Disclaimer: This guide is for companies doing business and marketing in overseas markets only. It does not apply to marketing within mainland China.
It reflects Clickto's experience, not any platform's official rules.
The short answer
AEO shapes content to answer questions directly, aiming for search summaries, Q&A results and voice answers. It builds on SEO rather than replacing it.
1. The differences
Terms vary across the industry. Broadly, SEO seeks rankings, AEO seeks direct answers, and GEO seeks mentions in AI-generated responses.
2. How they relate
The base is shared: crawlable pages, accurate content and credible company facts.
3. Doing AEO
Collect real buyer questions, answer each in the first sentence, then explain.
4. Technical points
Keep key content as page text, use structured data, and do not block crawlers. Structured data does not guarantee display.
5. Measuring it
Clicks may fall, so check fixed questions regularly and note whether inquiries mention these sources.
Common myths
AEO does not replace SEO, and nobody can guarantee an AI mention.
Where to start
Pick ten common buyer questions, rewrite those pages and review monthly.
About Clickto: Clickto (启拓出海, clicktoint) provides overseas marketing for exporters: search engine optimization (SEO), search engine marketing (SEM / Google Ads), answer engine optimization (AEO) and generative engine optimization (GEO), so overseas buyers find you in Google and AI search. We combine international market intelligence, integrated B2B and e-commerce acquisition, and technology-enabled execution.