Articles / Getting found
SEO, AEO and GEO: what they are and where a tradie should start
The short version
SEO gets you found in Google’s results. AEO gets your answer shown at the top of the page, or read out by a voice assistant. GEO gets you named when someone asks ChatGPT or Perplexity who to call. It’s the same job in three places, and all three stand on the same foundation — so do SEO first.
You’ve probably heard three new acronyms and wondered whether you need to buy three new things. You don’t. The goal hasn’t changed: someone needs a tradie, and you want to be the one they find. What’s changed is where they look — and so where you need to show up.
Here’s the whole picture in one diagram, then each one in plain English.
SEO: show up in Google’s results
This is the one you know. Someone types “electrician near me” and Google lists businesses. SEO is the work of being one of them.
- 1. Keyword research. Find the words customers actually type — “emergency plumber Brunswick”, not “plumbing services”.
- 2. Fix the site. Make it quick on a phone and easy for Google to follow.
- 3. Publish pages and earn backlinks. A real page for each service and suburb, and other sites pointing to you.
- 4. Track rankings and clicks. So you know what moved and what didn’t.
AEO: be the answer
AEO is answer engine optimisation. Sometimes Google doesn’t show a list — it shows one answer at the top, or a voice assistant reads one out. AEO is the work of being that answer.
- 1. Find the questions people ask. “How much does it cost to unblock a drain?” is a question. “Plumber” is not.
- 2. Answer in one or two clear sentences. At the top of the page, before anything else, in plain words.
- 3. Add an FAQ and schema markup. Schema is the code that tells Google “this is a question, and this is its answer”.
- 4. Win featured snippets. The boxed answer at the top of the results, and the one a voice assistant reads aloud.
GEO: get cited by AI
GEO is generative engine optimisation. More people now ask ChatGPT or Perplexity “who’s a good roofer in Geelong?” and get a written answer with a few names in it. GEO is the work of being one of those names.
- 1. Own a topic deeply. Be the most useful source on your trade and your area, not one of fifty thin pages.
- 2. Write facts worth quoting. Specific, accurate, and with the source next to it.
- 3. Get mentioned across the web. Your Google profile, directories and local sites, all saying the same thing about you.
- 4. Monitor AI answers. Ask the tools about your trade and your suburb, and see what they say about you.
What all three share
Helpful content, a healthy website and real authority. That’s why the order matters: a site that doesn’t rank in Google is unlikely to be named by an AI tool, and a page with no clear answer on it can’t win a snippet. Get SEO right and you’ve done most of the groundwork for the other two.
Where to start this week
- Check your Google Business Profile is complete and accurate — categories, hours, service areas
- Write down the five questions customers ask you most
- Answer one of them in two sentences at the top of the relevant page
- Make sure your name, address and phone number match everywhere they appear
- Ask your last three customers for a review
Questions
Quick answers.
What does AEO stand for?
Answer engine optimisation. It is the work of making your page the clear, short answer that Google shows at the top of the results, or that a voice assistant reads out.
What does GEO stand for?
Generative engine optimisation. It is the work of getting your business named and cited when someone asks an AI tool such as ChatGPT or Perplexity for a recommendation.
Do I need all three?
Eventually, yes, but not all at once. They share the same foundation, so the work overlaps. Most of what helps you in AEO and GEO also helps your ordinary Google ranking.
Which one should I do first?
SEO. A healthy site with clear, helpful pages is the base the other two build on. Once that is in place, answer the questions customers ask and make your business easy for AI tools to describe accurately.
Want us to check where you stand in all three? Same-day, free, and you get the answer whether or not you hire us. Or email louie@superseo.com.au.
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