Six new SEO acronyms to make you sound smarter in meetings

Interesting title, isn’t it? I'll admit, I framed it provocatively for a reason, because the real question is whether these acronyms flooding your LinkedIn feed are the future of search, or just shiny names for traditional SEO tactics that happen to influence different AI models and search interfaces? Maybe it's somewhere in between. I'll let you decide....

SEO Acronym Overdrive

Apart from the US and UK governments, there is probably no other industry that loves acronyms quite as much as us SEOs. Well, you may have noticed that in 2025, SEO acronyms are in overdrive.

Fuelled by the rise of AI, the latest set of acronyms (or at least the ones I think are worth dissecting a little further) are AEO, GEO, LLMO, AIO, SAO, and AI SEO.  Not only is your you're LinkedIn feed full of them, you've probably heard them in your monthly Marketing meetings, or from clients who like to drop them into conversation while maybe not really having any understanding what they actually mean, or how they differ. 

Some of these acronyms can be useful for explaining how search is evolving beyond Google’s results pages and into AI-driven territory. However, many of the tactics described

are very much traditional SEO techniques. This is certainly a narrative that Google would like to push (of course).

To be crystal clear, I am not saying these are official definitions, because in all honesty, there simply are none. This is just my take on what each new term covers, how they potentially overlap, and how I think they can fit together into the ever widening search marketing sphere.

Why the SEO vocabulary is changing 

The way people search and consume information is shifting. Just last month, Google rolled out AI Mode to 180 countries, placing it prominently in search menu.

But Google isn’t the only force here. ChatGPT, Perplexity, Copilot and others are already changing habits by giving people direct answers, summaries, and even recommendations without a click through to a website.

Search is no longer just about ten blue links on a SERP, it’s about fast, hyper-personalised, conversational answers, across various platforms. However, compared to Google’s 14 billion searches each day, traffic from AI interfaces and the referrals they generate remains minimal.

The question is whether the SEO industry is simply chasing another shiny object, or if we’re genuinely anticipating the shift; with AI interfaces soon closing the gap on traditional Google search.

What is AEO?

AEO stands for “Answer Engine Optimisation” (or sometimes AI engine optimisation), and it's about being chosen for AI-powered answers such as Google AI Overviews.

Instead of competing for rankings on a standard SERP, AEO is about structuring your content so it is clear, scannable, and machine-friendly enough to be pulled directly into the main players like Google’s AI Overviews or Bing’s Copilot.

The principle is the same: if your content is not structured in a way that machines can understand, or if it's not trusted by search engines and LLM's, you're not going to get cited when they generate an AI answer.

You are teaching an AI to recognise that you are a reliable source of information on a topic. The clearer you make your site, the greater your chances of being chosen. 

How do you optimise for AEO?

There are a few practical ways to put answer engine optimisation into action: 

• Add schema markup: FAQ, HowTo, and Product schema give AI engines the structure they need to easily pull the information required to generate AI answers.

• Entity clarity: make it obvious who you are, what you cover, and how your topics connect across your site. 

• Topical authority: cover subtopics in depth, link them together, and build trust signals that show you are the most complete source. 

• Direct answers under headings: short, clear explanations that can be lifted into summaries. 

• Optimise for natural language: match conversational and voice-style queries so your content fits the way people ask questions. 

• Monitor AI engines: check Google AI Overviews, Bing Copilot, and Perplexity for your target queries, and adapt if you are not appearing.

What is GEO? 

GEO stands for “Generative Engine Optimisation”, and it is all about being cited by large language models and generative AI interfaces. Think of GEO as reputation management for machines. 

Instead of focusing only on whether Google ranks your site, GEO is about influencing how tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Google Gemini et all reference your content when they generate answers. 

You are not just convincing an algorithm that your site deserves to rank, you are convincing an AI model that you are the kind of source it should trust enough to mention by name. That trust does not come from thin air.

How do you increase the chance of being cited by Generative Engines?

Generative engine optimisation strategies are less about about making your content and your brands reputation to good for AI to ignore. The smartest GEO tips all come back to authority and originality. 

• Publish original research, stats, or insights: engines are more likely to cite you if you are adding something new rather than recycling what already exists. 

