GEO · 6 MIN
What is AI SEO? A plain-English guide for business owners
AI SEO means showing up in AI answers as well as Google results. What it is, how it relates to GEO and AEO, what Google and OpenAI say, and where to start.
AI SEO is the work of getting your business found and recommended in AI answers, such as Google's AI Overviews, ChatGPT and Perplexity, as well as in normal search results. It builds on classic SEO (search engine optimization): pages that search engines can crawl, content that answers real questions, and a reputation other sites confirm. GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) and AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) are other names for the same goal. Buyers mostly search for "AI SEO", so this guide uses that term.
- AI SEO covers two jobs: ranking in search results and being named or cited inside AI-written answers.
- Google says there are no extra requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode. The same SEO basics apply.
- OpenAI uses a crawler called OAI-SearchBot for ChatGPT search. Blocking it in robots.txt can keep your pages out of those answers.
- A 2023 research paper that named GEO found that some content changes raised visibility in generative engine responses by up to 40% in its tests.
- The practical work is clear pages, direct answers, evidence, and mentions on sites AI tools already trust.
- Nactore is a technology and growth company that runs AI SEO on websites it can also engineer.
Why does AI SEO matter now?
More searches end with an answer instead of a list of links. Someone asks an assistant "which software company in Dubai builds mobile apps" and gets three names with a short reason for each. If your company is not one of the three, the buyer may never visit a results page at all.
That shifts the goal from "rank on page one" to "be one of the sources the answer is built from". The good news is that the foundations are the same ones that already work for Google.
AI SEO, GEO and AEO: what is the difference?
| Term | Stands for | Where you usually see it |
|---|---|---|
| AI SEO | SEO for AI search and answers | Buyer searches, agency and tool marketing |
| GEO | Generative Engine Optimization | Research papers and specialist practitioners |
| AEO | Answer Engine Optimization | Earlier work on featured snippets and voice answers |
In practice they describe overlapping work. The name matters less than whether the work covers both classic rankings and AI answers, and whether results are measured.
The term GEO comes from a 2023 research paper that introduced Generative Engine Optimization as a way to improve content visibility in generative engine responses. Its tests showed visibility gains of up to 40% for some methods. Treat that as a research result on a benchmark, not a promise for any one website.
What do Google and OpenAI actually say?
Google. Its guidance on AI features and your website says there are no additional requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode, and no special optimizations necessary. You apply the same foundational SEO practices: meet the technical requirements, follow search policies, and create helpful, reliable, people-first content.
OpenAI. Its crawler documentation explains that OAI-SearchBot is used for search, and GPTBot for training. They are separate settings, so a site can allow OAI-SearchBot to appear in ChatGPT search results while disallowing GPTBot. OpenAI notes it can take about 24 hours for a robots.txt change to take effect.
Two practical conclusions follow. First, do not buy "secret AI ranking tricks". Second, check your robots.txt today, because a blanket block on AI crawlers can remove you from answers you want to be in.
What does AI SEO work look like?
- Make the site readable by machines. Fast pages, clean HTML, no key content hidden behind scripts that crawlers struggle with, and an accurate sitemap. Our explainer on llms.txt covers one optional extra.
- Answer the question in the first lines. AI answers quote short, direct statements. Put the answer first and the detail after it.
- Write for the buyer's real questions. "How much does X cost", "X vs Y", "best X for Z in [city]". Each deserves a page that answers it honestly.
- Show evidence. Specific facts, named sources, real examples. Vague claims give an assistant nothing to quote.
- Earn mentions elsewhere. Assistants often lean on sources they already trust: directories, review sites, industry publications and comparison articles. Being listed accurately on those matters.
- Measure in the engines themselves. Ask the real tools the buyer questions on a schedule and record who gets named. Our guide on measuring AI search visibility shows how.
What AI SEO is not
- Not keyword stuffing for chatbots. Repeating phrases makes pages worse for people and does not help answers.
- Not a guaranteed ranking. Google's own advice on hiring an SEO says that if someone guarantees first place, find someone else. The same applies to AI answers.
- Not separate from your website. If the site is slow, thin or hard to crawl, content work cannot make up for it.
Where should a business start?
| If this is true | Start here |
|---|---|
| Your robots.txt blocks AI crawlers by default | Decide which crawlers you want, and allow search crawlers like OAI-SearchBot |
| Your service pages are one paragraph long | Rewrite the top pages to answer buyer questions directly |
| Assistants name competitors but not you | Find the sources they cite and get listed accurately there |
| You have no idea what assistants say about you | Run a baseline check across the main engines first |
Frequently asked questions
Is AI SEO different from normal SEO?
It extends it. The foundations are the same, and Google says no special optimizations are needed for its AI features. The difference is the goal: being cited in answers, not only ranking a link.
Do I need a separate website or special pages for AI?
No. Google says its AI features use the same foundations as Search. The pages that answer buyers clearly for people are the ones assistants can quote.
How long does AI SEO take?
It varies with your starting point and competition. Crawling fixes can show up within days, while reputation on other sites builds over months.
Should I block AI crawlers to protect my content?
That is a business decision. OpenAI lets you allow its search crawler while blocking its training crawler, so you can choose to appear in answers without allowing training.
Be part of the answer
AI search rewards the same things good SEO always did, done more carefully: clear answers, real evidence and a site that machines can read. Nactore runs AI SEO as part of building and growing your website, and measures it in the real engines.
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