For years, SEO was about ranking at the top of Google. That still matters, but the landscape has changed: more and more people ask tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity or Google’s AI Overviews and get a direct answer, without clicking.
From the click to the answer
If your customer asks an AI “who does web development in Mérida?” and the answer doesn’t mention you, you lost that opportunity even if you’re on Google’s first page. That’s why two new concepts have appeared:
- AEO (Answer Engine Optimization): optimizing so your brand shows up in answer engines’ responses.
- GEO (Generative Engine Optimization): the same idea, focused on generative search engines like ChatGPT or Perplexity.
What changes in practice
It’s not magic or a new trick: it’s building clear, well-structured, trustworthy content that AI can understand and cite. Your brand authority, the consistency of your information and a technically solid site remain the foundation.
What stays the same
Good SEO (technical, content and local) is what makes you visible everywhere at once. AEO and GEO don’t replace SEO: they extend it to a new place where your customers are already searching.