• Target content not already absorbed into training data: focus on providing fresh, insightful information outside the model’s memory so it can be picked up fresh. This is where retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) has the edge over in-model knowledge. 

• Cover clusters thoroughly: map out subtopics in depth to establish clear topical authority. 

• Run digital PR campaigns: secure placements on high-quality, relevant sites that generative engines are more likely to trust. 

• Keep brand facts aligned across platforms: make sure names, bios, and descriptions are consistent everywhere from your site to LinkedIn to press releases. 

• Build and protect your reputation: gather reviews, monitor sentiment, and deal with issues early to avoid reputational damage.

Which engines actually give you credit?

Perplexity is the current leader, but that does come with a caveat… 

The Cornell University study “Attribution Crisis in LLM Search Results” study (27 June 2025) shows its Sonar system pulls in about 10 relevant pages per query and only cites 3 or 4 of them. That means a third of the useful material is left invisible. It is still citation-first compared to others, but not flawless.

GPT-5 is citation capable, not citation first. The study found 24% of GPT-4o’s answers were generated without fetching online content. GPT-5 follows the same pattern: it will cite if you configure or prompt it, but it is not automatic.

Gemini and Claude are worse. Gemini in particular is a black box most of the time. The same study found no clickable citations in 92% of responses and 34% of its answers built without any search at all. Its “Deep Research” mode can show sources, but standard usage does not. Claude only surfaces links occasionally, which is generous to call consistent.

What is AIO? 

AIO is generally used for an abbreviation of "Google AI Overviews" for many, but as I covered that in AEO above, I'll discuss it's other meaning here of “AI-assisted optimisation”, which describes using artificial intelligence (or LLMs, to be more precise) to speed up SEO workflows. 

Think of AIO as your assistant, not your head strategist (that said, with the right prompts and some decent guardrails, I have found that LLMs can really help streamline certain strategy-heavy tasks.

The key is still knowing when to take the suggestions and when to park them. 

It can really make quite the difference when scaling and planning content production. It helps automate the grunt work that comes with content strategy, and especially so when repurposing material across multiple formats and surfaces. 

When implemented correctly and with proper human oversight, AI-assisted optimisation makes your SEO campaigns faster, leaner, and more consistent without sacrificing quality. 

How can AI speed up SEO workflows?

The most effective AI-assisted SEO tactics are the ones that save time without diluting quality. A few ways to put AIO into action that I have found to be particularly effective include: 

• Using AI for content briefs, outlines, alt tags, and planning.

• Getting it to support large-scale blog/content audits. 

• Analysing data (e.g GSC) and diagnosing content gaps.

• Clustering of keywords.

• Automating internal linking to uncover connections you might miss manually. 

  
  

These AI SEO workflows keep the output moving at scale while leaving room for human oversight where it matters most.

What tasks should stay human led? 

AIO should not mean handing over the keys to the kingdom straight to the machine. The human role is critical in areas where nuance, accuracy, and strategy make the difference: 

• Editorial control for tone and quality. 

• Keyword research supported by AI tools but guided by human judgment. 

• Fact-checking and compliance, especially in regulated industries. 

• Strategic planning and campaign oversight to keep campaigns aligned with business goals. 

These human-led SEO tasks ensure that AI-assisted optimisation enhances campaigns without creating risk or undermining credibility.

What is AI SEO?

AI SEO is one of those terms we've all seen thrown around, but the truth is, it simply doesn’t really have a single clear definition. 

In other words, it has become a bit of a catch-all, and a somewhat confusing one at that. 

Sometimes people use it when they are talking about AI-assisted workflows like briefs, audits, or repurposing content. Other times it gets used to mean optimisation for AI search tools and interfaces or generative engines.

When someone says “AI SEO”, nine times out of ten, they are just talking about “anything to do with AI and optimisation”. Personally, I do not find it the most useful label, but it is worth calling out since it keeps cropping up in conversations.

How is AI SEO different from AIO?

This is where the overlap creates confusion. 

• AIO is one of two things: It's either an abbreviation of Google AI overviews, or it is about using AI for workflow efficiency, letting machines take care of the repetitive stuff so you can move faster. 

