The kinds of SEO
In one line
SEO has three classic pillars, on-page (content), technical (crawlability and speed), and off-page (links and authority), plus AEO/GEO, optimising to be the answer AI engines cite.
The pillars
- On-page: content, keywords, headings, internal links
- Technical: crawling, indexing, speed, structure, schema
- Off-page: backlinks, brand mentions, reputation
- AEO/GEO: being cited by answer engines and AI (ChatGPT, Perplexity)
How they fit together
Technical makes you eligible, on-page makes you relevant, off-page makes you trusted, and AEO/GEO extends all of it into AI answers. A complete strategy touches every pillar.
Frequently asked
Which kind should I start with?
Fix technical blockers first (so you can rank), then on-page quality, then off-page authority, and layer AEO/GEO throughout.
Is AEO/GEO separate from SEO?
It's an extension built on the same fundamentals, clarity, structure and authority, aimed at AI answers instead of just links.
Put this into practice
Grade your site against our 250-point AEO/GEO checklist and see exactly what to fix, free, no signup.