BrisTechTonic is a Bristol SEO agency that helps UK businesses get found on Google, the local map pack and the AI assistants they now ask, like ChatGPT and Perplexity. SEO (search engine optimisation) is the work of ranking your pages so people click through from the Google results. AEO (getting named in AI answers) is the work of becoming the source an AI tool like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini or Google's AI answers quotes when it answers a question directly. They are not rivals: both run on the same groundwork, being a clearly understood business with the right behind-the-scenes details and good content, but SEO aims for the ranked link while AEO aims for the quoted passage. Most credible programmes need both, in an order where the SEO groundwork feeds the AI mentions.
If you have been told AEO is the thing that finally kills SEO, you have been told a headline, not the truth. The two answer different questions. SEO asks: how do we rank a page so a person clicks it. AEO asks: how do we become the source an AI quotes when it answers the question outright, before any click happens at all. The confusion is understandable, because the underlying work overlaps so heavily. What matters is the target, not the tools.
Read the full detail →
Here is the part most comparison articles skip. AI answers are not a separate internet. When ChatGPT, Perplexity or Google's AI answers decide who to name, they draw on the same ranked, readable web that SEO has always served, plus the behind-the-scenes details and outside mentions that tell an AI who you are and whether to trust you. That is why strong SEO is usually a must-have before AEO, not an alternative to it. Take away the rankings and the reputation, and there is simply nothing for the machine to quote.
You will also see GEO, generative engine optimisation, used to mean much the same thing as AEO. We treat them as the same job under two names: getting named by the AI tools your buyers now ask before they even reach a search box. What genuinely changes between SEO and AEO is how you measure it. SEO shows up in rankings, visits and the enquiries that follow a click. AEO shows up in how often you get named when the AI answers, and the enquiries where an AI answer was part of the path. Different scoreboards for different plays in the same match.
So the honest answer to "AEO versus SEO" is that the question is slightly wrong. For almost every business we work with, it is not one or the other. It is SEO first or alongside, AEO added once there is a reputation worth quoting, both measured against the same result: business coming in. The rest of this page is how we run that in practice.
Get named in the answer, or get skipped.
These are industry figures, not our own results, and we do not invent numbers. Answer engines quote a handful of sources, so the game is being one of them, not just ranking. No citation is ever guaranteed.
What does AEO vs SEO cover?
What SEO optimises for
The ranked link. Keeping the site healthy, making sure Google can read it, page speed, a plan for the searches and content to target, how the pages are laid out, and your reputation, so your pages rank and earn the click. This is the layer that still brings most of the measurable enquiries for most businesses, and the one AEO quietly depends on.
Explore →What AEO optimises for
The quoted passage. Making your identity consistent, content laid out around clear answers, and the behind-the-scenes details, all aimed at the sentences an AI repeats when it answers a question in your area. The goal is to be the named source, not a link buried at the bottom of an answer.
Explore →Where they overlap
The behind-the-scenes details, a consistent identity, clean code, and content that genuinely answers the question all serve both at once. Roughly the same foundation work sits behind a good ranking and a good AI mention, which is why using two separate agencies wastes money and creates contradictions.
Where GEO and LLM SEO fit
Generative engine optimisation and LLM SEO are just other names for the same get-named-in-AI-answers work that AEO describes. We do not sell them as three separate products. It is one job: getting the AI tools your buyers use to treat you as a source worth quoting.
Explore →How the two are measured
SEO is tracked in rankings, free-traffic visits and enquiries that came from a click. AEO is tracked by how often you get named across ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google's AI answers, plus the enquiries it helps bring. We hold both to money coming in rather than to view counts.
Explore →When AEO is premature
If you have no behind-the-scenes details, thin content and little standing elsewhere, there is nothing for an AI to quote yet. In that case the honest move is to build the SEO foundation first and add AEO once it can actually pay off. We will tell you when that is the case.
Some of our recent work.
Book a free discovery call before you spend a thing
What clients say about working with us.
“I've had the pleasure of working with Chris on several SEO projects for my websites in the health field. He was definitely been able to demystify things so that I felt able to make decisions with him and feel confident they were the right ones. For a non-techie, that is worth gold! I look forward to working with Chris again and warmly recommend him to anyone who - like me - is unsure about all things SEO.”
“I was recommended by my branding partner to use Chris and his team last year. I can’t recommend them highly enough. They are very responsive , easy to communicate with and great at translating techy stuff when needed. They are now an essential part of my business model”
“We've been working closely with Chris, Hannah and the team for over 12 months now. As a small company with ambitious growth plans, it was incredibly important that we made the right choice on who to trust with our SEO. 18 months later, we're totally thrilled with our experience so far and our growing online presence within our market. We'd happily recommend BTT and their services to other SMEs. Drop them an enquiry!”
Real people on your account, not a faceless agency.
You work directly with the senior people who do the work, a small Bristol team you will actually get to know, not a call centre or an account manager relaying messages.
Meet the team →
The way we run AEO vs SEO.
Baseline both scoreboards
We measure where you rank and where the AI tools currently get their information about your area, and who they credit today. One honest starting point for both SEO and AEO, so later movement is something you can prove rather than just take our word for.
Fix the shared foundation
Keeping the site healthy, the behind-the-scenes details, a consistent identity, and a clean structure come first, because they carry both rankings and AI mentions. Doing this once, properly, is cheaper than paying two teams to fix it twice.
Sequence, do not split
We decide what leads for your situation. Most businesses need SEO momentum before AEO can take hold, so we weight the early work accordingly and add the get-named-in-AI-answers activity as your reputation builds.
Build content that ranks and gets quoted
Pages laid out around clear answers, original research and reference material written to earn the ranked click and to be repeated word for word by an AI. The same page can do both when it is laid out for both.
