AEO: The New SEO That Will Make or Break Your Business Next Year

Julia McCoy

5,307 views • 4 days ago

Video Summary

The video introduces Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) as the crucial strategy for visibility in the age of AI-powered search, where over 60% of queries in 2025 may not lead to website clicks. AEO focuses on content being discoverable and usable by AI for direct answers, contrasting with traditional SEO's focus on ranking multiple results. The video highlights the risk of AI hallucinations and emphasizes AEO as a protective measure. Key factors for AI recommendations include brand mentions, reviews, relevancy, brand age, curated lists, and domain authority. The transcript also outlines an action plan involving auditing visibility, understanding user intent, structuring content for direct Q&A, and implementing schema markup and business profiles.

A surprising insight reveals that over 81% of marketing professionals surveyed have been incorporating AI into their business processes for at least six months, with brand awareness and loyalty being their top goal.

Short Highlights

Over 60% of searches in 2025 are predicted to not lead to any website clicks, as users get answers directly from AI tools.
Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) is about earning the single summarized response delivered by an AI system, unlike traditional SEO which aims for multiple rankings.
AI hallucinations, where AI provides incorrect information, are a significant risk, especially for brands with low online authority or inconsistent data.
Six key factors influence AI recommendations: brand mentions, reviews, relevancy, brand age, recommendations/roundups, and authority.
An action plan includes auditing visibility, structuring content for Q&A, implementing schema markup (like FAQ and how-to), and optimizing business profiles on platforms like Google Business Profile.

Key Details

Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) vs. SEO [00:00]

AEO is presented as the foundational strategy for appearing in AI responses, essential for brand visibility in 2025, where over 60% of searches may not result in website clicks.
Unlike traditional SEO, which focuses on ranking in search engine result pages (SERPs) for positions 1 through 10, AEO aims to secure the single, summarized answer provided by AI systems.
Brands not appearing in AI responses are considered invisible to half the internet, emphasizing the shift from traditional SEO to AEO.

"It's the foundation for showing up in AI responses. And if you're not there, you're invisible to half the internet."

The AI Revolution and Brand Discovery [00:58]

More than 60% of searches in 2025 are predicted to be answered directly by AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google's AI overviews, bypassing traditional website links.
This shift necessitates a new approach to brand discovery, moving beyond conventional SEO to Answer Engine Optimization (AEO).
AEO is defined as making content easy for AI tools to find and use as a direct answer.

Understanding AI Hallucinations and AEO as Protection [02:22]

AI hallucinations, where AI tools generate incorrect but plausible-sounding answers, pose a significant risk to brands.
Examples include fabricated medical product suggestions and invented studies or misquoted statistics.
The risk is amplified when a brand has low online authority or inconsistent information across platforms, as AI may fill in verification gaps incorrectly.
AEO is framed not just as a visibility strategy but as a crucial protective measure against the negative impacts of AI hallucinations.

Factors Influencing AI Recommendations [03:04]

A study by Neil Patel identified six key factors that influence ChatGPT's recommendations for brands.
These factors include: brand mentions across the web, the quality and volume of customer reviews on third-party sites, relevancy of site keywords to user queries with helpful context, the age and established nature of the brand, inclusion in curated lists or "best of" roundups, and domain authority with credible backlinks and consistent content.

"Number one, brand mentions. The more your brand is cited across the web, the higher the likelihood chat GPT will surface it."

Actionable Steps for Answer Engine Optimization [04:03]

The recommended action plan begins with auditing current visibility using tools like UberSuggest and manual prompts in AI tools.
Content should be structured around direct questions and answers, using clear headings and FAQ sections to improve scannability for both humans and AI.
Implementing schema markup, such as FAQ, how-to, and product schema, provides structured data to clarify content for AI systems without altering user-facing presentation.
Optimizing business profiles on platforms like Google Business Profile, Yelp, and Apple Maps is critical, as AI pull information from these sources.

The Imperative of Early Adaptation to AI Search [05:10]

AI-first search is already drastically changing user behavior, making early adaptation to AEO crucial for protecting and enhancing visibility.
Brands that optimize for answer engines today are poised to dominate the future AI-powered search landscape.
Those that delay will risk becoming invisible in an AI-driven world where AI dictates what content is seen.