SEO, AEO and GEO
How to Rank: SEO, AEO and GEO Playbooks
Step-by-step playbooks for ranking in Google and getting cited in AI answers, from AI Overviews and ChatGPT to local search and new sites.
Foundations 5
- An answer engine optimization plan for a WordPress siteA four-phase AEO plan for WordPress: build a question list, clear the way for AI crawlers, rewrite key pages as answer blocks, then test on a schedule.
- AI search ranking factors: what is documented and what is speculationEvery common AI search ranking factor, labeled documented, inferred or speculative, with the primary source for each claim that has one.
- Generative engine optimization: a strategy, and what the evidence really showsA GEO strategy grounded in evidence: what the 2023 GEO paper tested, why vendor studies prove little, and how to run your own citation experiments.
- How to measure your visibility in AI search answersMeasure AI visibility with a fixed prompt panel, an AI referral channel in analytics, server logs and Bing's citation report, knowing what each one misses.
- SEO vs AEO vs GEO: what each term means and what changes in practiceSEO, AEO and GEO compared: what each label covers, where the work is shared, and the few real differences in crawlers, controls and measurement.
Rank in AI answers 10
- How to get cited by AI: a cross-engine checklistGet cited by AI answer engines: a crawler matrix for six engines, assets worth citing, and the off-site mentions that shape what AI says about you.
- How to optimize for voice assistants and rank in spoken AI answersVoice search now runs on AI assistants. Fix your business listings, allow the right crawlers, and write answers that still make sense when read aloud.
- How to rank in Google AI Overviews, and what being cited really takesA week-one playbook for Google AI Overviews: find the queries that trigger them, pass Google's eligibility rules, and cover the sub-questions it searches.
- How to rank in AI shopping answers: products in Google, ChatGPT and PerplexityGet products into AI shopping answers: clean Merchant Center and merchant feeds, Product schema that matches the page, and pages that answer buyer questions.
- How to rank in ChatGPT: getting your pages cited in ChatGPT searchGet cited in ChatGPT search: allow OAI-SearchBot, get indexed in Bing, publish pages with checkable specifics, and track the chatgpt.com referral tag.
- How to rank in Claude: getting cited when Claude searches the webGet cited when Claude searches the web: allow Claude-SearchBot and Claude-User, remove bot challenges, check Brave's index, and track claude.ai referrals.
- How to rank in Gemini: getting cited in the Gemini appHow to get cited in the Gemini app: check the Google-Extended token, confirm Googlebot indexing, keep facts dated and current, and test grounded answers.
- How to rank in Google AI Mode: a playbook for long questions and follow-upsHow to get cited in Google AI Mode: test real multi-part questions and follow-ups, build decision pages, and keep your feed and Business Profile current.
- How to rank in Microsoft Copilot: a Bing-first playbookGet cited in Microsoft Copilot: verify in Bing Webmaster Tools, turn grounding queries from the AI Performance report into page edits, and use IndexNow.
- How to rank in Perplexity: a playbook for getting citedGet cited by Perplexity: allow PerplexityBot, keep pages fast and readable as plain HTML, and use its visible sources to see what beats your pages.
Rank in Google 6
- How to rank for competitive keywordsCompetitive keywords are won with depth and reputation, not one page. How to judge if you can compete yet, and a quarter-by-quarter plan to get there.
- How to rank for long-tail keywordsFind the specific, low-volume queries your audience already types, decide whether each needs a page, a section or nothing, and measure them in bulk.
- How to rank in BingBing keeps its own index and its own tools. Verify in Bing Webmaster Tools, submit your sitemap, use IndexNow and fix what Site Scan finds.
- How to rank in GoogleA priority-ordered playbook for ranking in Google: get crawled and indexed, match the query, earn trust, then read Search Console honestly.
- How to rank on Google MapsGoogle Maps rankings come from your Business Profile, weighed by relevance, distance and prominence. What you can change, in order, and how to check it.
- How to rank on the first page of GoogleFind the pages already sitting on page two in Search Console, work out what the top results do better, and close the gap one query at a time.
Rank by situation 10
- How to keep rankings after a redesignRedesign ranking losses mostly come from changed URLs, lost content and broken templates. What to record before launch, what to test, and what to watch.
- How to rank a blog postChoose a query one post can own, write it to beat the current results, link it from your older posts, and read the first eight weeks of data calmly.
- How to rank a local businessLocal businesses show up in the map pack and in the regular results below it. Build service and location pages, earn local links, and measure calls.
- How to rank a new websiteA new domain has no links and no history. What to publish first, how to get the first real links, and the milestones to expect over the first six months.
- How to rank a SaaS websiteSaaS buyers search by problem, category, comparison and integration. Which of those you can win, what to build first, and how to tie rankings to signups.
- How to rank a WordPress siteWordPress is neither favored nor penalized by Google. The defaults, plugins and themes that quietly hold WordPress sites back, and fixes in priority order.
- How to rank an ecommerce storeStore traffic comes from category pages, product pages and Shopping listings. How to prioritize them, control faceted URLs and track results by page type.
- How to rank fasterYou can speed up how quickly Google finds and indexes a page, not how fast it earns trust. Real speed-ups, realistic timelines, and why 24-hour claims fail.
- How to rank without backlinksYou can rank without link building for specific, local and underserved queries. Where that works, how internal links help, and when links become the limit.
- How to recover rankings after a core updateA core update drop is a reassessment, not a penalty. Confirm the cause, find the pages that lost, test them against the helpful content questions, then wait.