• AI SEO tends to get used as a broader term for anything involving AI in the SEO space, whether that is workflow support or optimisation for AI-driven interface/generative engines.

So while AIO is a defined workflow strategy, AI SEO is more of an umbrella term. When you hear people using them interchangeably, just remember that AEO and GEO is specific, AIO has 2 potential meanings and AI SEO is more vague. Simple right? :)

What is SAO?

Ok, you may not have heard of this one (yet) but SAO stands for “Search Agent Optimisation”, and it is about getting picked by AI search agents when they act on behalf of users. 

This is the biggest shift in how LLMs actually work since their popularity grew a couple years back.

They can already compare prices, weigh up reviews, and filter results to give people a shortlist. They can also take actions on a user’s behalf, adding something to a cart, or sending information by email. Some can even connect into APIs and run multistep workflows, which means they can research, compare, and act in a single flow.

On 18 July 2025, OpenAI rolled out the ChatGPT Agent to premium accounts, so we are now in the very early stages of AI agents becoming a genuine part of how people search, choose, and act online. That makes SAO a little know tactical play, but I see it growing, especially in commerce, travel, and local search, where recommendations and actions will increasingly be handled by agents.

How do you make sure search agents trust your data? 

To be in the mix, your brand has to look reliable everywhere it shows up. That means giving them structured data they can read, keeping the details like pricing and delivery up to date and consistent everywhere they are posted, and backing it all up with verified reviews.

If an agent spots contradictions between your site, your feeds, and your profiles, it will most likely move straight past you. Uniformity is non-negotiable. When the signals line up, you stand a much better chance of being chosen.

In practice, this comes down to a few basics:

• Clear schema and APIs that agents can process.

• Fresh product and service information that stays accurate.

• Verified reviews that prove people trust your brand.

• Brand consistency across authority sites.

Nail those, and agents should treat you as a safe recommendation rather than a risk.

How it all fits together

The way I look at it, all these acronyms map out a journey. AEO is about being found in AI answers. GEO is about being cited in generative outputs. AIO is about moving faster with the help of AI. SAO is about being the one agents put forward when users are ready to act.

What ties them together is that they are built on the same foundations we already know: good content, a healthy site, links that count, and signals of trust. The difference now is that machines are looking at more surfaces and connecting more dots than ever before.

What happens if you skip one stage?

You can get away with gaps for a while, but it catches up with you. Without AEO, you are invisible in AI-driven answers. Without GEO, you lose the citations that build credibility. Skip AIO, and you slow down while others move quicker. And if you lack SAO, you never make the shortlist when agents are deciding who to recommend.

Every stage adds coverage. Miss one and your competitors will take that space.

How do these ideas connect in practice?

The framework only makes sense if you put it to work. Start with schema and entity clarity, so machines know exactly who you are. 

Build cornerstone content that covers the questions people actually ask. Release your own data to give engines something original to cite. Keep your brand facts aligned everywhere, and collect reviews that prove you can be trusted.

That is how these acronyms link together. They are not magic tricks, they are just a way of keeping your SEO strategy consistent across all the new surfaces AI has opened up.

Where do these "AI SEO" trends leave us now

Everything I have laid out here today is nothing more than my (somewhat informed) opinion. I am not here to claim that my words are the new SEO gospel, or that these acronyms are officially set in stone. 

They are just the way I am making sense of how search optimisation is shifting in 2025. For me, they are a way to explain what is happening, not a rulebook to follow.

Nobody has this all figured out. And nobody ever will when the rulebook constantly changes at the pace it does these days. Search trends move fast, and the labels we are throwing around now will almost definitely shift in a year’s or so time. What matters is keeping the basics sharp and adjusting as the landscape changes.

But with some passion for the game, we can all keep pace. The acronyms help us frame what is happening, but they are only useful if they make us think a bit deeper about where search is heading.

I would love to hear how you are using these acronyms in your own work. Maybe you see them differently, maybe you have your own versions. Either way, the more perspectives we share, the quicker we can all adapt. 

If you want to keep the conversation going, you can catch me on LinkedIn.