You keep seeing SEO and AEO in the same sentence. Sometimes people treat them as rivals. Sometimes as the same thing with a new acronym.
This post defines both, shows how they connect, and gives you a short action list you can run on a real site. No agency pitch. No "the channel is dying" drama.
What is SEO?
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the work you do so your pages show up in traditional search results (the list of blue links on Google, Bing, and similar engines) and people click through to your site.
How it works (simple version)
- Someone types a query into Google, e.g.
mobile app developer south africa. - Google picks pages it thinks are relevant, trustworthy, and useful.
- Your page appears somewhere in the results (position 1, 5, 20, or not at all).
- The user clicks a result and lands on your site.
Success looks like: rankings for target keywords, organic traffic in Analytics, leads or sales from that traffic.
What you actually do for SEO
| Area | Examples |
|---|---|
| On your site | Pages that match what people search for; clear titles and headings; fast, crawlable HTML; internal links between related pages |
| Off your site | Other sites linking to you (editorial mentions, guest posts, directories that matter in your niche) |
| Measurement | Google Search Console (impressions, clicks, average position); Analytics (sessions from organic) |
SEO is slow on a new domain. Google needs a reason to trust you: useful content, clean site, and signals from other sites. That is why launch SEO on a new site follows a sequence: keywords first, then content, then links.
What is AEO?
Answer engine optimization (AEO) is the work you do so AI systems name or recommend you when someone asks a question in natural language. Think ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Gemini, Perplexity, or the AI Overview box at the top of a Google results page.
The user may never click your site. They might read the answer in the chat or overview. You still want your brand, product, or page to appear in that answer.
How it works (simple version)
- Someone asks: "What's the best app stack for a campus wallet with NFC in South Africa?"
- The model pulls from pages and sources it already trusts.
- It generates an answer and often lists citations (URLs it used).
- If your product or site is mentioned, you "won" that answer for that prompt.
Success looks like: your name in the answer, your URL in the citation list, and (when people do click) traffic from AI referrers in Analytics.
What you actually do for AEO
| Area | Examples |
|---|---|
| On your site | Pages that answer specific product questions ("Does X integrate with Paystack?"); help center articles; feature lists by use case |
| Off your site | Getting listed on comparison posts, Reddit threads, YouTube reviews, and roundup articles that models already cite |
| Measurement | Manually test key prompts in ChatGPT/Gemini; use citation-tracking tools; watch referral traffic from AI products |
AEO is newer. There is less public documentation than SEO. Much of what works is good SEO plus answering long, detailed questions and showing up on the exact pages models already quote.
SEO vs AEO at a glance
| SEO | AEO | |
|---|---|---|
| Goal | Rank in search results and earn clicks | Get mentioned or cited in AI-generated answers |
| Where the user is | Google/Bing results page | Chat UI, AI Overview, AI Mode |
| Typical query | Short keywords (app developer cape town) | Long questions (I need a developer who has built NFC wallets for universities in SA…) |
| Main on-site lever | Relevant pages + authority | Clear answers to specific questions |
| Main off-site lever | Backlinks (links to your domain) | Mentions on pages the model already cites (often the same outreach, different target list) |
| Speed on a new brand | Usually slow (months) | Can be faster for niche prompts if you land on third-party list posts |
| Primary tools | Search Console, Ahrefs/Semrush, Analytics | Same site tools + prompt testing + citation trackers |
Important: Most solid SEO helps AEO for free. Crawlable pages, good content, and trust signals matter for both. AEO adds extra focus on question-shaped content and citations on specific URLs, not just "get any backlink."
Do you need both?
For almost every business with a website: yes, as one plan, not two fighting teams.
- SEO still drives most discoverable search traffic today.
- AEO covers how more people ask questions now (especially long, detailed prompts).
- The same help center article can rank on Google and feed an AI answer.
You do not need a separate "AEO agency" if you already do content and digital PR. You need a few extra steps (below).
When SEO alone is enough for now: very early startup, no indexed pages, no time to publish. Focus on product, paid, and community first. See the staged plan in the next section.
When to prioritize AEO tasks sooner: you sell in a crowded category ("best CRM," "best website builder") and buyers ask AI for recommendations before they Google head terms.
