Answer engine optimization strategy beyond basic SEO and AEO tactics

"Google's AI Overviews (AIO) is taking clicks from websites; clicks drop by 61% when AIO is present and more alarmingly, your potential customers are busy asking AI tools about brands before they decide to create a shortlist. If your brand isn't getting visibility for those early searches, you're out of the race before the buyer has even discovered your website."

"A lot of AEO is SEO, with some pivots, enhancements, or attention diverted to prominent tactics that help brands gain visibility in AI tools. On the other hand, you can gain visibility in AI tools without ranking well in traditional SEO listings; the tactics can be separated."

"The models that power LLMs, like ChatGPT, are trained on a combination of: Publicly available internet content, Licensed third-party data, Information generated by human trainers and users. Together, these sources shape how models understand entities, topics, and relationships across the web."

Answer engine optimization (AEO) represents a significant but not entirely separate evolution from traditional SEO. While some AEO tactics overlap with SEO fundamentals, brands must recognize that AI tools like Google's AI Overviews operate with distinct citation mechanisms and can provide visibility independent of traditional search rankings. AI Overviews reduce website clicks by 61% when present, and customers increasingly consult AI tools before forming purchase shortlists. Brands invisible in these early AI searches lose competitive advantage before potential customers even discover their websites. Effective AEO strategy requires understanding how language models select sources, recognizing where traditional SEO remains valuable, and implementing additional tactics specifically designed for AI-generated answer visibility.

Read at Hubspot