AI search guides in plain words.

AI search visibility describes whether and how a brand or website appears in AI search answers. It can include a name in the text, a recommendation or a linked source; those are separate observations.

SEO focuses on discovery through search engines. AEO is a broader industry label for work on how information appears in answers. The activities overlap, especially around useful content and technical access.

GEO stands for generative engine optimization and concerns how information is represented in generated answers. SEO covers search discovery. The distinction is useful for measurement, but it does not require abandoning sound website practices.

An answer with source links gives you evidence to inspect, but it does not expose the full process used to select those sources. Start with the visible response and avoid presenting an assumed ranking formula as fact.

Create pages that answer real questions with clear, verifiable information. Then inspect whether those pages appear as linked sources in your monitored answers. No page format guarantees a citation.

There is no single public formula covering source selection and brand recommendations across all AI products. Distinguish documented requirements, observations from a sample and hypotheses before changing a website.

Google Search includes both links and AI experiences, so the distinction is not simply "Google versus AI." Compare the specific experience, question and outcome your customers use.

AI brand visibility concerns both being named and being described accurately in AI answers. A brand team needs to inspect the wording, context and available evidence as well as counting appearances.