SEO has been something that companies have been using for years. It allows your business to show up on Google when customers are searching for your services. With ChatGPT and other forms of AI taking off, we’ve seen another term that companies have been learning about: AEO (Answer Engine Optimization).
So what’s the difference? And do I need both for my business?
Well, SEO helps your website appear in search engine results. AEO helps search engines and AI-powered platforms find and use information from your website or about your business.
There are similarities between both that can benefit your business. Here’s what each one does.
What Is SEO?
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of optimizing your website to help it appear in search engine results.
Customers can search on Google for something like “plumber near me.” They’ll see a map with nearby businesses and ads, followed by web pages from plumbing companies.
A plumber may optimize their website by doing the following:
- Have web pages about their services.
- Use keywords that customers may search for.
- Ensure their website is fast and can be viewed on a phone.
- Keep their Google Business Profile up to date.
- Provide helpful information on their website.
- Build credibility through their website.
This will help improve their website’s chances of showing up when a customer searches for those keywords.
You can get many benefits from SEO. You can drive customers to your website, receive phone calls, and even generate sales. However, there’s no SEO tactic that will guarantee you a top spot.
What Is AEO?
Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) is similar to SEO. However, it’s focused on answer engines.
You can ask a question to ChatGPT about who you should use as your plumber and how much a water heater repair would cost.
The AI may give you some information and possibly direct you to a website.
AEO helps make your business information and website more accessible to answer engines when someone asks questions. Instead of having to look through multiple websites, customers may receive that information directly in an AI-generated answer.
If this is new to you, check out our previous post on What Is AEO?
Differences Between AEO and SEO
While there are similarities between AEO and SEO, they focus on different tasks.
SEO Will Focus On:
- Helping your website appear in search engine results.
- Showing your website based on keywords or topics.
- Driving customers to your website.
- Using technical SEO, content, and links to your website.
- Analyzing your search rankings, traffic, and conversions.
AEO Will Focus On:
- Helping your information and website become a potential source for answer engines.
- Making your website useful for answering questions.
- Helping customers discover your information before visiting your website.
- Using similar techniques as SEO by making your content useful and easy to understand.
- Analyzing whether your business is mentioned or referenced by answer engines.
They both go hand in hand.
AEO builds on SEO.
How Can They Benefit My Business?
Let’s use a roofing company that sells roofs in Boca Raton as an example.
The company may create a web page about roof replacements. That way, they have an opportunity to appear on Google when a customer searches for “roof replacement in Boca Raton.”
They can provide more information on their web page about their services. With proper SEO, the company can improve its chances of ranking in search engines when customers are looking to replace their roofs.
Using AEO, they can add information that will help answer questions about roofs.
They can answer questions like:
- How much does it cost to replace a roof in South Florida?
- How long will it take to replace my roof?
These questions allow your website to help your customers. Search engines and AI-powered platforms that retrieve website content may also use your information when generating answers.
Your company can now work toward showing up in search engine results while helping customers by answering questions about your industry.
Does Google View AEO Any Differently Than SEO?
Many people get confused about what AI can and can’t do when it comes to search.
When Google introduced its AI search features, it explained that traditional SEO best practices still apply to appearing in these features.
Following these tips can help your website appear in Google Search:
- Make your website accessible.
- Create original content.
- Provide a great user experience.
- Have useful information on your website.
There’s no magic trick to getting your website to show up in AI Overviews. So be careful about spending money with companies that guarantee your website will appear in AI-generated answers.
Read more about Google’s recommendations here.
Why Should Small Businesses Use AEO?
There are many questions that customers ask when searching for a company, whether it’s a plumbing company or a business selling commercial products.
For example:
- Should I fix or replace my air conditioner?
- How much does a kitchen remodel cost?
- What’s the best commercial product for a specific job?
These are all questions that your company can help customers answer.
If they’re going to use an AI tool to help them find a solution, make sure your website provides useful information about those topics.
You don’t have to spend tons of money on AEO to improve your website’s chances of appearing in answer engines. There are many steps you can take to make your website more AEO-friendly.
What Can I Do to Improve My SEO and AEO?
Here are a few steps that can help with both.
Look at Your Current Website
Go through your main web pages and make sure your information is up to date. Is your customer able to find what they’re looking for on your website?
Add More Information to Your Website
What questions do you get asked by your customers? Add that information to your website. This will help your customers when they have questions.
Keep Your Information Up to Date
Your business name, phone number, and location should all be up to date. Make sure you’re checking your website and Google Business Profile to ensure your information is accurate.
Make Sure Your Website Is Accessible
Having a website that’s down or broken can hurt your business. We at Managed Web can help keep your website running smoothly and address errors that may affect its performance.
Don’t Forget About SEO
Keep working on your SEO to improve your chances of showing up in search engines.
Can I Measure AEO?
There are many ways to measure your SEO. From rankings to phone calls and conversions, you can analyze your SEO performance.
It may be harder to tell if your website is showing up in answer engines. You can measure some traffic that is referred to your website from AI-powered search platforms.
Other ways to measure your AEO efforts include:
- Checking whether your website or business is being mentioned in AI-generated answers.
- Reviewing Google Search Console data.
- Asking customers whether they were referred by an AI-powered platform.
- Monitoring website traffic and conversions.
Remember, there’s no single way to measure whether your website is showing up in answer engines. Your website may appear for one question and not another.
Just make sure your marketing efforts are helping drive customers to your business.
Should You Use SEO or AEO?
We recommend using both. If your website is outdated and not showing up in search engines, you should focus on that first. Then you can work on ways to help your website become a useful source for answer engines.
Don’t worry too much about not showing up in AI search results right away. Focus on giving your customers the information they need on your website.
SEO Isn’t Going Away
With so many changes to search, it can be hard to keep up. But making sure your website is accessible and can be found through search engines is still important.
Making sure your website helps customers find information about your business is also important.
Start with having a good website that’s properly optimized for search engines, and you’re on the right track.
Managed Web can help with that.
Want help with SEO or getting your website ready for AI search? Learn more about us here.
