# AEO vs SEO > SEO, search engine optimization, is work that helps search engines understand your content and helps people find your site. AEO, answer engine optimization, is a name for work aimed at visibility in AI answers such as Google's AI Overviews and ChatGPT search. Google says optimizing for its AI features is still SEO, with no extra requirements. So the real difference lies outside Google: tools like ChatGPT search have their own crawlers to allow. Canonical: https://heddle.pro/compare/aeo-vs-seo --- Sources read 11 October 2026 ยท by the Heddle team ## AEO and SEO, side by side ### What the term covers AEO Google describes AEO as a term for work specifically focused on improving visibility in AI search experiences. It says that, from Google Search's perspective, optimizing for generative AI search is optimizing for the search experience, and thus still SEO. SEO Google's starter guide says SEO is about helping search engines understand your content, and helping users find your site and decide whether to visit it through a search engine. ### What it takes to be eligible in Google AEO To be shown as a supporting link in AI Overviews or AI Mode, a page must be indexed and eligible to be shown in Google Search with a snippet. Google says there are no additional technical requirements. It also says it doesn't promise indexing or serving. SEO Google says sites that follow the Search Essentials are more likely to show up in its results. It also says it doesn't promise that any particular site will be added to its index. ### Special files and markup AEO Google says you do not need LLMS.txt files, AI text files, Markdown or special schema.org markup to appear in its generative AI features, because Google Search ignores them. It adds that keeping such files for other services will neither harm nor help your Google visibility. SEO Google says structured data is still worth using as part of an overall SEO strategy, because it helps with being eligible for rich results. ### Crawler access AEO ChatGPT's search features surface websites through a crawler called OAI-SearchBot. Sites that are opted out of OAI-SearchBot will not be shown in ChatGPT search answers, though they can still appear as navigational links. OpenAI says it can take about 24 hours after a robots.txt update for its systems to adjust. GPTBot is a separate crawler, used for crawling content that may train OpenAI's models. SEO Google says robots.txt directives for Googlebot are how site owners manage crawling for Search, and that this covers its AI features, because AI is built into Search. ### How to write the content AEO Google says there is no need to break content into tiny chunks or to rewrite it just for AI systems. It warns that creating separate content for every variation of how people might search, done primarily to manipulate rankings or AI responses, violates its scaled content abuse spam policy. SEO Google says content that people find compelling and useful will likely influence your presence in search results more than anything else in its guide. It describes such content as easy to read, unique, up to date and people-first. ### Mentions and links AEO Google says its AI features can show what is said about products across blogs, videos and forums. It also says seeking inauthentic mentions is not as helpful as it might seem, because its systems focus on high-quality content and block spam. SEO Google says it primarily finds pages through links from pages it has already crawled. Such links happen naturally over time, and you can encourage them by promoting your site. ### Measuring results AEO Google points site owners to the Generative AI performance report in Search Console, to see how content performs in generative AI features on Search and Discover. SEO Google says sites appearing in AI Overviews and AI Mode are counted in overall search traffic, in the Search Console Performance report under the Web search type. ### Outside tools and advice AEO Google says many suggested AEO and GEO hacks are not effective or supported by how Google Search works. It says no third-party tool has access to its internal ranking or AI systems, and it asks readers to check AEO or GEO services against its guidance on evaluating third-party SEO advice. SEO Google says there are no secrets that will automatically rank a site first. It suggests people who are short on time might consider hiring a professional, and it lists what to consider when doing so. ## Which to choose - Most of your search visitors come from Google, including AI Overviews and AI Mode SEO. Google says its AI features are rooted in its core ranking systems and need no special optimization, so separate AEO work adds nothing for Google. - You want to be cited in ChatGPT search answers SEO, plus one AEO step: make sure your robots.txt allows OAI-SearchBot and that your site accepts requests from OpenAI's published IP ranges, as OpenAI recommends. - You want to appear in ChatGPT search but keep your content out of OpenAI model training AEO settings. Allow OAI-SearchBot and disallow GPTBot. OpenAI says each setting is independent of the other. - A vendor sells AEO built on LLMS.txt files, chunked content or special schema Neither, for Google. Google says it ignores those files, needs no chunking and has no special schema for its AI features. - You want to limit what Google shows from your pages in AI answers SEO controls. Google says to use nosnippet, data-nosnippet, max-snippet or noindex for Search, and Google-Extended for some of its other systems. - You want to know whether AI answers send you visitors SEO tooling you already have. Use the Search Console Performance report and its Generative AI performance report rather than third-party tools that claim to use internal Google metrics. ## When Heddle is the wrong choice Heddle, which publishes this page, sells search work that covers both Google and AI answers, so it has a stake in this question. It is the wrong choice in several situations. If all you need for ChatGPT search is to allow OAI-SearchBot in robots.txt, that is a change you can make yourself, and Heddle's Search plan is ongoing weekly work rather than a one-off fix. If you want a published price before talking to anyone, Heddle shows none and quotes each plan after a free search audit on a call. If you need results within days, Heddle says its first pages usually take three to five weeks to go live, and the first decision on what to build next comes around two and a half months in. If you want to start with video or ads alone, Heddle starts every business with Search. If you cannot name a person to approve each agent's work or give read access to Search Console, Heddle says it needs both. Ad spend is not included in any plan and is paid by you straight to Google. ## How this comparison was made We read the primary sources first, the research paper and the search engines' own documentation, on 11 October 2026. Heddle's page families agent drafted the comparison from them, and every statement on either side links to where it came from. The page then passed the same gates as every page on this site, including a check of each fact against its source. How that agent works ## Sources - developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/ai-optimization-guide - developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/seo-starter-guide - developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/ai-features - developers.openai.com/api/docs/bots - heddle.pro/pricing - heddle.pro/how-it-works - heddle.pro/agents ## Questions ### Is AEO different from SEO? For Google, no. Google says optimizing for its generative AI search is optimizing for the search experience, and thus still SEO. The differences that remain come from other AI tools, such as the crawler that ChatGPT search uses. ### Do I need an llms.txt file to show up in AI answers? Not for Google. Google says Google Search ignores LLMS.txt files, so they will neither help nor harm your visibility there. Google also says it is fine to keep such files for other services that use them. ### How do I get my site into ChatGPT search results? Allow OAI-SearchBot in your robots.txt file and allow requests from OpenAI's published IP ranges. OpenAI says sites opted out of OAI-SearchBot will not be shown in ChatGPT search answers, and that a robots.txt change can take about 24 hours to take effect. ### Does Heddle, which publishes this page, sell AEO or SEO? Heddle sells both under one plan. Its Search plan is described as helping you rank in Google and AI answers, with SEO taken off your plate. Its research agent checks whether Google and AI answers mention you for each tracked search. Heddle has a stake in this topic. Work with us ## Let the agents bring you the leads. Tell us about your business and who buys from you. On a short call we'll show you the searches your buyers make where you don't show up yet, and what the agents would do about them in their first month. On the call, for your site - The searches your buyers make Measured, with how many people make each one - Where you show up, and where you don't On Google and in ChatGPT's answers - The agents' first month The pages, fixes and links they would start with