Citation Rate

Citation rate measures how frequently a brand or domain is cited by AI systems when answering relevant queries. It's calculated as the number of citations divided by the total number of relevant queries. A higher citation rate indicates stronger AI visibility and authority in a particular topic area.

E-E-A-T

Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness

E-E-A-T is Google's framework for evaluating content quality, which AI systems also use to determine citation worthiness. Experience refers to first-hand experience with a topic; Expertise means specialized knowledge; Authoritativeness indicates being a recognized authority; Trustworthiness covers accuracy and reliability. Strong E-E-A-T signals increase likelihood of AI citations.

Entity Optimization

Entity optimization is the practice of ensuring AI systems correctly understand and associate your brand, products, or organization as a distinct entity with specific attributes. This involves consistent naming, proper schema markup, knowledge graph optimization, and building clear entity relationships. Proper entity optimization helps AI systems accurately identify and cite your brand.

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)

Also known as: GEO, Generative AI Optimization

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is the practice of optimizing content so that large language models like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Claude cite it as a trusted source in their responses. While AEO is the strategy, GEO is the execution—it turns strategy into action by emphasizing semantic clarity, contextual depth, and AI-friendly language to make content discoverable and usable in AI answers.

GPTBot

GPTBot is OpenAI's web crawler that visits websites to gather training data and information for ChatGPT and other OpenAI products. Website owners can control GPTBot access via robots.txt. Allowing GPTBot access can increase chances of content being used in ChatGPT responses, making it an important consideration for AEO strategies.

Large Language Model (LLM)

A Large Language Model (LLM) is an AI system trained on vast amounts of text data to understand and generate human-like text. Examples include GPT-4 (OpenAI), Claude (Anthropic), Gemini (Google), and Llama (Meta). LLMs power AI assistants and are the target of AEO and GEO optimization efforts.

LLMO (Large Language Model Optimization)

LLMO stands for Large Language Model Optimization, focusing specifically on how content is processed, understood, and cited by large language models. LLMO strategies consider how LLMs tokenize content, evaluate authority, and select sources for citation. It's a more technical subset of the broader AEO/GEO discipline.

llms.txt

llms.txt is a proposed web standard (similar to robots.txt) that provides LLM-friendly content in a structured format. Placed at a website's root directory, llms.txt files offer curated URLs, descriptions, and guidance specifically for AI systems. The format uses Markdown and is designed to help AI tools quickly understand site structure and find authoritative content.

Semantic Search

Semantic search refers to search technology that understands the meaning and intent behind queries, not just keywords. AI assistants use semantic search to understand context, relationships, and user intent when generating responses. Content optimized for semantic search uses clear language, related concepts, and comprehensive topic coverage.

Schema Markup

Also known as: Structured Data, Schema.org

Schema markup is structured data code added to websites to help search engines and AI systems understand content. Schema types like Organization, FAQPage, Article, Product, and HowTo provide explicit signals about content meaning. Proper schema implementation is essential for AEO as it helps AI systems accurately interpret and cite content.

Structured Data

Structured data is information organized in a standardized format that machines can easily read and understand. In AEO context, structured data typically refers to schema.org markup that explicitly defines entities, relationships, and content types. AI systems rely heavily on structured data to understand and accurately cite web content.

Zero-Click Search

Zero-click search occurs when a user's query is answered directly in search results or AI responses without requiring a click-through to any website. AI Overviews, featured snippets, and AI assistant responses are all forms of zero-click search. While zero-click reduces direct traffic, being the cited source provides brand visibility and authority benefits. AEO strategies focus on winning these zero-click opportunities through citation.