For an executive, a brand manager or a marketing manager, how do you know which SEO acronym really counts for business or which is pure agency jargon? The aim of this article is simple: to give you an easy-to-understand guide.
Before going into detail, here's a table summarising the acronyms by function: optimising for Google, optimising for AI, overseeing the whole thing, etc.
Category | Acronyms | Function |
| Historical terms | SEO, SXO | Optimising for Google and user experience |
| Response engines and generative AI | GEO, AEO, LLMO | Being quoted in AI-generated responses |
| Global" terms | AIO, AISO, SAIO | Bringing together all AI optimisations under a single term |
| The omnichannel vision | SEvO, OmniSEO, OSO, SEO 2.0 | Be visible everywhere: Google + AI + social + marketplaces + voice |
| Optimisation for AI agents | AAIO, AXO | Optimising for autonomous AI agents |
This table shows that several acronyms describe the same thing. We're now going to break down each category to explain which of these terms are really useful to know.
This category groups together the two terms that existed before the arrival of generative AI. They are the foundations on which everything else was built.
SEO is the historical discipline of search engine optimisation. Its aim is to position a site in the top search results of Google, Bing and other search engines. SEO is based on its traditional triptych: the technical quality of the site, the relevance of the content and the authority of the domain.
Despite the rise of AI, traditional search is the main source of visibility. According to Ahrefs, in 2026, Google will still send almost 200 times more traffic to websites than ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini combined.
SXO or SEO 2.0 is an evolution of SEO that integrates the user experience and the conversion rate. Being first on Google is useless if the user leaves your site after two seconds. SXO merges SEO with UX (User Experience) and CRO (Conversion Optimisation) to turn clicks into customers.
Remember: All the new forms of optimisation (GEO, AEO, LLMO, etc.) are directly dependent on classic SEO. AI models feed off Google's index and authority sites. A site that is invisible on Google is unlikely to exist for AIs. Traditional SEO is the prerequisite for everything else.
This category brings together strategies born of generative AI and response engines. The challenge is no longer to obtain a blue link in a list, but to become the textual response generated by the machine.
GEO refers to being cited as a source in responses generated by AI: ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, or Google's AI Overviews. When an agency talks about AI optimisation, it generally means GEO.
AEO is older than GEO. It was born in the era of Featured Snippets (zero position on Google) and voice search (Siri, Alexa). Its aim: to provide THE direct answer to a question so that the user doesn't have to click... With generative AI, the logic of AEO remains the same, only the media change (ChatGPT, voice assistants, AI Overviews).
Note: the definition of AEO is evolving. Several major players in the market, including Semrush, now use a broader definition of "AEO" that includes responses generated by AIs (ChatGPT, Perplexity, etc.). Our pedagogical choice in this article is to keep the boundaries of AEO and GEO distinct, so that readers can easily identify each discipline.
LLMO is more technical. Unlike GEO, which targets AI responses in real time, LLMO seeks to inscribe your brand directly into the model's 'memory' and knowledge base (GPT-4, Claude) during its training phases.
Criterion | GEO | AEO | LLMO |
| Primary objective | To be cited as a source in generative AI responses | Become THE direct answer on Google or in voice | Influence the knowledge integrated into AI models |
| Preferred targets | ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude, AI Overviews | Google featured snippets, voice search (Siri, Alexa) | GPT, Claude, Gemini (at model level) |
| Origin | Princeton academic paper (2023) | Featured snippets and voice search (2018-2020) | Technical practices from machine learning |
| Temporality | Rapid effect on responses generated | Rapid effect via Google features | Long-term effect (integration into training) |
| Main lever | Citations, authority, editorial structure | Q/R format, FAQ, schema markup, concise content | Consistency and depth of expertise on the web |
| Indicator of success | Frequency of citations in IA responses | Presence in zero position, in PAA, in voice advertising | Presence in spontaneous model recommendations |
⚠️ Beware of false twins: In France, you will sometimes come across the terms SEO LLM, AISEO or SEO IA. Be careful. They are sometimes used as synonyms for GEO, but they also refer to the opposite: the use of AI to write classic SEO.
If you have to choose just one, choose GEO. It's the most common, the best documented and the one that SEO agencies use most often.
Rather than forcing companies to juggle GEO + AEO + LLMO, some players have created a term to group together all AI optimisations.
