SEO, AEO and GEO in 2025: why the ground has shifted — and what to do about it

Search is no longer a neat list of “blue links”. Google now answers many queries directly with AI-generated summaries at the top of the page, and for a growing set of topics it even offers an “AI Mode” experience that encourages follow-up questions without ever leaving the results. In May 2024 Google rolled out AI Overviews to US users and signalled its intent to expand globally; by 2025 it has continued to refine and promote AI-led search experiences. For brands, that means visibility is increasingly won inside answers, not just in rankings. blog.google+1Google for DevelopersReutersAndroid Central

This shift is happening alongside the toughest quality crackdown in years. Google’s March 2024 core update folded “helpful content” signals into core ranking and launched new spam policies against scaled content abuse, expired-domain abuse and site reputation abuse. In November 2024 Google tightened site-reputation rules again. Many sites that once “rode the domain” or relied on thin aggregation lost positions as these policies took hold. If you used to rank and don’t anymore, this is likely part of the story. Google for Developers+1blog.google

At the same time, user behaviour is changing. Independent studies through 2024–2025 show AI Overviews appear on a meaningful share of searches and are volatile: the sources cited in those AI answers can change far more often than traditional organic listings. That volatility means yesterday’s placement inside the AI box doesn’t guarantee today’s. Early analyses also show uneven traffic effects across sectors, with some publishers reporting declines as more queries end without a click. SemrushAuthoritasIntelligency GroupEMARKETER

Three disciplines you now need: SEO, AEO and GEO

SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) remains the craft of earning visibility in traditional search results. The heart of it in 2025 is still “helpful, reliable, people-first content” supported by technical excellence and a credible brand. Google’s own quality guidelines continue to emphasise experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trust (E-E-A-T) and reward pages that genuinely satisfy intent. In practice, that means first-hand expertise, clear sourcing, robust page experience and a site that search engines can crawl, render and index cleanly. Google for Developers

AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation) is newer. It’s the process of making your brand the source or citation in AI answers — whether in Google’s AI Overviews/AI Mode, Bing Copilot, Perplexity or assistants like ChatGPT. AEO focuses on questions rather than keywords, structured facts rather than only prose, and on being quoted, cited or recommended inside an answer. Think concise, fact-rich blocks, schema.org markup, FAQ patterns, and evidence that your information is authoritative enough to be pulled into a summary. Multiple industry guides now treat AEO as distinct from classical SEO because answer engines surface content differently and often reward clarity, structure and entity precision more than long-form breadth. CXLSEO.com

GEO (Google Entity Optimisation) is about being recognised as a thing in Google’s knowledge systems — a business, person, product or place with attributes, relationships and evidence. When Google understands your brand as an entity, it can connect you to queries, topics, locations and reviews far beyond your own website. Practically, GEO blends schema markup, a complete and active Google Business Profile, consistent citations, and signals that tie your brand to the broader Knowledge Graph. For South African SMEs, this is what turns “a website” into “a recognised business” across Maps, local packs, AI answers and knowledge panels. Google HelpSearch Engine Land

Why businesses that used to rank don’t anymore

Several forces converged.

First, Google de-weighted tactics that worked for years. Mass-produced or lightly edited content, domain-authority piggy-backing, and guest-post networks have been explicitly targeted. Sites that leaned on those signals saw declines after March–May 2024. Even legitimate publishers hosting third-party content at scale were swept up by the site-reputation policy changes. If your strategy depended on “more pages, more often” without genuine depth or first-hand value, rankings slipped. Google for Developers

Second, the retrieval surface has changed. AI Overviews assemble answers from multiple sources and sometimes reward domain-level expertise, fresh perspectives, forums or regional authorities that classic ten blue links might have overlooked. Google has said AI experiences show “a wider range of sources” on the page, which means the set of winners is broader — and different. As a result, an SA business that once dominated a high-volume keyword may now share attention with niche experts, local community sources or product documentation that the AI considers especially useful for that specific question. Google for Developers

