If you’ve spent any time around digital marketing circles, you’ll notice three little acronyms get thrown about like confetti: SEO, GEO, and AEO. At first glance, they look like they might be part of the same family – and in a sense, they are – but each plays a different role in how businesses show up online. Understanding the distinction can be the difference between being visible where it counts… and shouting into the void.
Let’s break it down in simple, no-nonsense terms.
SEO – Search Engine Optimisation
This is the one most people are aware of. SEO is all about improving how your website ranks in search engines like Google, Bing, and the rest. It’s the craft of making sure your site is technically sound, full of relevant and useful content, and aligned with what people are searching for. If someone searches “best dog treats near Catral” and you sell dog treats near Catral, SEO ensures you’re actually in the running to appear.
Good SEO involves a blend of on-page tweaks (titles, content, linking), off-page signals (backlinks, authority), and technical improvements (speed, structure, mobile usability). It’s not magic, but it’s definitely a craft – something that rewards patience, skill, and knowing what Google actually wants, not just what the latest YouTube guru claims.
GEO – Geographic Optimisation
GEO is SEO with a local passport. It’s focused entirely on helping businesses rank in specific locations. Think Google Maps listings, local service areas, and searches that include phrases like “near me.” If your business relies on physical proximity – plumbers, cafes, hairdressers, mobile dog groomers, even estate agents – GEO is where your bread is buttered.
This involves optimising your Google Business Profile, building citations in local directories, using region-specific landing pages, and ensuring your name, address, and phone number are consistently listed around the internet. The aim is to appear when nearby customers are looking for exactly what you do. If you’re not doing this but your competitor is… guess who’s getting the call?
AEO – Answer Engine Optimisation
Here’s where it gets interesting. AEO prepares your content to be understood and delivered by answer engines, like voice assistants (Alexa, Siri) and AI search systems that provide direct answers instead of a list of links. It’s the future of search – fewer clicks, more immediate responses.
To succeed with AEO, your content must be structured, clear, and written in a way that answers questions directly. Think FAQ content, rich snippets, structured data markup, and conversational language. The goal is to have your business be the answer – not just a link in a sea of links.
So, Why Hire a Freelance SEO Consultant?
You could try to juggle SEO, GEO, and AEO yourself. You could also try to tile your own roof, service your own car, or perform your own tooth extraction. You might get there eventually, but the process will be painful, messy, and probably more expensive than hiring someone who already knows what they’re doing.
A professional SEO freelancer lives and breathes this stuff. They stay on top of Google’s constant algorithm updates, know what strategies are outdated, and understand how to prioritise for maximum return. They can see through vanity metrics (more traffic means nothing if no one buys), and instead focus on tangible gains: leads, enquiries, customers, visibility where it matters.
Hiring an experienced SEO consultant means:
- You get tailored strategy based on your business goals
- You avoid rookie mistakes that can cost rankings for years
- You gain access to expert tools and data
- You free up your time to run your business, not fiddle with meta tags
- You get long-term growth, not short-lived gimmicks
The search landscape is evolving, and it’s not enough anymore to just “do a bit of SEO.” To truly compete, businesses need to blend SEO, GEO, and AEO into a cohesive strategy that hits search engines, local intent, and AI-driven answers all at once.
If you want to show up in the right place, at the right time, in front of the right people – then working with a specialist is the smartest move you can make.
