Surprising SEO Insight from AEO & GEO Review

A Review Of AEO/GEO Tactics Leads To A Surprising SEO Insight

The growing discussion around AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation) and GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) has sparked curiosity and debate within the SEO community. Many digital marketers are questioning whether these new concepts genuinely represent the next evolution of search optimisation or if they are simply rebranded versions of familiar SEO techniques adapted to today’s AI-driven landscape.

Bing’s recent publication, which focuses on improving visibility in AI-powered search results, offers a fresh perspective on this debate. The guide, written by Krishna Madhavan, Principal Product Manager at Bing, provides practical insights into how AI assistants process web content and how website owners can adjust their strategies accordingly. Surprisingly, much of what’s described in this guide sounds very familiar to anyone who’s been doing SEO for the past decade.

One of the most talked-about ideas in the guide is content chunking. This process involves breaking web pages into smaller, more digestible sections that AI systems can analyse individually. Madhavan explains that AI assistants “parse” pages in chunks before ranking and assembling them into answers for users. Although this may sound like a new technique, it’s actually rooted in older SEO practices designed for human and machine readability alike.

In fact, Google introduced a similar concept called passage ranking back in 2020. This feature allows Google to identify and rank specific sections of a page even if the overall topic doesn’t fully match the search query. Before that, in 2014, Google’s Featured Snippets already rewarded content creators who could answer questions concisely and directly. So, while the term “content chunking” might sound modern, its principles have been guiding SEO best practices for years.

The guide also highlights the importance of titles, descriptions, and headings—three classic on-page elements that remain crucial for both traditional search engines and AI-driven ones. These elements act as signposts, helping search systems understand what a page is about while improving the user experience by offering clarity and structure. This reinforces that even in the AI age, the fundamentals of SEO still apply.

Another major takeaway from Bing’s guide is the continued value of lists and tables in web content. According to Bing, these structured formats help AI systems process and summarise complex information more effectively. This aligns with the well-known SEO concept of disambiguation, where content is organised logically so that both humans and machines can easily interpret it. Lists, bullet points, and tables have always helped readers scan for relevant information, so it’s no surprise that AI systems prefer them too.

Bing also suggests that creating Q&A-style content can make web pages more compatible with how AI systems retrieve information. When questions and answers are clearly structured, AI assistants can extract them more easily to provide direct responses in chat or search results. However, this strategy must be used carefully. Google has warned against creating shallow or repetitive Q&A content that lacks depth or originality. The goal should always be to deliver genuinely useful insights.

Another interesting part of the guide focuses on semantic clarity—the practice of ensuring that language used in web content reflects real meaning and intent. Madhavan emphasises that keyword stuffing is outdated and counterproductive. Instead, writers should use natural language and related terms that support the main idea. For example, rather than using vague words like “innovative” or “cutting-edge”, content should include concrete details, such as “a 42 dB dishwasher designed for open-concept kitchens.”

This shift toward meaningful, detailed writing shows how AI systems value precision and factual accuracy. Using synonyms, contextually related terms, and descriptive phrasing helps search engines understand a page’s subject matter more completely. It also provides users with richer, more trustworthy information. Essentially, semantic clarity bridges the gap between user intent and machine interpretation.

In addition, the guide advises avoiding decorative or symbolic language that adds no substance. Overusing emojis, unusual characters, or abstract phrases can confuse AI systems and reduce readability. Instead, content should be simple, straightforward, and informative. This advice echoes long-standing SEO wisdom: clarity always wins over style when it comes to achieving higher visibility.

What stands out most from Bing’s report is that traditional SEO remains the core foundation of visibility in AI-driven search. Madhavan states, “Whether you call it GEO, AIO, or SEO, one thing hasn’t changed: visibility is everything. In today’s world of AI search, it’s not just about being found—it’s about being selected.” This line perfectly summarises how AI has changed search dynamics without replacing SEO fundamentals.

While AI search may look and feel different from traditional search engines, the underlying mechanics remain surprisingly similar. Both depend on relevance, structure, and content quality to decide which pages deserve attention. The biggest difference is that AI systems can now generate summaries or direct answers without always sending traffic back to the original source.

This reality has raised new challenges for content creators. If AI systems rely on websites to generate answers but don’t refer traffic back to them, publishers could lose visibility and potential engagement. Therefore, optimising for AI search isn’t just about ranking—it’s about ensuring content is selected, cited, or referenced in meaningful ways.

For SEO professionals, this insight reinforces the importance of adapting, not abandoning, their traditional strategies. Understanding how AI interprets structured data, semantic signals, and topic relevance can help maintain visibility in an evolving digital landscape. The labels might change—AEO, GEO, or AI SEO—but the purpose remains constant: to make your content discoverable and valuable to both people and machines.

Ultimately, the review of AEO and GEO tactics reveals that they aren’t truly new forms of optimisation but rather modern extensions of what SEO experts have been practising for years. As AI becomes more integrated into search platforms, the winning approach will still be about creating well-structured, clear, and relevant content that satisfies user intent. The tools may evolve, but the essence of great SEO—understanding what users need and delivering it effectively—remains unchanged.