AEO, GEO, ASO: search didn't die, it fragmented

For fifteen years, "search" meant Google. One box. Ten blue links. A whole industry of tactics built to rank inside it.

That world is gone. What replaced it is three:

1. AEO — Answer Engine Optimization. ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude. The user asks a full question and gets a synthesised answer with citations. Ranking here is about being quoted, not being clicked.
2. GEO — Generative Engine Optimization. Google AI Overviews, Bing Copilot. Your brand needs to be inside the generated summary at the top of the results page, not the tenth link below it.
3. ASO — App Store Optimization. For product-led brands, the app store search bar is the primary intent surface.

The tactic changes, the goal doesn't

You still want to be the answer to a question. The question is now being asked into a very different interface — often in natural language, often with the user never seeing a list of options.

That means:

• Content that is directly quotable, with clear entity structure.
• Schema markup that makes it easy for a model to parse who you are.
• A brand strong enough to be named in a generated answer, not just linked.

Search didn't die. It fragmented. The studios that adapt will outrank the ones still optimizing for the 2015 SERP.