Earn corroboration
Links and mentions from the sources the AI tools already trust in your industry, through press coverage rather than bought links. This is the reputation layer that holds rankings and makes an AI treat you as a source.
Report against revenue
Rankings and visits on the SEO side, how often you get named and the enquiries it helps bring on the AEO side, both tied back to enquiries. You see which one moved, and whether it moved money.
How do we approach AEO vs SEO?
Same foundation, different target
A clean site structure, the extra behind-the-scenes details, a consistent identity, and genuinely useful content all serve both. The difference is what you are aiming for: SEO wants the ranked link that earns a click, AEO wants the passage an AI repeats. Get the foundation right once and it pays into both.
SEO is not going away
AI tools still lean heavily on the ordinary ranked results to decide who to name, and most buyers still search on Google. AEO does not replace SEO, it sits on top of it. Anyone selling AEO as a reason to give up on rankings is selling you a hole in your own sales pipeline.
AEO needs something to cite
An AI can only quote a source that exists, that it can read, and that other places back up. Without the SEO and reputation layer underneath, there is nothing for an AI answer to pull up, which is why we are honest about when AEO is too early.
Measured differently, on purpose
SEO shows up in rankings, visits and enquiries. AEO shows up in how often you get named and the enquiries it helps bring. We report both against money coming in, never just view counts, so you can see which one is doing the work.
Real people doing the work, and putting their name to it.
You deal with our small, experienced Bristol team directly, from the first call to every monthly report.
Meet the team →What AEO vs SEO puts on your desk.
Are we the right fit for you?
Thinking of switching from another agency?
Moving your AEO vs SEO to us is more straightforward than staying somewhere that is not working. You keep everything you already own, we pick up without a gap, and we can run the whole thing for you or work alongside your team and your developers, whatever suits.
A free look first
We review what your current agency has done, tell you straight what is worth keeping and where the quick wins are. No obligation to move.
You keep what's yours
Your site, content, Google Business Profile and analytics stay in your name. We work with what you already have; nothing is held hostage.
A clean handover
We map the work across, set a plain-English baseline in the first few weeks, and carry on from there. No starting from zero, no quiet ranking gap.
Three-month minimum, then rolling monthly on 30 days’ notice. No long lock-in, no exit fees.
Who runs this, and how honestly?
Answer engine optimisation is new enough that plenty of the market is guessing loudly. We would rather be precise about what actually moves, what does not, and about when one of these is not yet worth your money. BrisTechTonic is the trading name of Bryley Ltd, an experienced team with years of experience between us, and none of it learned on your budget.
Experienced people do the work
The person who plans your SEO and AEO is the person who runs it. Nobody in between, no template dressed up as a strategy.
We move inputs, we do not promise placements
Nobody can guarantee a ranking or a mention in an AI answer, and we will not pretend otherwise. We improve the things these tools actually use and report how often you get named honestly, up or down.
We tell you when to wait
If AEO is too early because the SEO and reputation foundation is not there, we say so and build the foundation first. Selling you the wrong thing at the wrong time is how trust gets burned.
How much does AEO vs SEO cost?
All + VAT · 3-month minimum, then 30-day rolling| What's included | Lite £299 + VAT / month | Max Most chosen £449 + VAT / month | XL £849 + VAT / month | Custom Contact us |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Technical & on-page SEO | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| AEO / AI-search layer (found in ChatGPT, AI Overviews) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Local map-pack optimisation | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Page creation | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Blog posts / month | Add-on | Add-on | 2 | Tailored |
| AI Authority building | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Plain-English monthly report | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Best for | Getting the foundations right | Competing on your key terms | Going after it hard, incl. AI authority | Shaped around your goals |
AEO vs SEO: common questions.
What is the difference between AEO and SEO?
SEO sets up your pages to rank in the Google results so people click through. AEO sets up your presence so AI tools quote you as the source when they answer a question directly. Same foundation of a clean structure, the behind-the-scenes details, and a clearly understood business, but a different target: the ranked link versus the quoted passage.
Is AEO replacing SEO?
No. AI answers still draw heavily on the ordinary ranked, readable web to decide who to name, and most buyers still search on Google. AEO adds on top of SEO rather than replacing it. Anyone telling you to drop SEO for AEO is describing a hole in your own sales pipeline.
Do I need both AEO and SEO?
For almost every business, yes. SEO usually needs to come first or run alongside, because an AI can only quote a source that exists, that it can read, and that other places back up. AEO is added once there is a reputation worth quoting. We do the two in the right order rather than making you choose.
Is AEO the same as GEO or LLM SEO?
Effectively, yes. Generative engine optimisation and LLM SEO are just other names for the same job: getting the AI tools your buyers use to treat you as a source worth quoting. We run it as one job rather than three separate products.
How is AEO measured compared with SEO?
SEO is measured in rankings, free-traffic visits and enquiries that came from a click. AEO is measured by how often you get named across ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google's AI answers, plus the enquiries where an AI answer was part of the path. We tie both to money coming in rather than to view counts.
Can you guarantee we get cited by ChatGPT?
No, and anyone who says they can is guessing. We improve the things the AI tools actually use, correct behind-the-scenes details, a consistent identity, content worth quoting, and mentions from other sources, and report how often you get named honestly whether it goes up or down.
When is AEO not worth it yet?
When you have thin content, no behind-the-scenes details and little standing elsewhere, there is nothing for an AI to quote. In that case we build the SEO foundation first and add AEO once it can actually pay off. We would rather tell you to wait than take the budget.
How much does running both cost?
Our monthly fees start from £299, with AEO added onto the SEO foundation on the levels above the entry one. The right figure depends on your area and how much foundation work is needed. We work it out honestly before you commit.
Book the call, or see the evidence first