GEO and AEO are practices that help a brand get found and cited by answer engines and generative AI. For e-commerce, that means content that answers questions directly, structured data, consistent brand information across the web, real reviews and a site that bots can read.
E-commerce customers no longer search only on Google. They ask ChatGPT which product to choose, ask Gemini for a comparison, read the AI summary at the top of the results. If your brand doesn't appear in these answers, it stops being considered. That is where GEO and AEO come in.
What GEO and AEO are
- AEO (Answer Engine Optimization): optimization for answer engines, such as Google's summaries, voice assistants and direct answer boxes.
- GEO (Generative Engine Optimization): optimization for generative AI, such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Perplexity, which build answers from multiple sources.
In both cases the goal is the same: to be the source the AI chooses to cite.
1. Answer questions directly
AI prefers clear, complete passages. On categories, products and articles:
- Put the main answer right at the start, in two or three sentences.
- Use headings phrased as questions, the way people ask them.
- Include FAQs with objective answers.
2. Structured data
Schema.org helps machines understand content:
| Schema | Where to use it |
|---|---|
| Organization | Company data, contacts, social profiles |
| Product and Offer | Product pages, with price and availability |
| FAQPage | Categories, services and articles with questions |
| BreadcrumbList | All inner pages |
| Article | Blog content, with author and date |
3. Consistent brand information across the web
AI cross-checks sources. The company's name, description, address and category should be the same on the site, Google Business Profile, social media, marketplaces and industry directories.
4. Real reviews and mentions
Customer reviews, press coverage, comparisons and community discussions increase the chance of the brand being cited as a recommendation.
5. A site bots can read
- Important content in HTML, not only loaded by JavaScript.
- A robots.txt that doesn't block AI search bots (such as OAI-SearchBot, PerplexityBot and ClaudeBot), if that is your strategy.
- An llms.txt file with the company summary and main links.
- An updated sitemap and fast pages.
6. Content with real experience
Guides written by operators, with their own data, examples and well-founded opinions, stand out among generic content. Clear authorship and update dates reinforce trust.
Start with solid SEO
GEO and AEO are an evolution of e-commerce SEO, not a replacement. At f.up, we apply both together as part of e-commerce consulting. Talk to us to review your brand's presence in search and AI.
Frequently asked questions
Does GEO replace SEO?
No. GEO and AEO build on traditional SEO: well-indexed, fast sites with quality content are also more likely to be used as sources by AI.
How do I know if my brand appears in ChatGPT?
Ask the questions your customers would ask, such as "best store for X" or "where to buy Y", in different assistants and record when and how your brand is cited. Repeat periodically.
What is the llms.txt file?
It is a text file at the root of the site with an organized summary of the company and links to the main pages, designed to make reading easier for language models.