AI search, explained jargon-free.
GEO, AEO, llms.txt, AI Overviews… the vocabulary of AI search explained simply, by a practitioner, for local businesses. Twelve definitions, twelve in-depth pages.
01 The definitions
Twelve terms.
Twelve in-depth pages.
01
AI search optimization (GEO)
The set of practices that make a business visible, understandable and citable by generative AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Perplexity.
Read the definition ↗02
AEO (Answer Engine Optimization)
Structuring content so it gets picked up directly as the answer — by AI assistants as well as Google's featured snippets.
Read the definition ↗03
llms.txt
A plain-text file at the root of a website that presents the essentials of a business in a format designed to be read by large language models.
Read the definition ↗04
AI Overviews (Google)
Google's AI-generated answers, displayed above the classic search results, live in France since 22 July 2026.
Read the definition ↗05
Structured data (Schema.org)
Standardised markup added to a page's code to describe its content (opening hours, address, menu, reviews) in a machine-readable way.
Read the definition ↗06
Local SEO
Search optimization targeting local-intent queries: appearing on Google and Google Maps when a customer looks for a business nearby.
Read the definition ↗07
AI crawlers (GPTBot, ClaudeBot…)
The exploration robots of AI companies that read websites to feed assistant answers; their access is controlled via robots.txt.
Read the definition ↗08
AI citation
The mention of a business or source in an AI assistant's answer, with or without a link — the GEO equivalent of a Google ranking.
Read the definition ↗09
AI Mode (Google)
Google's conversational search tab, where the user holds a dialogue with the AI instead of scanning a list of links. Live in France since 22 July 2026.
Read the definition ↗10
Zero-click search
A search that ends without the user visiting any website, the answer having been obtained directly on the results page.
Read the definition ↗11
E-E-A-T
The framework Google uses to assess content quality: lived experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness.
Read the definition ↗12
NAP consistency
The fact that a business's name, address and phone number are strictly identical across every online source that mentions it.
Read the definition ↗→
From theory to practice
These definitions describe exactly what I set up for shops and restaurants — AI visibility check included.
The AI search service ↗02 Next step
Theory done. Now let's talk about your business.
First conversation commitment-free — I tell you what ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini already answer about your business.