What is the difference between SEO and AEO?

What is the difference between SEO and AEO?

SEO focuses on optimizing for traditional search engine rankings, while Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) prepares content for AI-generated responses from tools like ChatGPT or Google’s AI Overviews. While SEO targets a blue link on a page, AEO aims to provide direct, structured answers that AI can easily extract. This shift requires brands to move from simple keyword matching to establishing true entity authority.