The Shift From SEO to AEO

by Kate Neri | Sep 17, 2025

SEO isn’t dead. But SEO alone no longer guarantees you’ll be seen by the buyers who matter.

More and more, buyers are getting their answers directly from AI engines. If your company isn’t cited in those responses, you’re invisible before they ever land on your site. Google still dominates out of habit (old habits die hard), but studies show AI is quickly becoming the more valuable stop for direct answers and high-intent visibility. (NN/g Study)

That’s the visibility gap AEO closes: making sure your brand shows up not only in search results, but in the AI answers shaping buyer decisions.

Here’s what the shift looks like in practice:

• Technical must-haves: Page speed, Core Web Vitals, clean hierarchy. (Still critical for both SEO and AEO.)
• Content structure: Write in natural Q&A formats. Anticipate buyer questions.
• Schema markup: Add schema markup to your FAQ page, How-to page, Organization, etc. This helps AI parse and cite with confidence.
• Voice: Conversational, human, trustworthy. AI doesn’t cite jargon, it cites clarity.
• Entity building: Make sure your company, people, and products are clearly defined across the web. AI connects answers through entities, not just keywords.
• Third-party validation: Mentions in credible industry sites, reviews, and thought leadership make you more citeable.

Think of SEO as the table stakes. AEO is how you make sure that investment pays off in the new world of AI visibility.

If you need any help making this shift, we would love to chat.

If you enjoyed this post, this content is part of a digital white paper on AI and the Search Landscape. You can view the full white paper here.