Dispatches are long-form technical write-ups on search, answer, and generative engine optimization, published by the team building Overt Ops. Each one is research we needed for our own work — measurement methods, tag audits, honest assessments of what moves traffic — rather than commissioned marketing content.

How is AEO different from SEO?

Answer Engine Optimization is the practice of structuring a page so an answer engine can extract a direct response from it. SEO competes for a ranked link on a results page; AEO competes to become the answer itself, which rewards question-shaped headings and short, self-contained paragraphs.

What is GEO, and why does it need its own playbook?

Generative Engine Optimization is the discipline of earning citations inside AI-generated answers. It needs its own playbook because the usual feedback loop is missing: there is no Search Console for generative engines, so measurement has to be assembled from crawl logs, citation sampling, and deliberate instrumentation.

How often do you publish?

Irregularly, and deliberately so. A dispatch ships when we have measured something worth reporting rather than to satisfy a content calendar. That means gaps between posts, and it means the numbers in a piece came from actual work rather than from restating whatever else is circulating.

Where should I start?

Start with the strategy briefing that separates the three disciplines, then read the playbook for whichever one you are weakest at. If you only read one, read the latest field report — it carries the documented statistics and case studies on how much traffic is actually moving.

Can I quote or cite these articles?

Yes. Quote what is useful and link back to the article you took it from. That is the whole point of publishing measurement work in the open, and an attributed citation is exactly the outcome the techniques described in these dispatches are designed to earn.

What each dispatch category covers
Category	What it covers
Field Report	Measured statistics and case studies from live sites
Strategy Briefing	How the three disciplines differ and where to invest
AEO Playbook	Tactics for becoming the extracted answer
GEO Playbook	Earning and measuring citations in generative answers
SEO + AEO Intelligence	Tag-level audits across both disciplines

Dispatch: A long-form technical article published from our own measurement work.
Answer engine: A system that returns a direct response instead of a list of links.
Citation: An attributed reference a generative model makes to your page inside its answer.