November 7, 2025

GEO & AEO: How AI Is Rewriting the Rules of Visibility

Thesis: Discovery is no longer about “rank → click.” It’s question → answer → citation. You don’t just need to be found; you need to be referenced. That’s the frontier of growth.

Written by
Patrick Cuesta - Growth Marketer & Founder

Table of Contents

Heading

📊 The Numbers That Changed Everything

‍Key Signals for 2024/2025

  • 80% of search users rely on AI-generated summaries at least 40% of the time. (Source: Bain)‍
  • Nearly 60% of traditional searches end with no click — the highest on record. (Bain)‍
  • 13.1% of Google queries show AI Overviews, up from 6.5% in January 2025. (Semrush)‍
  • Depending on methodology, 50–55% of total search volume includes some form of AI-generated summary. (Ahrefs)‍
  • Of those AI summaries, 88% are informational rather than transactional. (Semrush)

‍By Intent

  • For informational or question-based queries, AI Overviews appear in 74% of cases. (SEJ)‍
  • Transactional intent continues to be a minority inside AI summaries. (Semrush)‍
  • Question-first phrasing (“who / what / how / why”) is the most likely to trigger AI answers. (SEJ)

‍SERP Impact

  • Zero-click” behavior expands as answers surface before links. (Bain)‍
  • Classic SERP modules — knowledge panels, videos, sitelinks — appear less frequently when AI answers show. (WordStream)‍
  • Lower-ranked pages can still be cited inside AI summaries, decoupling “rank” from “reference.” (WordStream)

‍Behavior Shift

  • People don’t search; they ask. The journey is a conversation, not a click trail. (Bain)‍
  • AI systems now sit between curiosity and the open web, deciding what gets through. (a16z)‍
  • Visibility is shifting from position to presence in the answer. (SEJ)

‍

‍AI isn’t just answering questions — it’s absorbing traffic.

‍

From Queries to Conversations

For decades we built growth systems around keywords, rankings, clicks. The logic: user types -> search results -> click -> conversion.
But now a different pattern emerges: user asks, AI answers, brand is cited or not — sometimes no click is needed.
I’ve seen this in my own growth work: content that ranked “well” but wasn’t structured for AI answer inclusion saw stagnation. Meanwhile content built for direct answers and structured citations began to surface in new visibility zones.
We must accept: people don’t just search; they ask. And machine intermediaries now sit between the user and the open web.
That’s where AEO and GEO live.

‍

What “Answer” & “Generative” Engines Really Mean

AEO (Answer Engine Optimization): Optimising content so it becomes the answer in voice assistants, featured snippets, knowledge panels, AI-powered overviews.


GEO (Generative Engine Optimization): Optimising content so your brand or page is cited or used as a source in generative AI responses (LLMs, AI chats, synthesis).
‍

Here’s a quick comparison:

AEO vs GEO — quick comparison

Dimension
AEO
GEO
Core goal
AEODirect answer: snippets, voice, AI Overviews.
GEOUsed & cited: presence inside generative answers.
Interface
AEOFeatured snippets, PAA, voice assistants, AI Overviews.
GEOChat/search with LLMs (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini), synthesis views.
Query shape
AEOExplicit Q-style (what/how/why/when).
GEOConversational, multi-constraint, task-oriented prompts.
Content format
AEOConcise Q→A, FAQs, How-To, definitions.
GEOEntity-rich longform, research sources, quotable passages.
Technical signals
AEOSchema (FAQ, Q&A, HowTo), semantic HTML, scannable layout.
GEOArticle/Organization schema, consistent entities, outbound citations.
Primary KPI
AEOAnswer Inclusion (snippet/voice/overview).
GEOAI Citation Rate (brand/URL quoted in answers).
Risk if ignored
AEOMiss short-answer + voice wins.
GEOAbsent from AI-mediated discovery/reference sets.

Note: Some experts say AEO & GEO are essentially the same strategy under different names. But I prefer treating them as distinct layers — because the mechanics differ and so do measurement approaches.

‍

What AI Has Quietly Taken Over

• Intent prediction: Large language models now infer user context far beyond individual keywords.
• Content curation: These systems summarise, synthesise and prioritise sources automatically.
• Path interruption: Users may no longer click through multiple pages—they get an answer in the interface itself.
‍

For growth marketers this means: the funnel is changing. The breadcrumb-trail of clicks is less reliable. You’re now playing where answers carry the authority, not just pages.
The shift is subtle, but structural.

‍

The New Metrics of Visibility

If we measure everything by CTR, impressions, backlinks … we’ll miss what matters. So we need to adopt new signals:

  • AI Citation Rate: How often is your brand/page referenced in AI-generated responses?
  • Answer Inclusion Score: How frequently do you appear inside a featured snippet, knowledge panel or AI overview?
  • Entity Consistency Index: How coherently is your brand recognized across data sources, schema, citations?

