How to Do SEO for AI: AEO vs SEO

Search isn’t dying—clicks are.

The rise of AI engines like ChatGPT, Google's Gemini, and Perplexity has created a new, massive channel for brand visibility, used by hundreds of millions of people every week. The game has changed. Winning no longer means just getting a click; it means becoming the source of the answer itself. This new discipline is called Answer Engine Optimization (AEO), and if you learn its nuances, the upside for your business is immense.

The Great Debate: Is SEO Dying, or Just Evolving?

The core position we've taken, based on our experience and deep analysis, is that we are witnessing an evolution, not an extinction. The foundational principles of helping users solve problems are more important than ever. However, the mechanics of how users find those solutions have been fundamentally altered by Artificial Intelligence in SEO.

AI engines represent a new and powerful channel for visibility. The sheer volume of queries being processed by these systems is staggering. For businesses, this is not a threat but an opportunity. The brands that adapt their AI SEO strategy to this new reality will gain a significant competitive advantage. The bottom line is that AEO is not a scam; it's the next logical step in search.

SEO vs. AEO: The New Mindset for Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)

At first glance, traditional Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) don't seem drastically different. Both require quality content, a technically sound website, and a focus on user intent. But as our AI SEO company has discovered, it's the small, subtle differences in mindset and execution that determine the winners.

The most notable shift is the goal of the campaign. The traditional SEO mindset follows a linear path: rank on Google, earn the click, inform the user on your website, and then attempt to convert them. The AEO mindset is different. The goal is to be cited and visible directly within the AI's answer. This results in fewer direct visits, but the visitors who do arrive are significantly warmer and better researched. Your website's job shifts from "informing" to "closing." This is the essence of modern Generative Engine Optimization (GEO).

The Macro Shift: More Searches, Fewer Clicks

The new search economy is defined by a simple paradox: as AI makes asking questions easier and the answers better, the total volume of searches is going up. However, because many of those questions are answered directly within the AI interface, the total volume of clicks to websites is going down.

For businesses, this means we must adapt our goals. Instead of obsessing over traffic volume, we must prioritize visibility inside the AI's answers and optimize our websites for the high-intent, well-researched users who do click through. The question is no longer just "how do I rank?" but "how do I become the source?" This is the central problem that Generative Engine Optimization Services are designed to solve.

The Measurement Reality for AI SEO Optimization

One of the biggest challenges for businesses adapting to AEO is that the metrics can feel "wobbly" and inconsistent. As an agency that provides AI Search Optimization Services, we've had to build new models for measurement.

The results you see in an AI engine can differ dramatically based on context. For example, ChatGPT with its "Memory" feature enabled will return different answers than a session without it. Results from the API often differ from the desktop app. Even a user's personal account versus their work account can produce different outputs due to varying chat histories.

This means that traditional rank tracking is noisy and often misleading. The takeaway from our experience is to use AEO tracking tools as a barometer over time, not as a precise, real-time meter. The important question is not "Were we cited for this exact prompt at 2 PM on Tuesday?" but rather "Are we more visible and more frequently cited for our core topics than we were six months ago?" This directional progress is the key to effective AI SEO optimization.

A Dual Strategy: Creating Content for AI Agents and for Humans

To win in this new environment, you need a two-pronged content strategy. You are no longer marketing just to humans; you are also marketing to the AI agents that serve them.

First, you must create content for the agents. This means publishing many more pages that are purpose-built to answer the long tail of highly specific questions about your products and services. These pages should be structured in a simple Q&A format, with clear questions and direct, concise answers that an AI agent can easily quote. Humans may never see these pages directly by navigating your site, but the agents will find them and use them as source material.

Second, you must optimize your core website pages for the humans who arrive after their initial research is done. Assume these visitors are well-researched and close to a decision. Your pages need to be conversion-oriented, with less informational fluff and more "closing" content like clear proof points, customer testimonials, and frictionless calls-to-action (CTAs).

Building for Answer Engine Optimization (AEO): Content That Gets Cited

So, how do you actually build the content that AI agents will cite? The tactics are straightforward but require discipline. This is the heart of hands-on Answer Engine Optimization (AEO).

The most effective strategy we've implemented is to create a large volume of question-specific pages. These aren't long-form blog posts; they are focused, granular pages that cover the nuanced, memory-shaped queries that users are now asking. The structure is paramount: use the clear question as the headline and provide a direct answer immediately.

This requires a cultural shift for many businesses. You may need to make more of your internal knowledge public, turning your team's expertise into crawlable, citable content. The more you teach the AI, the more it will learn to trust and reference you. This is a core component of SEO for AI Search.

A Practical Workflow for ChatGPT SEO and Query Testing

You cannot expect consistent results from a single prompt. A robust workflow for ChatGPT SEO involves pre-programming multiple likely phrasings of how your customers might ask about your products or services.

At our agency, we run these prompt sets daily to gauge our clients' inclusion and visibility trends over time. We also spot-check the differences between various interfaces, like the API versus the desktop app, and test with and without memory to see how the outputs shift. This process is not about finding an absolute "rank." It's about accepting the inherent variability of these systems and measuring your directional progress toward becoming one of the consistently "good" and trustworthy sources. This is a key discipline for any serious AI SEO Company.

What Winning Looks Like in the Era of Entity SEO

Success in AEO looks different from success in traditional SEO. You can expect to have less overall traffic but more pages indexed. The traffic you do get will be of a much higher quality, leading to better conversion rates. "Winning" means achieving consistent inclusion and citation across a diverse range of question forms.

Ultimately, a winning website is one that closes deals effectively because its visitors have already done their research in an AI chat. This is where Entity SEO plays a vital role. By clearly defining your company, your products, and your experts as distinct, trustworthy entities, you provide the AI with the credible sources it needs to formulate its answers.

A common pitfall we see is businesses judging their success only by session counts, ignoring the dramatic improvement in lead quality. Another is publishing content only for humans and completely ignoring the need for agent-oriented Q&A pages.

Your Quickstart Plan for Effective AI SEO

Ready to get started? This isn't about boiling the ocean. It's about taking practical, systematic steps.

First, adopt AEO as a complementary strategy alongside your existing SEO efforts—don't wait. The most impactful action you can take is to start publishing a series of Q&A pages that answer highly specific questions about your products and services.

Simultaneously, tune your core website pages to convert the well-researched visitors who will begin to arrive. This means adding clear proof points and strong CTAs.

Finally, begin tracking your inclusion in AI answers directionally. Use a variety of phrasings and monitor your progress over time. Accept the variability of the results and aim to be among the most consistent and trusted sources in your niche. This is the foundation of a successful AI SEO program.

Thriving in the Agentic Web with an Expert AI SEO Agency

We are entering a new phase of the web, one where we must market to both AI agents and humans simultaneously. The debate over "Will AI replace SEO?" is missing the point. AI has created a new, high-leverage channel that requires an evolution of our skills. AEO is here, it’s real, and it’s being used by millions of your potential customers.

The brands that take the time to learn the subtle but critical differences in strategy and execution will own the next era of search-driven visibility and revenue.

This master plan provides the framework, but we understand that execution can be complex. The nuances of SEO for Gemini, the technical aspects of Large Language Model Optimization (LLMO), and the ongoing process of testing and refinement require dedicated expertise.

This is exactly what we do. At Green Lotus AI, we are an AI SEO agency that specializes in helping businesses in the US thrive in this new environment. We provide the AI SEO Services and strategic guidance necessary to turn AI answers into real business growth. If you’re ready to build a resilient, future-proof strategy, contact us for a consultation.