AEO, GEO & SEO
Three abbreviations, three lenses on discovery. Here is a practical split for Shopify merchants measuring AI alongside search.
Wowser focuses on how assistants talk about your catalogue; see surfaces we track.
SEO (search engine optimisation)
Traditional SEO optimises for ranking and snippets on Google, Bing, and other web search engines: keywords, backlinks, Core Web Vitals, structured data for rich results. Success usually means clicks from SERPs to your storefront.
AEO (answer engine optimisation)
AEO targets surfaces where users get direct answers: chat-style assistants, AI summaries, and hybrid search experiences that cite sources or recommend brands in prose. The goal is to be named, linked, or recommended when shoppers ask natural-language questions (“best winter boots for flat feet”).
GEO (generative engine optimisation)
GEO is closely related: it emphasises visibility inside generative models and copilots, especially being present in the generated answer, not only the underlying ranked links. Different teams use GEO vs AEO slightly differently; both sit “above” classic SEO in the sense that the win is inclusion in the assistant's reply.
Where Wowser fits
Wowser measures how major assistants surface your brand and products (mentions, list position, and citations), so you can iterate prompts and catalogue context with data (see how it works). SEO fixes still matter for crawlability and structured entities; AEO/GEO thinking tells you whether those improvements show up where shoppers ask AI for recommendations.
Practical next steps: read prompt tips, connect Shopify, and optionally use the Chrome extension for monitoring and the Visibility Checker.