The new terrain, in plain words.
Reputation stopped being built by pulling in visits and started being built by being cited by the AI. These are the words of that terrain, with no jargon and no smoke.
- Being the source
- The result Faro builds: when the AI answers for your topic, the name it gives is yours. It isn’t showing up once, it’s being recognized consistently and having it stay in your name.
- Being cited by the AI
- That a model names you as a source when someone asks about your category, instead of you appearing inside a list of links. It’s the difference between being in the answer and being at the bottom of the search.
- AEO
- Answer Engine Optimization. The work of getting AI-based answer engines to recognize you and mention you as a source. It optimizes for the answer the machine gives, not for the click.
- GEO
- Generative Engine Optimization. In practice, the same as AEO. It works to get generative engines, like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google with AI answers, or Claude, to include you in what they generate.
- SEO
- Search Engine Optimization. The classic work of moving a page up in a search engine and winning clicks. It’s a different game from Faro’s: showing up at the top of Google isn’t the same as being the source the AI cites.
- Answer engine
- The AI that responds to a question with a direct answer and names sources, instead of returning a list of links for the person to search through on their own. It’s where who gets named is decided.
- That the machine, and people, treat you as a reference on your topic. Whoever is recognized as a source is considered before the search even opens, and that changes how the work comes in.
- Digital hub
- The digital home in your name, built for the AI to read it and cite it as a source. It isn’t a site to attract visits, it’s the place the machine draws from for what it says about you.