On this week’s Dear Katie, I was asked a very good question that some of you may be left scratching your heads with: What is more effective for website traffic management SEO or AEO or both?
And if you’re wondering: what is AEO?
Don’t worry. It’s another acronym in the world of digital marketing that I’ll explain so you know what it is, the key differences between SEO vs AEO and what it is you need to market your firm.
AEO is short for Answer Engine Optimization. It’s the “new” marketing acronym on the block. If you use Perplexity or ChatGPT for your searches, you’re using an AI-driven search result. Google and Bing also offer these AI results, all of which fall into the categorization of AEO.
Google’s core search product still accounts for 89.34% of all searches, but you’ve likely noticed the AI Overview at the top of certain searches.
If you want to have your link in one of these curated answers, you need to optimize for AEO.
Since search behavior is evolving, it’s important to know how to optimize for:
Your firm’s content should be discoverable in the age of AI, and it only takes small adjustments to your current SEO efforts to make this happen.
The purpose of SEO is to optimize your website for search engines like Google and Bing. The aim is to rank higher in organic search results and drive traffic to your website.
In this sense, AEO sounds a lot like SEO, right? While similar in nature, SEO has a different objective from AEO.
AEO’s aim is to optimize content for AI-driven answers search engines provide when users ask questions. The strategies are more focused on structured data and AI algorithms than on keyword research and optimization.
You know the difference between SEO vs AEO, and now it’s time to make small changes to your digital efforts to start showing up in answers. A few things that you – or us, if you’re working with our team – can do are:
A strong digital marketing strategy should include all of these elements already, but ensuring that you adhere to them is a good first start. In an age of AI-driven search results, it’s more important than ever before for your firm to be the go-to source for industry information.
Now that you understand what AEO is and the difference between SEO and AEO, we can answer the question.
In terms of direct traffic to your website, SEO is still more effective because users have to click through to your site.
AEO, on the other hand, focuses on optimizing content with the goal of being directly featured in the search results – People Also Ask boxes, Featured Snippets, Voice Searches, etc.
Often, these provide immediate answers without clicking through. They can improve your content’s visibility in the search results, but there’s no guarantee that users will click through to your website.
Over the long-term, both are important for your success.
If you want to be visible online, neither is optional at this point. Both will help improve your visibility in the search results and help boost engagement.
And, that’s a wrap on this Dear Katie question.
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Now I want to hear from you. Do you have a question?
Until next time, cheers to your success!
Katie
AEO stands for Answer Engine Optimization. It’s important because it helps your content get featured in AI-driven search results, increasing your visibility and authority in your industry.
SEO focuses on optimizing your website to rank higher in search results, while AEO aims to optimize your content for AI-generated answers, which may not always lead users to your site.
You can optimize for AEO by building your authority, creating clear and concise content that answers specific questions, and using structured data like schema markup for your FAQs.
Yes, SEO remains effective as it drives direct traffic to your website. Users still need to click through to access your content, making it crucial for engagement.
You should focus on both. SEO drives traffic to your site, while AEO enhances your visibility in search results. Together, they improve your overall online presence.
You can measure success by tracking website traffic, engagement metrics, and how often your content appears in AI-driven search results or featured snippets.