Glossary

AEO and GEO glossary

Plain definitions of the terms behind AI shopping assistants and product data.

• AEO (Answer Engine Optimization)

  Answer Engine Optimization is the practice of structuring your content and product data so AI assistants can read it, trust it, and quote it in their answers. For a store it means clean structured data, real identifiers and a clear offer, so an assistant can recommend your product with confidence.

• GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)

  Generative Engine Optimization is about getting your content cited and recommended inside the answer a generative AI writes. AEO makes your product facts machine-readable. GEO adds content assistants can quote, such as FAQ and buying guides, and lets their crawlers reach your store.

• Structured data

  Structured data is machine-readable information about a page, added in a standard format so search engines and AI assistants can understand it without guessing. For products it usually means a schema.org Product block describing name, price, brand, availability and identifiers.

• JSON-LD

  JSON-LD (JSON for Linking Data) is the recommended format for adding structured data to a web page. It is a small block of JSON, usually in a script tag, that describes the page's content, such as a Product with its price, brand and availability, in a way machines read reliably.

• GTIN

  GTIN (Global Trade Item Number) is the standard product identifier managed by GS1, the number under a product's barcode. UPC is a 12-digit GTIN and EAN is a 13-digit GTIN. Assistants use it to match your product to the exact item a shopper asked for.

• Product feed

  A product feed is one structured file of your whole catalog that platforms pull on a schedule, so an AI assistant knows your current price and stock without crawling every page. Google Merchant Center, other shopping services and AI shopping assistants use it to index and compare products.