AEO. GEO. AIO. What’s the difference?

The PIM Revolution with Martin Balaam of Pimberly

Author

Brent Peterson
October 16, 2025

In partnership with

The Talk Commerce Podcast Newsletter

Who have we been talking to lately? Focusing on conversations about eCommerce, AI, Entrepreneurship, and Marketing.

This Week's Featured Article: AEO. GEO. AIO. What’s the difference?

AI Optimization: The New SEO Frontier

by Isaac Morey

As more people turn to ChatGPT and other AI tools instead of Google, marketers are scrambling to answer a crucial question: How do I get my brand to show up in AI conversations?

Enter the world of AI optimization, which goes by several names:

  • AIO (Artificial Intelligence Optimization)

  • AEO (Answer Engine Optimization)

  • GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)

While these acronyms have subtle differences, they're essentially describing the same thing: optimizing your content for AI visibility.

What's Different from Traditional SEO?

The good news? Many SEO fundamentals still apply—high-quality, up-to-date content with trust signals like backlinks will serve you well.

The key difference? Social media matters more than ever. LLMs are constantly training on new data, and social platforms provide timely, engagement-rich content that these systems crave.

Your Action Plan:

  1. Keep publishing quality website content (SEO basics still work)

  2. Double down on social media—repurpose your blog posts into shorter social formats

  3. Stay active across platforms to build direct audiences as a hedge against search disruption

The bottom line: By maintaining a strong social presence, you're killing two birds with one stone—feeding the AI training cycle while building platform-specific audiences for whatever comes next.

What's your take on AI optimization? Are you adjusting your content strategy yet?

Listen wherever you get podcasts, and check out our new sponsor Taelor (taelor.style) who shares our commitment to commerce innovation.

Our Latest Episode:

Listen to the latest episode of Talk Commerce: 
The PIM Revolution: How AI is Transforming Product Data Management with Martin Balaam

This episode with Martin Balaam, CEO of Pimberly, revealed some surprising insights about the future of product information management and AI-driven commerce.

The biggest surprise? B2B companies are leading AI adoption in purchasing. When machinery breaks, precision trumps price - making industrial procurement perfect for AI automation. Meanwhile, consumers trust ChatGPT to write emails but won't let it spend money yet.

Modern businesses must optimize product data for hundreds of global marketplaces while preparing for AI agents. Companies are unlocking millions of pages of valuable data trapped in PDFs, while economic pressures drive sophisticated supply chain modeling.

The key insight: machine-readable formats and precision-focused data aren't optional anymore - they're competitive necessities for the AI commerce era.

Content in Commerce Live - Everyone Loves Structured Data

Join us on October 23rd as we dive deep into structured data - the technical foundation that nobody wants to learn about but everyone desperately needs for AI-era success.

Why The Conversation Matters:

  • LLMs are accelerating their takeover of traditional search engines

  • This holiday season marks the highest percentage of LLM-based customer discovery in history

  • We're witnessing the beginning of a fundamental shift that will only accelerate year over year

  • Online store owners can't afford to ignore this trend anymore

What We'll Cover:

  • Demystifying structured data: what it actually is and why it matters

  • How structured data feeds LLM systems differently than traditional SEO

  • Practical implementation strategies for e-commerce stores

  • Real-world examples of structured data driving holiday sales

  • The critical connection between structured data and AI optimization

Perfect For:
E-commerce store owners, digital marketers, and anyone preparing for the new era of AI-powered customer discovery.

As Brent noted: "Everybody loves to hear about structured data. Nobody knows what it is, but people need it." This episode will change that - making the complex simple and actionable for your business.

Don't miss this essential deep dive as we head into the most AI-influenced shopping season yet!

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