AIO is the most widely used term. It is supported by Semrush, which has made it a pillar of its offering. AIO covers all the actions needed to enhance a brand's presence in AI. You can manage citations, the tone of mentions and positioning in relation to competitors.
AISO is the direct synonym of AIO. It crops up a lot in French articles, particularly in job offers (AISO Expert positions).
SAIO was created in 2023 by an American agency (Digital Brand Expressions). This term describes exactly the same thing as GEO or AIO.
If you hear either of these words, just read: "the all-in-one AI optimisation package".
This category covers terms that enable you to be visible wherever users are searching: traditional search engines, AI, social networks, marketplaces, voice assistants and app stores.
SEvO is a term popularised by Neil Patel (NP Digital) and Eric Siu (Single Grain) in their Marketing School podcast. It was born out of the realisation that users no longer search for information solely on Google. Young people use Tiktok or Instagram, shoppers use Amazon, and techies use Reddit or GitHub.
OmniSEO is an almost equivalent term, registered as a trademark by the American agency WebFX. The concept is identical to SEvO, a multi-platform approach to visibility.
OSO consists of optimising your content so that it is found wherever a user may search, and in all possible forms (text, voice, image, video). It involves "offline" optimisation for searches that take place outside a browser).
Remember: Don't get lost in this war of words. The most important thing is not the acronym, but the principle. Your customers have deserted Google's monopoly; your strategy needs to follow their new paths. Semrush illustrates this concept in its communication "Win Visibility Everywhere Your Customers Search".
Here, the challenge is no longer to optimise your site so that an AI can quote your content, but so that an autonomous AI agent can act on your site in the user's place (fill in a form, compare prices, book or pay). Your end user is no longer a human clicking, but a robot carrying out a mission!
AAIO refers to practices aimed at making a site readable and usable by autonomous AI agents. This includes data structuring, technical accessibility, consistency of information between pages, Schema.org markup, etc. The challenge is to ensure that an agent can understand the site in order to carry out its task without the risk of over-interpretation or error.
AXO places greater emphasis on the "experience" dimension, the way in which the agent browses the site, perceives the hierarchy of information and triggers actions. It's the equivalent of SXO (Search Experience Optimization), but for machines instead of humans.
It's no longer science fiction, and the tech giants are already deploying their pawns!
The real-life use cases are multiplying: an assistant that reserves a table in a restaurant, an agent that compares and takes out an insurance policy, or a bot that validates an e-commerce basket from end to end. If your site blocks these agents, you lose customers.
To remember: The technical foundations of AAIO are exactly the same as for GEO. If you are already working on your structured data (schema.org), the consistency of your information and the accessibility of your site for response engines, you are already preparing your site for the agents of tomorrow.
Generative AI for the general public is just over three years old. Since the release of ChatGPT at the end of 2022, every month has brought its share of revolutions, new engines and new uses. In the midst of all this excitement, terminology is evolving in real time: every expert is trying to name what they observe before a consensus has even had time to form.
Each community has forged its own vocabulary based on its own references, and everyone is talking at the same time:
For agencies and software publishers, jargon is a sales weapon. Selling an "SEO" service in 2026 may seem outdated; offering "GEO, OSO and LLMO" support immediately positions the player as a pioneer at the cutting edge of innovation.
It's a case of the snake biting its own tail. ChatGPT, Perplexity or Gemini scan the web and absorb these new acronyms. The more a term is used by experts, the more the AI considers it legitimate, and the more it spits it out in its responses... which validates and propagates its use, even if it was marginal to begin with.
Once you've cleared away the jungle of terminology, it's much simpler than it looks. Behind these 13 acronyms lie 3 priorities that your brand needs to work on.
Is your site cited in the responses generated by AI? Get a diagnosis and identify your GEO optimisation avenues.
Allow 3 to 6 months to see the first signs of visibility in generative AI. Results depend on the site's existing authority and editorial quality. GEO produces effects faster than SEO, but also more volatile.
No. According to Similarweb, publishers receive less than 1% of referral traffic from IA platforms, even when they are mentioned. GEO is all about influence and brand awareness, not direct traffic.
The simplest way: ask AI directly questions related to your business and see whether your brand appears. For structured monitoring, there are dedicated tools (Semrush AIO in particular).
Yes, but not in a hurry. The technical foundations for AI agents are the same as those for GEO: structured data, consistency of entities, predictable paths. Working on AI visibility today is already preparing for tomorrow.