SEO gets your pages to rank in a list of Google links. GEO and AEO are about being named or quoted inside an AI-written answer. GEO (generative engine optimization) and AEO (answer engine optimization) are two names for the same work, and both sit on top of good SEO, not in place of it. For a law firm the practical difference is the result you measure: a ranking position versus whether ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google's AI name your firm.
The three terms in one table
| Term | Stands for | What it aims at | Measured by |
|---|---|---|---|
| SEO | Search engine optimization | A page ranking in a list of search results | Rankings, clicks, calls from search |
| GEO | Generative engine optimization | Being named or cited in an AI-written answer | Whether the firm is named, and where |
| AEO | Answer engine optimization | Being the answer, in AI assistants and answer boxes | Same as GEO |
"AI SEO", "LLM SEO" and "AI search optimization" are further labels for the same job as GEO.
Where the term GEO comes from
GEO comes from a 2023 research paper by a team from Princeton University and IIT Delhi, later published at the KDD 2024 conference. The authors called AI answer tools "generative engines" because they write an answer instead of listing links, and studied how content can be changed to appear in those answers more often.
What stays the same
AI assistants read the web at the moment someone asks. ChatGPT search rewrites the question into searches sent to outside search providers and also uses OpenAI's own crawler, OAI-SearchBot. Perplexity searches the web in real time and gives numbered links to its sources. Google says its AI features are built on Google Search: a page must be indexed and eligible to show a snippet to be a supporting link, and there are no extra requirements or special optimizations beyond that.
So a firm that is hard to find on Google is usually hard to find in AI answers. The basics carry over: a crawlable site, a page for each case type, consistent listings, real reviews, mentions on trusted sites.
What's different
The output. A ranking is a position in a list. An AI answer is a short list of three or four names, or a quote from a page. If you're not in it, you're not in the running.
The sources. For local and lawyer questions the assistants lean on Google Business Profile, Yelp, legal directories like Justia, Avvo and Super Lawyers, news, Reddit and firm sites. A BrightLocal study of about 1.97 million AI citations (published September 16, 2026, covering local businesses generally, not only lawyers) found Google Business Profile made up 28.5% of citations, business websites 42%, and Yelp 9.5%. A firm can rank well on Google and still be missing from those.
The writing. The original GEO study tested nine ways of rewriting content on a benchmark of 10,000 questions. Adding citations, quotations and statistics worked best, raising a source's visibility by up to about 40% on the paper's main measure. Keyword stuffing offered little to no improvement. The study didn't test local lawyer searches and the assistants have changed since 2023, so treat it as direction, not a recipe.
The measurement. You can't see a position. You ask the assistants the questions your clients ask, every month, and write down who they name. See how to check if ChatGPT recommends your law firm.
So do you need GEO or SEO?
Both, in this order:
- Fix the SEO foundation: indexed pages, one page per case type, consistent firm details.
- Let the AI crawlers in. If your robots.txt blocks OAI-SearchBot, your site can't show in ChatGPT's search answers.
- Add pages that answer the situational questions people ask, with specific, sourced facts.
- Earn mentions and reviews on the sources assistants read.
- Measure monthly by asking the assistants.
If an agency sells GEO and AEO as two separate services, ask what the difference in the work is. Usually there isn't one. Our GEO for law firms guide and what is answer engine optimization cover the definition in depth, and our AI SEO service page explains what Bookedly, an AI marketing agency for law firms, does.
Questions
Is GEO replacing SEO?
No. The assistants read search results and web pages, so SEO is the base GEO builds on.
Is AEO the same as GEO?
In practice, yes. AEO puts the emphasis on being the answer rather than a link; GEO is the research term. The work is the same.
Can I buy a spot in ChatGPT's answer?
No. You can buy a ChatGPT ad, which is labeled sponsored and sits apart from the answer: how to advertise on ChatGPT as a lawyer.
How do I see where my firm stands?
The Free AI Visibility Audit asks ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity the questions your clients ask and walks you through the answers.
Sources (checked October 28, 2026)
- Aggarwal et al., "GEO: Generative Engine Optimization", arxiv.org/abs/2311.09735
- OpenAI, ChatGPT search help article
- developers.openai.com/api/docs/bots
- developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/ai-features
- Perplexity Help Center, "How does Perplexity work"
- BrightLocal, "Study: AI local search data", Sept 16, 2026, brightlocal.com/research/local-ai-visibility-study/