· Anton Grant · SEO · 4 min read
The B2B Leader's AI Search Glossary: AEO, GEO, AIO & LLMO
Your guide to the new language of search. This definitive B2B glossary explains Answer Engine Optimization (AEO), Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), and other critical terms for mastering AI visibility.
The B2B Leader’s AI Search Glossary: AEO, GEO, AIO & LLMO
The language of search has changed. The rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has introduced a flood of new acronyms—AEO, GEO, AIO—leaving many marketing leaders struggling to keep up. If you don’t speak this new language, your brand is already falling behind in the most significant market shift in a decade.
This guide provides clear, strategic definitions for the essential terms in AI Search. It is designed for B2B leaders who need to understand these concepts to build a resilient and competitive digital strategy.
What is Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)?
Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) is the tactical practice of structuring your content to be the direct, factual answer to a specific question. Its primary goal is to win “position zero” by being featured in Google’s answer boxes, featured snippets, and voice search responses.
For B2B leaders, AEO is about capturing high-intent, informational queries. It is a foundational, technical discipline that ensures your content is machine-readable and easily extractable for when a user asks a simple “what is” or “how to” question.
What is Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)?
Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is the strategic discipline of influencing how AI models perceive and represent your brand within their synthesized, narrative answers. While AEO targets simple questions, GEO aims to ensure your brand is recommended for complex, comparative, or “best of” queries.
GEO is about building algorithmic trust across a broad ecosystem of sources. Its goal is to position your brand as the authoritative and preferred solution in the AI’s “mind,” making it a critical component of long-term brand management. Our GEO Playbook for AI Visibility provides a deeper strategic framework.
What is AI Optimization (AIO)?
AI Optimization (AIO) is the comprehensive, umbrella strategy that encompasses both AEO and GEO. It is the holistic practice of ensuring your brand’s content, data, and digital presence are optimized for discovery, interpretation, and favorable representation across all AI-powered systems.
An AIO strategy integrates technical, content, and PR efforts to create a resilient and authoritative brand presence. It is the new standard for a complete digital marketing strategy.
What is Large Language Model Optimization (LLMO)?
Large Language Model Optimization (LLMO) is largely synonymous with GEO and AIO. The term specifically emphasizes optimizing content for the consumption by Large Language Models (LLM) like OpenAI’s GPT-4 and Google’s Gemini.
It focuses on ensuring content is factually dense, semantically rich, and structured in a way that is easily parsed and synthesized by these models.
What is the Search Generative Experience (SGE)?
The Search Generative Experience (SGE) was the original name for what is now known as Google’s AI Overviews. It refers to the AI-generated summaries that appear at the top of Google’s search results, blending information from multiple sources into a single, comprehensive answer.
Optimizing for SGE (or AI Overviews) requires a hybrid strategy that leverages both AEO tactics for clarity and GEO principles for authority. A detailed plan for this is covered in our Guide to AI Overviews.
What is the Strategic Difference Between AEO, GEO, and SEO?
Understanding the distinction between these disciplines is crucial for allocating resources effectively. While Search Engine Optimization (SEO) remains the foundation, it is no longer the complete picture.
| Discipline | Strategic Focus | Primary Business Goal |
|---|---|---|
| SEO | Ranking & Clicks: Win a top position on a list of links. | Drive direct traffic to owned web properties. |
| AEO | Factual Answers: Provide the best, most concise answer to a simple question. | Capture “position zero” and high-intent informational queries. |
| GEO | Narrative & Trust: Influence the AI’s perception of your brand as an authority. | Become the AI’s recommended solution for complex, high-value queries. |
Conclusion
The evolution of search from a list of links to a series of answers requires a new language and a new strategy. B2B leaders who master the concepts of AEO, GEO, and AIO will be positioned to build a durable competitive advantage in the AI-driven decade. Those who continue to focus solely on traditional SEO will find their brands increasingly invisible.
Understanding these terms is the first step toward building a resilient marketing strategy. The next is putting them into action.
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