Is Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) really just SEO with a fresh coat of paint, or are we looking at something fundamentally different? This question has been nagging at me for weeks, and in this AI Quick Take I try to answer it.
This started with a lunch conversation at the Marketing AI Conference in Cleveland, where an SEO expert told me AEO was merely a 10% incremental change from traditional SEO. Then I saw a post from Drew Neisser featuring a CMO who called AEO and GEO "a load of crap," suggesting that following SEO best practices would be sufficient. But after analyzing our own data at Health Launchpad and hearing similar stories from clients, I'm not convinced they're right.
Our website traffic grew 10% month-over-month for four years straight, with 65-80% driven by SEO. Now SEO accounts for less than 40% of our traffic, but the decline has been offset by increases in referral and direct traffic from answer engines like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity. We're moving into what many call a zero-click world where users get answers, not links.
The new gatekeepers aren't search engines anymore - they're answer engines that read, interpret, and decide what's worth repeating. In this episode, I will unpack why I think AEO truly is a big deal and requires thinking differently about how we approach digital marketing.
Key Topics Covered:
"(00:00:00)" Introduction
"(00:01:30)" The Question: Is AEO Just SEO Rebranded?
"(00:05:00)" Is This SEO 2.0 or Something Different?
"(00:05:30)" The Reality of Traditional SEO
"(00:06:30)" Health Launchpad's Traffic Data
"(00:08:00)" The Zero-Click World
"(00:09:00)" Answers Not Links
"(00:10:00)" The Skeptics' Point of View
"(00:11:00)" Overlapping Tactics vs Overlapping Strategy
"(00:12:00)" SEO vs AEO: Ranked vs Retrieved
"(00:14:00)" Pre-Qualified Buyers from AI Engines
"(00:15:00)" Zyppy's Research: 86% Citations from Owned Content
"(00:17:30)" The Measurement Challenge
"(00:19:00)" New Metrics: Retrieval Frequency and Answer Share
"(00:22:00)" Four Key Takeaways
"(00:24:30)" Future-Proofing Your Brand
"(00:25:30)" Closing Advice
If you are interested in discussing this or any other topic, let's have a chat. Reach out to me directly to schedule a no-obligation discussion. This isn't a sales call, but rather an opportunity to talk through your questions and challenges.
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