Third, local visibility has become more entity-centric. In many queries, what appears is a local pack or an AI answer enriched with local context, not a simple organic list. If your Google Business Profile is thin, your NAP details aren’t consistent, or reviews don’t demonstrate current quality and expertise, you can lose surface area even if your site content is still strong. Specialist local-search analysts track frequent Google Business Profile changes that subtly alter who shows in Maps and packs; keeping pace with those changes is now part of staying visible. Sterling Sky Inc

What the “AI proposals” at the top of Google are — and why they show different businesses

Those “proposals” are Google’s AI Overviews and, increasingly, AI Mode responses. The system reformulates a user’s query, fetches evidence from multiple pages, and synthesises an answer with citations. It is not simply echoing the top organic results. Google’s own communications stress that links inside AI experiences are displayed in varied ways and drawn from a wider pool than the classic ten. Independent studies show the prevalence of AI Overviews is material and that the make-up of cited sources is more unstable than traditional rankings, which is why you may see different brands recommended today vs. yesterday. blog.googleGoogle for DevelopersIntelligency Group

There’s also an intent shift. AI Overviews tend to trigger on complex, problem-solving and informational queries. For example, “how to choose a paediatric dentist in Sandton for anxious kids” is more likely to return an AI answer that synthesises criteria, guidelines and local considerations, then cite a mix of medical bodies, trusted publishers and local resources. In that context, Google may prefer sources with clear expertise signals and structured facts. The businesses proposed can therefore differ from the brands ranking for short, commercial head terms like “dentist Sandton”, because the question type is different and the answer engine is optimising for usefulness, not just relevance to a keyword. Search Engine Journal

Finally, the link-selection logic in AI answers often includes related and reformulated queries behind the scenes, which can bring in sources that don’t sit at positions 1–3 for the original query. Some studies even find that an AI Overview frequently includes at least one top-10 result but not necessarily the same ordering — reflecting diversity and corroboration rather than a mirror of the SERP. That’s why you’ll sometimes see your competitor cited in the AI box even when your site “outranks” them organically. Rich Sanger SEOseoClarity

What to do now, practically, in South Africa

Treat SEO, AEO and GEO as a single programme with different outputs.

On the SEO side, overhaul content to demonstrate lived experience, cite South African standards and regulations where relevant, and keep pages fast and technically clean. Use clear headings and on-page structures that help passage ranking pick up the exact section that answers a sub-question. Keep pruning thin or duplicative pages; quality now beats quantity. Google for Developers

For AEO, rewrite cornerstone resources into crisp, scannable answers. Add FAQ and HowTo schema where it genuinely fits. Include short, quotable definitions, tables and checklists that an answer engine can lift. Keep facts current and attribute them. Publish first-party studies, pricing explainers and process pages that assistants can cite when users ask practical questions like “what does a solar maintenance visit cost in Cape Town”, “how long does delivery take from Kempton Park”, or “which whitening treatments are safe according to SA regulations”. CXLSEO.com

For GEO, secure and enrich your Google Business Profile and lock down your entity footprint. Use Organisation, LocalBusiness and Person schema with the same legal name, phone and address you use in CIPC, invoices and your website. Connect your brand to recognised entities by referencing professional bodies, SABS standards, SA-specific guidance and reputable local citations. Encourage fresh, detailed reviews that mention services, locations and outcomes — these help Google tie your entity to intents and places, which in turn feeds Maps, local packs and AI answers. Search Engine LandGoogle Help

The bottom line

Organic visibility in 2025 is earned across three overlapping layers: classic rankings (SEO), being cited inside answers (AEO), and being a recognised entity that Google can confidently insert into local and knowledge experiences (GEO). If you used to rank and don’t anymore, assume both quality policy shifts and interface shifts are at play. Fix the former by aligning to people-first content and entity clarity. Adapt to the latter by optimising for questions, structure and citations — because the winners in AI Overviews are often those who make it simplest for Google to quote them accurately.