SEO vs. AEO: What Businesses Actually Need to Know
SEO isn't going anywhere.
But Google isn't the only place your customers are searching anymore.
They're asking ChatGPT. The’r asking Claude. They're getting AI-generated answers from Google. And increasingly, they're asking specific questions and getting recommendations without scrolling through a traditional page of search results.
That's where AEO, or Answer Engine Optimization, enters the conversation.
So, do you need to rethink everything you're doing with SEO?
No. But you do need to understand what's changing.
SEO Gets You Found. AEO Helps You Become the Answer.
Traditional SEO helps search engines understand your website and improves your chances of appearing when someone searches for the products, services or expertise you offer.
That still matters. A lot.
AEO expands the playing field. Instead of only trying to rank a webpage, you're also creating content that AI-powered search and answer engines can understand, trust and potentially use when answering someone's question.
The good news? A lot of what makes for good SEO also makes for good AEO.
Clear website structure. Useful content. Authority around your subject. Direct answers to real questions. Consistent information about who you are and what you do.
In other words, don't fire your SEO strategy because somebody introduced another acronym.
Search didn't disappear. It got bigger.
Here's Where It Gets Interesting
Someone might Google:
“trade show booth company Los Angeles”
But in ChatGPT, they might ask:
“Who are some good companies in Southern California that can design and build a custom trade show booth for CES?”
That's a very different search.
Want to see where your business stands?
Try this: Ask ChatGPT to recommend companies that provide your exact service in your market, without mentioning your company.
Did you show up?
Now ask why it recommended the companies it did.
That little experiment can tell you quite a bit about how visible your business is becoming beyond traditional search.
Don't Choose Between SEO and AEO
This is where I think businesses need to get it right.
AEO isn't a replacement for SEO. It's an expansion of it.
You still need a technically sound website. You still need useful content. You still need authority. And you absolutely still want Google traffic.
But now you also want your business and expertise to be understandable and discoverable by the AI systems people are increasingly using to research companies, compare options and make decisions.
The companies that start building that visibility now have an opportunity to get ahead while everyone else is still figuring out what AEO stands for.
SEO isn't dead. Search just got bigger.
Want to Put This Into Action?
Marketing Aloha partners with businesses to make marketing, sales and the systems behind them work better together. If you're thinking about where SEO, AEO or AI fits into what's next for your business, let's talk.