What is AEO and how does it differ from SEO?

AEO, or AI Engine Optimization, is the process of optimizing your content not just for human readers finding information through traditional Search Engine Optimization (SEO) methods, but also for artificial intelligence (AI) engines, such as those powering search assistants, chatbots, and voice search applications. While SEO primarily targets visibility in Search Engine Result Pages (SERPs) to drive traffic to your website from human users, AEO focuses on structuring and presenting information in a way that AI algorithms can easily understand, interpret, and use to generate concise, accurate, and helpful responses.

The key difference lies in the target audience and the method of consumption. SEO uses keywords, backlinks, and content freshness to rank highly in SERPs, enticing users to click on your website. AEO, on the other hand, leverages techniques like structured data markup (schema), natural language processing (NLP) principles, and comprehensive content coverage to make your content more accessible and understandable to AI. This allows AI to quickly extract relevant information, summarize it effectively, and present it to users within the AI's interface, often without the user ever visiting your website directly. Consider it optimizing for direct answers rather than just driving clicks. Therefore, while SEO and AEO share the common goal of increasing visibility and reach, their approaches and immediate objectives differ significantly. A strong AEO strategy complements an SEO strategy by ensuring your content is not only discoverable but also readily usable by the increasingly prevalent AI-powered systems.