What to do first (by situation)
Brand-new site (no traffic yet)
- Publish 5–10 core pages: home, services, about, contact, 2–3 problem/solution articles.
- Set up Google Search Console and submit sitemap.
- Skip heavy link building. Do not skip writing clear product answers on your own site (that helps later AEO).
- If you have sales or support chats, save common questions. Those become your first AEO page ideas.
Site with some traffic, want to grow SEO
- In Search Console, find queries where you rank positions 4–20. Improve those pages (better title, clearer answer in the first paragraph, internal links).
- Publish on topics your buyers search before they hire (cost, timeline, stack, comparisons).
- Earn a few real links: guest posts, partner pages, local or industry mentions. See backlink types that matter.
Same site, add AEO without starting over
- Pick 10 prompts your buyer might ask an AI (use paid search keywords as seeds; rephrase as full questions).
- Open ChatGPT and Gemini. Run each prompt. Write down which URLs get cited.
- On your site: add or update pages that answer gaps ("Does [your product] support X?").
- Off-site: get on the cited URLs where you can (update a roundup, join a relevant Reddit thread honestly, pitch a comparison site).
Repeat monthly. You are not guessing. You are copying the sources models already trust.
On-site checklist (works for SEO and AEO)
Use this on any important page:
- Title and H1 state the topic in plain language (what someone would search or ask).
- First paragraph answers the question directly (2–4 sentences).
- Headings break the page into scannable sections (H2, H3).
- Page loads as readable HTML (critical text not hidden behind client-only JS).
- Internal links point to related services, case studies, or guides.
- Author or company name is visible (trust for people and models).
- For product pages: list features, integrations, and "who it is for" explicitly.
For AEO specifically, add pages that match long questions from support, sales, and Reddit. One good help article beats fifty vague blog posts.
Off-site checklist (where SEO and AEO diverge most)
SEO mindset: "Get authoritative sites to link to me."
AEO mindset: "Get my brand mentioned on the same URLs ChatGPT already cites for my prompts."
Practical steps:
- Run your top 10 money prompts in ChatGPT. Export or copy the citation URLs.
- Group URLs: review sites, Reddit threads, YouTube videos, blogs, affiliates.
- For each URL you can influence: outreach, participation, or content that earns a mention (not spam).
- For SEO, any good link still helps. For AEO, a mention on a cited URL matters more than a homepage link on a big domain that never appears in AI answers for your category.
Link building and "citation building" use similar skills. The target list is different.
What to ignore for now
These pop up in every AI SEO thread. You can skip them until basics are done:
- llms.txt files (no proof major engines use them for ranking or citations)
- Rewriting your entire site in Markdown "for LLMs"
- Optimizing for six different AI products when ChatGPT and Gemini cover most usage
- Keyword-stuffing your brand name on every page (models pull from trusted third-party mentions too)
Fix crawlability, write clear answers, earn honest mentions. That is 90% of the work.
FAQ
Is AEO the same as GEO or AI SEO?
Same idea, different labels: show up when an AI answers a question in your market. Pick one term internally so your team does not maintain three checklists.
Can I do AEO without SEO?
You can publish question pages without ranking on Google. You will still need a crawlable site and usually third-party mentions to show up in competitive prompts. Treat SEO as the foundation.
Will SEO traffic disappear because of AI Overviews?
Some informational queries lose clicks when Google answers in the SERP. Many commercial and local queries still send traffic. Measure your Search Console, not Twitter anecdotes.
I'm in South Africa. Does this apply?
Same mechanics. Buyers here use Google and increasingly WhatsApp, YouTube, and AI tools. Local trust (real business info, case studies, .co.za presence) still matters for SEO. For AEO, cite-friendly list posts and community threads work the same way.
Where to go next
- How I'd Run SEO on a New Website if the domain is fresh
- SEO in 2025 When Search Is Not Just Google for YouTube, Reddit, and multi-platform discovery
- Types of SEO Backlinks That Actually Move Rankings for off-site SEO
If you want help prioritizing SEO vs AEO for a specific product, get a quote with your URL and one example prompt your buyers might ask an AI.
Image credits
- Photos from Pexels (free license).