WHAT IS AEO

AEO — What it is, why it changes the game, and how to get ready for it.

AEO, or Answer Engine Optimization, is the art of structuring and formatting your content so that search engines, artificial intelligences, and other LLMs (such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude, etc.), as well as voice assistants, can provide the answer directly — while citing your website as the source.

What is AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) — explained simply

Whether or not you use artificial intelligence tools in your daily life, you’ve probably noticed in recent months that some search engines, like Google Chrome, for example, now display an answer to your question at the top of the page, even before the sponsored results.

This first answer, called the “AI Overview,” is powered by Google’s artificial intelligence, Gemini, and is the direct result of a new trend in the world of SEO: AEO.

AEO, short for “Answer Engine Optimization,” is the set of practices that make your content directly usable by answer engines and conversational assistants (Google SGE, Bing/Copilot, Perplexity, ChatGPT, etc.). Instead of aiming to attract a click to your page, the goal is for the AI to reuse (and cite) your content to directly answer a user’s question.

In other words: instead of hoping that a user clicks on your site to find the answer, you structure and write your content so that the AI tool can already provide the right answer — and ideally cite you as the source.

But how do you get there? What can you do to make artificial intelligences cite you? And what role does SEO play in all of this?

AEO vs SEO — What are the differences?

While e-commerce websites have continued to grow in importance over the past decade, showcase or informational sites have lost ground, giving way to social networks, video platforms, and influencers.. However, that trend has been reversing at full speed since November 2024. That pivotal date marks the public launch of ChatGPT. The reason is simple: artificial intelligences still don’t cite influencers or social media posts. They rely instead on so-called “reliable” sources — websites whose information can be verified. The race for visibility is back on, and it’s fiercer than ever.

Information about this new way of driving visibility online is still murky. Released only in bits and pieces, it often leads people to confuse AEO with SEO. While both aim for visibility, there are some key differences:

SEO (Search Engine Optimization): Traditional SEO, as we’ve known it for years, focuses on improving your pages’ ranking in search results (SERPs). It’s what we call “classic” optimization — the goal of “getting on the first page of Google.” It mainly involves optimizing organic traffic and positioning by following key best practices such as site speed, clear text structure, a valid SSL certificate, backlinks, and alignment with search intent, among others.
AEO (Answer Engine Optimization): AEO, on the other hand, aims to provide structured answers or snippets that engines and assistants can display without requiring a click (or use for voice responses). It addresses the new reality of zero-click visibility, with rich snippets, AI-generated citations, and voice search results.

SEO VS SEO - IMPORTANT

SEO seeks the click.
AEO seeks the answer — and sometimes the reuse of your text.

The techniques overlap (structure, quality, relevance), but AEO places greater emphasis on structure, precision of the answer, and immediate clarity.
Le AEO answers a question.

Why artificial intelligence is changing everything (and fast)

LLMs (Large Language Models) — another name for artificial intelligences such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude, etc. — are trained to provide concise, direct answers. They favor content that:

directly answers a specific question (not 20 paragraphs of vague information);
are factual and can be sourced;
are well-structured (clear headings, lists, FAQs, how-tos);
include usable metadata (schema/JSON-LD).

The direct consequences are:

A long but poorly structured article risks being ignored by the assistant — even if it ranks well in traditional SEO.
Pages that provide short, verifiable, and well-tagged answers are more likely to appear in snippets, answer cards, or be cited by a voice assistant.
Businesses that fail to adapt will see their search traffic decline. Their brand recognition may protect them in the short term, but they risk being overtaken by competitors who embraced the shift.

“Zero-click” explained (and why it’s not necessarily a bad thing)

We refer to “zero-click” when the user gets the answer directly on the results page or through an assistant, without clicking any link. It’s the direct outcome of an AI-generated response — or of the “AI Overview” we mentioned earlier in this article.

The impacts of zero-click are significant:

Fewer clicks: This is the immediate threat facing sites that rely on traffic. On the other hand, sensationalist sites that depend on clickbait are likely to disappear.
More trust and authority: If your content is cited as a source, it becomes an instant and guaranteed mark of quality. You’ll gain credibility and visibility, even without clicks.
New behaviors: users now expect quick answers (on mobile or through voice). If you’re not visible in those responses, you lose the prospect’s mindshare.

The right approach: don’t choose between SEO and AEO — do both. Keep pages that convert when users click, and create pages designed to be reused by answer engines.

THE RIGHT APPROACH

The right approach isn’t to choose between SEO and AEO: it’s to do both.
It’s important to keep pages that convert when users click, while also creating pages designed to be reused by answer engines.

What is AEO used for in your business?

AEO is still in its early days, nothing is set in stone, and we’re likely to see many changes and adjustments in the months and years to come. Just like traditional SEO, two things are clear: early adopters will be the big winners, and those who lag behind will struggle.
Adapting your website for AEO will bring you:

Acquisition: You’ll capture the attention of assistants and featured snippets.
Trust: You’ll be cited as a credible source by an assistant, strengthening your brand.
Reduced acquisition cost: if your FAQs or how-tos instantly answer a prospect’s questions, conversions (sign-ups, contacts) can increase on other pages or through re-engagement actions.
Voice readiness: You’ll prepare for the rise of voice assistants, which rarely read full articles — they look for short, well-sourced answers.

Risks and limitations (what no one will tell you)

AI tools can summarize your content without guaranteeing a solid link back to you (the best practice is to be very clear and structure your sources to increase the likelihood of being cited).
Assistants are constantly evolving: an AEO strategy must be maintained and tested. It’s not a “one-time optimization.”
Patents, licenses, and protected content require caution: a poorly crafted FAQ can spread incomplete information. Always cite your sources.

KEY TAKEAWAY

AEO doesn’t replace SEO, it complements it.
Businesses that learn how to write for AI while still being useful to humans will gain visibility, authority, and commercial efficiency.