AEO vs SEO in 2026: how to get cited by ChatGPT, Gemini and Google

For fifteen years, SEO meant one thing: rank on Google's results page. In 2026 that's only half the game. A growing share of buyers never see ten blue links. They read a single AI-generated answer from ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity or Google's AI Overviews. If your brand isn't inside that answer, you're invisible to them.

SEO, AEO and GEO: the quick definitions

• SEO (Search Engine Optimisation): getting your pages to rank in traditional search results.
• AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation): structuring content so answer engines quote you directly.
• GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation): earning mentions inside AI-generated responses across ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity.

The good news: the foundations overlap. Clear writing, real expertise and clean structured data help you with all three. The work is in the details.

Five things that get you cited by AI

• Answer the question in the first two sentences, then expand. AI engines lift self-contained answers.
• Use clear headings phrased as the questions people actually ask.
• Add FAQ and Organization schema so machines can parse who you are and what you claim.
• Publish specific, verifiable facts like numbers, dates and named methods, not vague marketing fluff.
• Earn mentions on sources AI already trusts: reviews, directories, reputable publications.

How we'd approach it

At Webspace we build every page to do double duty: rank on Google and read cleanly to an LLM. That means a tight content structure, structured data on every template, and an internal-linking map that helps both crawlers and answer engines understand your expertise. It's not a separate project bolted on later. It's how the site is built from day one.

If you want to know whether your current site is answer-engine ready, that's exactly the kind of audit we run before a redesign. Get in touch and we'll take a look.