# SEO, AEO, GEO, LLMO & E-E-A-T — Optimization Guide for the AI Era

> A comprehensive reference for modern search optimization spanning traditional SEO, Answer Engine Optimization (AEO), Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), Large Language Model Optimization (LLMO), and Google's E-E-A-T quality framework.

## Core Definitions

- **SEO (Search Engine Optimization)**: Practice of optimizing content to rank in traditional search engines (Google, Bing) through technical, on-page, and off-page factors.
- **AEO (Answer Engine Optimization)**: Strategy for structuring content to appear in direct Q&A results, featured snippets, and voice search answers.
- **GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)**: Methodology for increasing citation probability within AI-generated answers (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Bing Chat, Google SGE).
- **LLMO (Large Language Model Optimization)**: Discipline of optimizing entities, knowledge graphs, and structured data for accurate LLM ingestion and recall.
- **E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness)**: Google's quality rubric for evaluating content creator credibility and content reliability.

## Navigation Index

- [Full Knowledge Base → llms-full.txt](llms-full.txt)

### Section Map

1. **Evolution of Search** — Search 1.0 (Directory) → 2.0 (Keywords) → 3.0 (AI-native)
2. **SEO — Search Engine Optimization** — Technical, On-Page, Off-Page pillars
3. **AEO — Answer Engine Optimization** — Q&A mapping, voice search, featured snippets
4. **GEO — Generative Engine Optimization** — Citation probability, data-driven signals, Princeton research
5. **LLMO — Large Language Model Optimization** — Knowledge graphs, entity optimization, structured data
6. **E-E-A-T Framework** — Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness — Do vs Don't
7. **Comparison Matrix** — SEO vs AEO vs GEO vs LLMO — Feature, Goal, Platform, KPI
8. **Schema Markup Blueprint** — Organization, Person, FAQ, Article, Product — with implementation roadmap
9. **Academic Research** — GEO Princeton paper, Structural Feature Engineering, AgenticGEO 2026
10. **FAQ** — Common questions across all optimization disciplines

## Quick Reference

| Term | Primary Focus | Key Metric |
|------|---------------|------------|
| SEO | Keyword rankings in SERPs | Organic traffic, CTR, Domain Authority |
| AEO | Direct answers in SERPs | Featured snippet capture rate, Voice rank |
| GEO | Citation in AI-generated responses | Citation probability, Source attribution rate |
| LLMO | LLM training data inclusion | Entity recall accuracy, Knowledge graph inclusion |
| E-E-A-T | Content quality & credibility | Author credentials, Citation trust flow |