SEO veteran David Quaid breaks down the shift from traditional SEO to AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) and GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) in 2026. He covers practical tactics like the position 17 rule, internal linking limits, indexing realities, and how AI overviews are reshaping traffic patterns.
A short editorial from the FLOWNIB team on why this content matters.
David Quaid rightly argues that SEO is evolving into AEO and GEO, where authority and AI visibility matter more than raw rankings.
FLOWNIB sees this as a call to diversify: social distribution and cross-platform scheduling ensure your content reaches audiences beyond search.
SEO professionals and content marketers should watch this to future-proof their strategy, then use FLOWNIB to amplify content across social channels.
Answer Engine Optimization: optimizing content to appear in AI-generated answers and featured snippets.
Generative Engine Optimization: tailoring content for AI chatbots and generative search engines.
A tactic to find keywords ranking just beyond page one and create targeted content to push them up.
A status indicating Google crawled a page but chose not to index it, often due to authority issues.
A status where Google knows a URL exists but hasn't crawled it, often due to crawl budget or bugs.
The depth and breadth of content a site has on a subject, influencing how well it ranks.
Links within a site that pass authority and help Google understand page relationships.
Google's AI-generated summaries that appear above traditional search results, impacting click-through rates.
What is the difference between AEO, GEO, and SEO?
SEO optimizes for traditional search rankings; AEO targets answer boxes and voice search; GEO focuses on visibility in AI-generated responses.
How does the position 17 rule help SEO?
It identifies keywords ranking just beyond page one, where targeted content can quickly push them to page one.
Why are my pages crawled but not indexed?
Crawled not indexed usually signals an authority issue—Google doesn't see your site as relevant enough for that topic.
What causes discovered not indexed?
Often a crawl budget or bug issue where Google knows the URL but hasn't fetched it yet.
How many internal links should I use per page?
There's no fixed number, but fewer high-quality links transfer more authority. Footer links are heavily discounted.
Do meta descriptions affect SEO rankings?
No, meta descriptions don't directly impact rankings, though they can influence click-through rates.
Is AI-generated content penalized by Google?
AI content isn't banned, but using it to manipulate search rankings violates Google's guidelines.
How do AI overviews impact traffic?
AI overviews can reduce clicks to websites by answering queries directly, requiring new visibility strategies.
What is the 85 authority tax?
A guideline suggesting that more internal links on a page dilute the authority passed to each link.
How can I improve a page stuck on page two?
Build topical authority, improve internal linking, or target longer-tail variants with lower difficulty.