AEO vs SEO: Key Differences and Why You Need Both
While SEO and AEO both aim to increase your online visibility, they target different search paradigms and require different strategies.
Traditional SEO
Focus: Ranking high in Google search results pages (SERPs)
Target: Human users clicking through search results
Metrics: Organic traffic, keyword rankings, backlinks
Content: Optimized for search algorithms and human readers
AEO (Answer Engine Optimization)
Focus: Appearing in AI assistant responses and being cited
Target: AI systems that directly answer user questions
Metrics: Citations in AI responses, AI referral traffic, brand mentions
Content: Structured for AI parsing and citation
Key Differences
1. Result Format
- SEO: You appear in a list of search results
- AEO: You're cited directly in the answer itself
2. User Behavior
- SEO: Users click through to your site
- AEO: Users may get the answer without clicking (though citations drive traffic)
3. Content Strategy
- SEO: Keyword optimization, meta tags, backlinks
- AEO: Structured data, comprehensive answers, citation-friendly formatting
4. Competition
- SEO: Competing with thousands of websites
- AEO: Competing for citations in AI responses (often fewer sources cited)
Why You Need Both
- Broader Reach: Cover both traditional and AI-powered search
- Different Audiences: Different users prefer different search methods
- Complementary Strategies: SEO content can be optimized for AEO too
- Future-Proofing: As AI search grows, having AEO gives you a competitive edge
Getting Started
Start with an audit of both your SEO and AEO performance. Then develop a unified strategy that optimizes for both search paradigms.
Get your free visibility audit to see how you're performing across both traditional and AI search platforms.