When it comes to marketing and online presence, acronyms are part of the game. If you are working with a marketing company or doing your own research, you have probably heard of the term Search Engine Optimization (SEO), but other new titles are popping up. These other optimization models are becoming almost second nature to those using SEO techniques, but what exactly do they all mean? With AI tools and new search engine ranking parameters, AEO, GEO, and LLMO have become ways to further increase your reach in a modern market. Let’s learn more about each term below.
Answer Engine Optimization
With AI and generative AI tools taking over our online world, search rankings are being affected. The way people find information is rapidly changing as more AI summaries and snippets take over Google.
Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) is the process of optimizing your content so it can be read, trusted, and pushed out by AI. While SEO aims to rank the content for keywords, AEO prioritizes your content being selected as a reliable source that AI uses to provide an answer to the user’s question. While you may not want to use AI to help write or enhance your content, you should understand what the AI is looking for to tailor your content to it.
Generative Engine Optimization
Generative AI is becoming a common way for users to get quick answers, without having to click onto your site through search engines anymore. Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) presents a new challenge for brands and businesses: how do you get your name onto platforms like Google Gemini, Chat GPT, and Claude? GEO still prioritizes trustworthiness and accountability like SEO, so if one of the AI bots links to your site, it will build your credibility with this new audience.
Rather than pulling information around a specific keyword, you will utilize GEO and Large Language Models (LLM) to be linked in a generative response. Your link won’t be the only one used to summarize this text, so it is unrealistic to assume that your site will get more clicks than the others used to develop a response. While there is no clear answer on how to get cited, data shows that LLM responses prioritized earned media, which means that your PR efforts could help more than you think.
Large Language Model Optimization
LLMO is optimizing your content, website, and brand presence to comply with AI-generated summaries, responses, and more. LLMO works to help you build brand awareness, trust, and authority throughout a user’s journey through purchasing or contacting you for a service. Driving awareness and traffic to your website is the combined effort of GEO and LLMO.
Utilizing LLMO strategies is the future of SEO because it optimizes your company for visibility, rather than clicks. Unlike GEO, using LLMO strategies will help AI mention your brand and business name, rather than using your content to answer a question. For example, if someone uses an AI chatbot to ask “who is the best company in [specific city] to hire for window cleaning?’ if you have utilized local optimization and language models, your company may be cited in the AI response.
Do They Replace My Current SEO Strategies?
Not necessarily, in fact, many users are still looking for answers the traditional way, by typing a question or search term into Google. But as we have seen, AI search queries are becoming the norm, so it is important to prioritize both markets.
The first thing to remember is that AI does not rank your pages; it extracts information from them. This means that every section of your content should act as a standalone answer if you want to help reach users in an AI market. However, SEO tactics are still needed if you want to reach customers who are interested in purchasing or booking a service with you. While AI may be able to provide a quick answer, it can not complete a window cleaning or plumbing service for the client.
SEO strategies alone may not be enough to help you receive a steady stream of clients anymore. Working to tap into new markets can seem intimidating, but there are some simple practices you can implement without overhauling your marketing strategy. Converting your top-performing keywords into questions, allowing AI crawlers to crawl your site, and focusing on pushing your brand and business name are all considered SEO, just in different forms.
Achieve Better Optimization With PDM
At PDM, we understand that the online market changes constantly, which is why we are constantly learning and changing to help our clients continue to rank, while also catering to AI summaries. Our marketing experts will work with you to help you achieve your business goals, whether that is through AEO, GEO, and LLMO strategies, or typical SEO. We can help break down these strategies so that it is easy to digest and show you how our efforts are helping your business. If you have seen your clickthrough rate drop in recent months, we have been there. Work with our team to improve your online visibility and new client rate without burning yourself out. Contact us for a free website audit to get started!