Article Published by Chris Glynn (Director) on 08/11/2024
What is AEO?
AEO stands for Answer Engine Optimisation. It is the optimisation of content (and a website) to increase visibility in AI search engines such as ChatGPT Search and Google AI Overviews. As more users ask questions, functionality gets stronger and now coming into 2025, fresh opportunities arise alongside Google traditional search results to have links appear. SEO is still strong, but both AEO and SEO should be used as part of a comprehensive strategy. This is especially important for blog posts and articles. Being the expert in your industry has never been more important! As a result, numerous businesses are recognizing the importance of optimizing their web content for AI-generated responses, just as they do for Google and other search engines.
AEO vs SEO
You might be curious about the distinctions between AEO and Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Some individuals argue that AEO and SEO represent entirely different approaches, while others contend that they are essentially the same. Both perspectives hold validity. AEO and SEO are fundamentally different, as one focuses on optimizing content for artificial intelligence, while the other targets traditional search engines. They cater to different types of query outcomes. However, the strategies employed to position your content in these results often overlap. Many techniques utilized in Answer Engine Optimisation align with SEO best practices. Consequently, it is essential as we move into 2025 to incorporate AEO into SEO strategies. For instance, when we are determining blog topics for a client and providing post-writing feedback, we take into account the AEO implications and the potential for ranking on both conventional Google search results and AI-driven search engines. This approach enhances the potential of a blog guide to effectively address queries and generate cumulative traffic.
Considering search intent and keeping your AEO focus inline with your SEO strategy is the best advice we can give.
ChatGPT Search Engine
- To use ChatGPT Search, you’ll need to be a ChatGPT Plus or Team user – or be on the waitlist for SearchGPT.
Search will become available for free ChatGPT users “over the coming months.” You can access search at chatgpt.com and on the desktop and mobile apps. Once ChatGPT Search is available for free, this is when we’ll see big volumes hitting websites via Answer Engine Optimisation. Check out the video at the bottom of this page that shows how it works.
How it works. According to OpenAI:
“The search model is a fine-tuned version of GPT-4o, post-trained using novel synthetic data generation techniques, including distilling outputs from OpenAI o1-preview. ChatGPT search leverages third-party search providers, as well as content provided directly by our partners, to provide the information users are looking for.”
Building Your AEO Strategy
An effective AEO strategy, combined with the right AEO agency, can enhance your business’s visibility in answer engine results, directing traffic to your website and increasing conversions. If you would like to explore how to customise your AEO strategy to complement your SEO efforts, why not book a free SEO discovery here on our website at a time that suits you. During this call, we will discuss the potential of both strategies and review your current performance, identifying new opportunities for growth.
Thanks for reading!
UPDATE 11/11/2024 – Source: Search Engine Journal
Takeaways – AEO For ChatGPT Search
Chief Product Officer Kevin Weill is right, these are still the early days of their search and much can still change. The OpenAI Reddit AMA offers first hints at what SEO is growing into.
Insights:
- Bing is the main service ChatGPT Search uses but there are other services it uses as well. That makes Bing an important search engine to rank in.
- ChatGPT users are accustomed to natural language interactions and may during the course of their work day use ChatGPT Search.
- OpenAI may use Reinforcement Learning at some point to get a better handle on hallucinations.
- Personalization may be arriving at some point in the future in the form of a dynamically rendered web page.
Beyond those takeaways is the consideration that OpenAI is not directly competing against Google with a standalone search engine, it has created a completely different experience for searching the web.