‍
We’ve crossed into a stage where your value isn’t measured by position on a page, but by how machines interpret and apply your information.

‍

The First Two Windows into This Future

  1. ChatGPT Atlas: A visualization of sources which the model cites. It offers glimpses of “what the model trusts.”
  2. Claude’s Browser: A live web-reading feature pulling quotes from pages in real time.

These tools are prototypes of how generative engines will surface content, not pages ranked but sources cited.
Marketers who treat these as “just tools” miss the bigger shift: the interface of discovery is changing.

‍

What It Means for Marketers and Media

Discovery is no longer just “be the top link”. It’s now: be the answer.
Brands that win will be those that:

  • Are machine-readable and machine-trustable.
  • Blend creative story-telling with structured, technical clarity.
  • Build visibility not just in search but in conversational and generative systems.

‍
“The interface changed. The scoring system changed. Visibility now demands quotability instead of just rankability.”

‍

The AEO / GEO Action List

The AEO / GEO Action List

Structured Data

Gives answer engines clear scaffolding.

Q&A Content

Trains engines to choose your snippet.

E-E-A-T

Mirrors credibility signals engines prefer.

Local & Entity Hygiene

Strengthens entity trust and voice accuracy.

Entity & Identity

Helps LLMs resolve your entity cleanly.

Citation Depth

Increases odds of being used in answers.

Passage Readiness

LLMs retrieve passages, not full pages.

Visibility Testing

Measures quotability, not just rank.

If you want AI to talk about you — teach it your language.Each action above is not a tactic in isolation. It’s part of a compound system. Over time, those compounds build your presence in the AI-first web.

‍

The New Search Hierarchy

2000s → built for humans.
2010s → optimized for algorithms.
2020s → rewritten for machines that talk back.

For marketers: the frontier isn’t buying clicks — it’s earning citations.
For brands: the challenge isn’t shouting louder — it’s being understood.
Attention remains the marketer’s true currency. The interface may change, but the core remains: meet the question. Provide the answer. Earn the mention.

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Closing Reflections

I’ve seen the cycle: we optimise keywords, we build links, we chase rankings. But now the landscape is shifting. Machines are becoming our gatekeepers. They judge not only what we say, but how we say it. They decide which brands appear in the answer.
Of course this not about abandoning SEO. But you must layer AEO/GEO on top of it. Build for humans. Then engineer for machines.
Because visibility now means more than being discovered — it means being referenced.
And if you don’t build systems that prepare you for that, someone else will.
In the world of AI-mediated discovery: clarity compounds.

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Reading & Tool-Kit

Further reading

  • “What Is GEO and AEO? How AI Is Changing B2B SEO in 2025” — Catfish Comstock. BOL Agency
  • “How Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) Rewrites the Rules of Search” — a16z. Andreessen Horowitz
  • “Answer Engine Optimization (AEO): Your Complete Guide” — SEO.com. SEO.com+1
  • “SEO vs AEO vs GEO in 2025” — Typeface.ai. Typeface

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The Numbers That Changed Everything

AEO / GEO — recap by category (2025)
Reliance
80%
of search users rely on AI-generated summaries at least 40% of the time.
(Bain)
No-click
~60%
of traditional searches end without a click — the highest on record.
(Bain)
AI Overviews
13.1%
of Google queries show AI Overviews (up from 6.5% in Jan 2025).
(Semrush)
Coverage
50–55%
of total search volume includes an AI-generated summary.
(StanVentures)
Intent
88%
of AI summaries are informational rather than transactional.
(Semrush)
Q-queries
74%
of problem-solving / question-based queries trigger AI Overviews.
(SEJ)
Transactional
Minority
Transactional intent remains a smaller share within AI summaries.
(Semrush)
Trigger
Who/What/How
Question-first phrasing is most likely to trigger AI answers.
(SEJ)
Behavior
Zero-click
Answers surface before links, expanding zero-click behavior.
(Bain)
Modules
Less
Knowledge panels, videos, and sitelinks appear less when AI answers show.
(WordStream)
Citations
Beyond Top-10
Lower-ranked pages can still be cited inside AI summaries.
(WordStream)
Pattern
Ask → Answer
People don’t search; they ask. The journey is a conversation.
(Bain)
Mediation
AI Layer
AI now sits between curiosity and the open web, deciding what gets through.
(a16z)
Visibility
Presence
The shift is from position to presence inside the answer.
(SEJ)
Q-queries
74%
of question-based queries trigger AI Overviews.
Trigger
Who/What/How
Question phrasing most likely to trigger AI answers.
Behavior
Zero-click
Answers surface before links, expanding zero-click behavior.
Modules
Less
Fewer panels and sitelinks appear when AI answers show.
Pattern
Ask → Answer
People don’t search; they ask. The journey is conversational.
Mediation
AI Layer
AI sits between curiosity and the web, deciding what gets through.

‍

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