When was the last time you googled something instead of asking ChatGPT or Perplexity? Honestly, for us it’s been a while. And that’s exactly the problem for a lot of businesses: they’ve spent years optimizing their website for Google, but a growing share of searches now bypasses Google entirely.
What’s actually the difference between SEO and AEO?
Most people know SEO (Search Engine Optimization): making sure your website shows up near the top of Google when someone types in a relevant term. AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) aims for something similar, but for a different audience: AI systems like ChatGPT, Perplexity, or the AI summaries built directly into Google search. Instead of ten blue links, the AI delivers a ready-made answer. The question is: does your business show up in that answer, or does a competitor get cited instead?
Why this matters right now
A year or two ago, this was still a niche topic. Today, a lot of people don’t really “google” in the classic sense anymore. They ask a question and expect a direct answer, without clicking through websites themselves. For businesses, that means: if an AI doesn’t “know” your website, or doesn’t understand what it’s about, you simply won’t show up in these answers, even if you’re actually ranking decently on Google.
How does an AI even decide which website to cite?
That’s the interesting question, and honestly, there’s no hundred-percent reliable formula. A few clear patterns have emerged, though:
Clear, direct answers beat vague marketing copy. AI systems favor content that actually answers a question instead of talking around it. A paragraph that precisely explains what something costs or how a process works gets cited more often than a paragraph full of buzzwords.
Structure matters more than design. Headings, lists, clearly separated sections: all of this helps an AI parse and categorize content. A beautiful but technically unstructured website struggles here more than you’d expect.
Clean technical foundations behind the scenes. Structured data (schema markup), a clean page structure, and fast load times: things people barely notice, but AI systems (and Google, for that matter) very much do.
Freshness and consistency. If the same information about your business is accurate and up to date across the web: website, Google Business Profile, directory listings. It comes across as more trustworthy than contradictory or outdated details.
We cover a practical self-test for this in our article Does ChatGPT Actually Know My Website?
What can you actually do?
The good news: good SEO and good AEO overlap quite a bit. If you’ve already been putting real effort into your website, you’re usually reasonably well positioned for AI visibility too. A few concrete levers:
- Answer the questions your customers actually ask, directly and clearly, ideally in their own sections, not buried in the middle of paragraphs
- Add structured data (schema markup) so search engines and AI systems clearly understand what a page is about
- Don’t neglect the technical basics: load time, clean heading structure, mobile display
- Keep information about your business consistent everywhere it appears online
For more on the technical foundation behind this, see our article Why the Most Beautiful Website Won’t Help If Google Doesn’t Understand It.
Do you need to rebuild your entire website?
No, usually not. A complete rebuild is rarely necessary. Often it’s enough to sharpen existing content and add a few technical foundations. What matters most is not ignoring the topic altogether, since the share of AI-based searches keeps growing. If you’re not sure where your website currently stands, we’re happy to take a look together, no obligation.