SEO, GEO and AEO: what the words mean and what a small firm actually needs

The words

SEO, search engine optimisation, is about ranking high in Google's regular results. GEO, generative engine optimisation, is about being mentioned in AI-generated answers from ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google's AI overviews. AEO, answer engine optimisation, is nearly the same with emphasis on writing content that can be lifted out as a direct answer.

What really separates them

Measurement. SEO is measured in position, GEO in the share of answers that mention you. The sources are largely the same: the Google profile, your website, reviews and directories. A firm in Google's top three has already done most of the GEO work. A firm invisible in Google is rarely visible in AI either.

There are some differences. AI weighs review volume more heavily than Google does. AI likes clear factual sentences and FAQ lists. And AI has to be able to read the page, so robots.txt must not block its crawlers.

What is worth paying for

A one-time pass that fixes the basics: Google profile, directories, structured data, a service page and an FAQ page, plus a review system. Work done once that holds for years. The Swedish market price in 2026 is 3 000 to 8 500 SEK for an audit and 3 000 to 8 000 SEK a month for ongoing work with a lock-in.

Rarely worth it for a small firm: monthly retainers of tens of thousands for "AI strategy", visibility guarantees, and tools that only measure while nobody fixes anything.

What you can do yourself today

Ask ChatGPT for an accounting firm in your city. If you are not mentioned, look at who is and compare their Google profiles with yours. The difference is usually obvious: more reviews, more photos, clearer services. Start there.