AI Search Glossary
Google still processes 8.5 billion searches daily. But now you need to show up in AI Search as well. Here are the essential concepts every business needs to understand in 2026.
AI Search Concepts
Traditional SEO isn't dead — it still drives traffic. But businesses that hope to scale need to grasp these new AI Search terms as well.
AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation)
Optimising content so it gets pulled into AI-powered search answers. Unlike traditional SEO, AEO focuses on being the answer — not just ranking on the page.
GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation)
Targeting platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity — the generative AI engines that synthesise answers rather than listing links.
AIO (AI Optimisation)
Adapting content to maximise visibility across AI search engines. A broader term that covers both AEO and GEO strategies.
SXO (Search Experience Optimisation)
Blending SEO with UX to improve the user journey and boost conversions. Increasingly important as AI evaluates content quality and user intent together.
AI Overviews
Google's AI-generated summaries that appear above organic search listings. These pull from multiple sources and are rapidly changing which businesses get visibility.
Zero-Click Results
Search results where answers appear directly on the page — the user never clicks through to a website. AI Overviews are accelerating this trend.
Query Fan-Out
When AI expands a single user query into multiple related sub-queries to build a comprehensive answer. This means your content needs to cover topics broadly to be cited.
Chunking
Breaking long-form content into smaller, well-structured sections that AI can independently parse and cite. Good chunking dramatically increases your chances of being referenced.
Passage Ranking
Google's system for ranking a single section of text within a page, rather than the page as a whole. This means individual paragraphs can earn visibility independently.
Citation Pyramid
Visbly's framework for measuring AI readiness across four levels: Crawlable, Understandable, Trustworthy, and Citation-worthy. Most brands plateau at Understandable — the real value happens at the top.
Traditional SEO — Still Essential
These concepts remain the foundation of search visibility. AI systems still rely on many of these signals when deciding which businesses to recommend.
Keywords
Search terms and phrases people use to find anything online. In the AI era, keyword strategy extends to understanding how AI interprets intent, not just matching phrases.
Backlinks
External links from other websites that signal credibility and relevance. AI systems use backlink authority as a trust signal when deciding which sources to cite.
Site Health
The overall technical performance of a site — speed, mobile responsiveness, crawlability, and security. Poor site health can prevent AI from accessing your content entirely.
SERP (Search Engine Results Page)
The page displayed after a search query, showing organic and paid listings. Increasingly, SERPs also include AI-generated answers that sit above traditional results.
Organic Traffic
Visitors who arrive at your website through unpaid search engine results. As AI answers become more common, organic traffic patterns are shifting.
Indexing
How search engines store, organise, and prepare your content for ranking. If your content isn't indexed, AI can't find it either.
On-Page SEO
Optimising website titles, content, structure, and code for relevance. Strong on-page SEO also helps AI systems understand and cite your content.
Off-Page SEO
External activities — link-building, PR, brand mentions — that strengthen your authority. AI systems weigh these trust signals when selecting sources.
Schema Markup
Structured code that helps AI systems interpret and display content details. Schema is the bridge between your content and how AI understands your business.
Bounce Rate
The percentage of visitors who leave a website after viewing a single page. High bounce rates can signal to both search engines and AI that content isn't meeting user expectations.