AEO vs GEO vs AIVO: The Full Evolution of Search
For two decades, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) shaped how brands reached consumers online. Then came Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) — attempts to adapt to conversational search and large language models. But both fell short.
Today, the industry is entering a new phase: AI Visibility Optimization (AIVO), formalized in the AIVO Standard.
From SEO to AEO: Expanding the Funnel
- SEO was built for Google: keywords, backlinks, structured data.
- AEO emerged when consumers began asking questions to voice assistants like Siri and Alexa. It emphasized FAQ schema, snippets, and “position zero” in search results.
- But AEO was still tied to Google’s algorithms. It didn’t solve for the deeper problem: AI systems ingest data probabilistically, not as live search crawlers.
The Rise — and Limits — of GEO
Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) appeared with the rise of ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity. The promise: tweak content to influence how LLMs generate answers.
But GEO has three fatal flaws:
- Surface-Level Hacks: It relied on schema tricks that generative models may not even ingest.
- No Measurement: Visibility was anecdotal. A single prompt test told marketers nothing about broader exposure.
- Volatility: 40–60% of brand mentions in LLM answers change monthly. GEO had no framework to track or govern this decay.
Why AIVO Defines the New Standard
AI Visibility Optimization (AIVO) reframes the problem. Instead of optimizing for engines, it optimizes for presence across probabilistic systems.
The AIVO Standard sets out how:
- Citation Density: Prioritize Tier 1 sources (Wikipedia, Wikidata, SSRN, Zenodo, government datasets) that persist across models.
- Entity Authority: Strengthen machine-readable identity through schema, structured data, and knowledge graph alignment.
- Visibility Decay Tracking: Monitor how often, and how fast, brands fall in and out of AI answers.
- PSOS™ (Prompt-Space Occupancy Score): A single KPI to measure brand presence across ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude.
AIVO is not a patch or trick. It is a governance framework for AI visibility.
The End of GEO, the Start of AIVO
Just as SEO eclipsed link-stuffing tactics of the early web, AIVO renders GEO redundant. Marketers, CMOs, and boards now need a framework that is:
- Measurable (baseline audits, decay analysis)
- Governed (standards, benchmarks, reporting)
- Future-Proof (designed for LLM ecosystems, not search engines)
The transition is clear:
- AEO addressed voice search.
- GEO was a stopgap.
- AIVO defines the lasting framework for AI-first visibility.