LaneFirst Guides / GEO and AEO
Two new names for one question: when a customer asks ChatGPT or Google's AI who to call, does it name you? Here's what the terms mean, how these tools choose a business, what you can do this month, and what's still unknown.
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Three names, one goal
The term GEO comes from a 2023 research paper.
You'll hear GEO, AEO, AI SEO and LLM SEO. Agencies sell them as new. Here's where they came from.
Both terms describe the same worry: people used to get ten blue links and pick one. Now ChatGPT, Google's AI Overviews and similar tools often write a short answer and name a few businesses in it. If you aren't one of those names, the customer may never scroll further.
GEO is the newer term. It was coined in a 2023 research paper that tested how changes to a web page's text affect whether AI answers mention it. The authors saw gains of up to 40% in their test setup and found that what worked depended on the topic. They tested general questions, not local businesses.
AEO is a marketing term with no single official definition. People use it for anything that makes your content easy to quote as a direct answer, whether by Google, a voice assistant or a chatbot.
In practice, for a plumber or a roofer, the two words mean the same job. Make your business easy for these tools to find, check and describe correctly.
The details differ by tool, and none of them publish the full recipe. What Google and OpenAI do say points to four stages.
Google says there are no extra requirements for its AI features: a page has to be indexed and able to show a snippet in normal search.
When someone asks "who fixes garage doors near me", the tool runs its own web searches. Google's AI features use Google Search. ChatGPT search uses outside search providers and partners.
Google has your Business Profile. OpenAI says ChatGPT may share a person's rough location with outside providers to find nearby businesses, but doesn't list which ones.
Reviews, your website, directories and local mentions tell it what you do, where and how well.
Usually a few names with a line about each and links to sources. Businesses with clear, matching details are easier to describe correctly.
None of this needs a developer or a budget, except one quick check of your website's settings.
Fill in the brackets and ask each one in ChatGPT and in Google. Write down who gets named. If a tool gets your hours or services wrong, fix the source it most likely read: your profile, a directory or your website.
Who's the best [your trade] in [your town]? I need [a job you do] this week.
What do you know about [your business name] in [your town]? Hours, services, area covered.
Which [your trade] companies near [your town] have the best reviews, and why?
This is new, and it changes fast. Here's what stays honest to say in October 2026.
The new names have brought new sales pitches with them. These ones should end the call.
Our AI search service does this work every month, from your profile and listings to the answers on your website.
Prefer to start on your own? Your free audit shows what ChatGPT and Google's AI say today when someone asks for a business like yours in your city, and whether you're named.
Mostly, for a local business. Google says the same search basics apply to its AI features, with no extra requirements. The new part is checking what the AI tools actually say about you, because a ranking report won't show it.
Not for Google. Google's own documentation says you don't need new AI text files, special markup or special structured data to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode. Be wary of anyone selling those as the fix.
Yes, for ordinary search results it helps Google read your business details correctly. It just isn't a shortcut into AI answers, and we don't sell it as one.
Only partly. Google counts visits from AI Overviews and AI Mode inside the normal Web numbers in Search Console, so you can't separate them there. Asking new customers how they found you is still the most reliable check.
Nobody can promise a timeline. Fixes to your listings and website are usually picked up within weeks, but whether a tool names you depends on the question, the town and the day.
Written by George, founder of LaneFirst. Updated October 2026. Sources: Google Search Central, AI features and your website; OpenAI, Overview of OpenAI crawlers and ChatGPT search; Aggarwal et al., GEO: Generative Engine Optimization (KDD 2024).
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