What's the difference between GEO and SEO?

SEO traditionally optimizes for ranked links in search engines. GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) focuses on how AI systems mention, cite, or recommend your brand in generated answers. They share foundations—crawlable content, authority, clear entities—but GEO adds answer-engine and citation-oriented tactics.

What is AEO and how is it different from GEO?

AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) emphasizes being the source behind direct answers (AI Overviews, chat answers, assistants). GEO is often used for the broader generative-visibility umbrella. Many teams use the terms interchangeably; both stress extractable content and entity clarity over link lists alone.

Is this glossary free to use?

Yes. Definitions are free to read with no signup. You may cite them with a link back to the term page. Product tools linked from terms are separate free utilities.

How often are new terms added?

The glossary is designed to grow to hundreds of terms. New entries are added as AI search vocabulary stabilizes and as readers suggest gaps. Check the hub for the latest index.

Can I suggest a term that's missing?

Yes. Use the “Suggest a term” link on the glossary hub (email). Clear, widely used AI-search terms are prioritized over niche jargon with no public usage.

What's the difference between a hallucination and a citation?

A hallucination is fabricated or unsupported AI output. A citation is an attribution or link to a source the system used or referenced. Brands want accurate citations; hallucinations can misstate products and facts.

Do I need to understand all these terms to improve my AI visibility?

No. Start with GEO or AI Visibility, robots.txt / AI crawlers if you control crawl access, and structured data / entity basics if you publish a brand site. Use the glossary when you encounter a new term in tools or research.

How should I link to glossary definitions?

On first mention of a term in an article or tool UI, link to /glossary/{slug}. Related tools and related terms on each page provide deeper paths without stuffing definitions with product pitches.

AI Search Glossary

Plain-language definitions of GEO, AEO, AI crawlers, structured data, and measurement terms used in AI visibility work. Built as a neutral reference—and as a durable internal-linking layer for tools and articles.

173 terms · free reference · no signup

Search terms

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AEO (Answer Engine Optimization)AEO is optimizing content so answer engines—systems that return direct answers rather than only links—can find, understand, and surface your information.Core concepts
Affiliate DisclosureAn affiliate disclosure states that a publisher may earn commissions from links or recommendations, informing readers of that commercial relationship.Core concepts
AI CrawlerAn AI crawler is a bot that fetches public web pages for an AI company or dataset—often for training, indexing, or live assistant browsing.Crawlers & bots
AI OverviewAn AI Overview is Google’s generated summary shown above traditional results for some queries, often with links to supporting sources.Core concepts
AI Referral TrafficAI referral traffic is website visits whose referrer is an AI product such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Gemini.Measurement
AI SearchAI search is the use of AI systems—chatbots, AI Overviews, and answer engines—to find information, products, or brands instead of only classic link lists.Core concepts
AI Search TrafficAI search traffic is visit volume associated with AI-driven discovery—referrals from answer engines or clicks from AI-enhanced search features.Measurement
AI Training Opt-OutAI training opt-out is the practice of signaling or enforcing that public site content should not be used to train machine learning models.Crawlers & bots
AI VisibilityAI visibility is how often and how prominently a brand appears in AI-generated answers, citations, and recommendations across major AI products.Core concepts
Allow Directive (robots.txt)Allow is a robots.txt rule that permits a crawler to fetch a path, often used to carve exceptions inside a broader Disallow.Crawlers & bots
Alternative PageAn alternative page targets buyers considering substitutes for a named product—often ranked as “best alternatives to X.”Core concepts
Anchor TextAnchor text is the clickable wording of a hyperlink, signaling to users and machines what the destination page is about.Technical
Answer EngineAn answer engine is a system that returns a direct answer or synthesis to a query, often with citations, instead of only a ranked list of links.Core concepts
Answer Engine ResultsAnswer engine results are the synthesized answers, citations, and follow-ups an answer engine returns instead of only a ranked list of blue links.Core concepts
Answer ShareAnswer share is the portion of generative answers in a sample that include a brand as a recommendation, mention, or cited source.Measurement
ApplebotApplebot is Apple’s web crawler used for features such as Safari and Spotlight search, with related tokens for generative AI preferences.Crawlers & bots
Assisted ConversionAn assisted conversion is a conversion where an earlier AI or marketing touch influenced the path even if it was not the last click.Measurement

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JSON-LDJSON-LD is a JSON-based format for linked data, commonly used to embed Schema.org structured data in a web page’s script tag.Technical

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Quality RaterA quality rater is a human evaluator who scores search results using guidelines, providing training and evaluation data for ranking systems—not live rankings per site.Core concepts

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X-Robots-TagX-Robots-Tag is an HTTP response header that delivers robots directives such as noindex or nofollow without embedding a meta tag in HTML.Technical

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All terms remain in the page HTML for crawlers; search and filters only hide rows in the browser.

Suggest a term → Missing something? Email a term and a one-line definition draft.

Frequently asked questions

SEO traditionally optimizes for ranked links in search engines. GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) focuses on how AI systems mention, cite, or recommend your brand in generated answers. They share foundations—crawlable content, authority, clear entities—but GEO adds answer-engine and citation-oriented tactics.