AI SEO
AI SEO is the practice of getting a business recommended by AI search engines such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity and Copilot.
Explained
AI SEO is the discipline of making sure your business appears, and appears favourably, when buyers ask AI search engines to recommend a product, service or supplier. It goes by several names: GEO (generative engine optimisation) and AEO (answer engine optimisation) describe the same work. As ChatGPT, Gemini and Google's AI Overviews become primary research channels for buyers, AI SEO is becoming as important as traditional search engine optimisation. The two share some foundations but work by different rules.
AI SEO targets recommendations, not rankings
Traditional SEO targets Google's ranked list of links. AI SEO targets the answers that AI search engines write directly. When a buyer asks 'which accountant should I use?', the answer names businesses rather than listing ten blue links. AI SEO works on that answer.
AI search engines weigh different signals
Search engines lean on links, keywords and technical factors. AI search engines also weigh entity clarity (can they describe clearly what your business does?), credibility signals (reviews, accreditations, citations) and content structure (does your content answer the questions buyers ask?). AI SEO focuses on those signals.
AI SEO is measured by visibility
The main AI SEO measure is visibility: what share of relevant buyer questions result in your business being named? A business with 40% visibility appears in 40 out of 100 relevant answers. Tracking that across ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity and Copilot over time shows whether the work is moving it.
GEO, AEO and AI SEO are one discipline
GEO and AEO emerged as names for the field around 2023 and 2024, as AI search moved from novelty to a primary research channel. AI SEO is the term most UK buyers now search for. Whatever the name, the core principles are the same: entity clarity, credibility and structured content.
What this means for your business
For UK B2B businesses, AI SEO is particularly urgent. 94% of B2B buyers now use AI in their research process, and many services are now researched by asking an AI search engine for a recommendation. AireStream runs AI SEO on its ACTIVE GEO audit methodology, from the audit through to a re-test that shows what improved.
FAQ
Common Questions
Glossary
Related terms
AI search visibility is a measure of how frequently and prominently a business appears in AI-generated answers when relevant questions are asked.
GEO, AEO and AI SEO are three names for the same discipline: getting a business recommended in the answers AI search engines give. SEO (search engine optimisation) targets ranked search results instead. Both improve how a business is found, but they target different systems.
AI answer engines are AI-powered tools that respond to user queries with generated answers rather than ranked lists of links, including ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Google AI Overviews.
Topical authority is the depth and breadth of expertise a business demonstrates on a subject, as measured by search engines and AI tools through its published content and external references.