Your customers aren't all typing "best accounting firm in Lyon" into Google anymore. More and more, they're asking ChatGPT or Gemini to recommend one directly. If your business never shows up in that generated answer, you don't exist for that prospect even if you rank first on Google.

Optimizing for AI engines what people call AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) or GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) doesn't work like classic SEO. Here's the difference, and what to actually do about it.

Classic SEO vs. AEO/GEO: What Actually Changes

A traditional search engine ranks pages and lets the user pick. An AI engine synthesizes one answer from a handful of sources it judges trustworthy, and usually cites only a few of them. Being visible isn't enough anymore you need to be judged reliable enough to make it into the synthesis.

How LLMs Choose Their Sources

• Content structure content organized around clear questions and answers, with verifiable claims, gets cited more easily than diffuse narrative copy.
• Perceived authority cross-presence on recognized sources: trade press, sector directories, verified reviews.
• Freshness dated, regularly updated content earns more trust than a page frozen for three years.
• Structured markup schema.org data helps AI engines extract precise facts instead of guessing.