SEO aims to rank pages in search results so people click through. AEO aims to get a company named and recommended inside the answer an AI assistant writes. The foundations overlap heavily. The differences are in what you produce, where you need to be present, and how you know it is working.
Where they overlap
Google has said that its AI Overviews and AI Mode draw on the same index and ranking systems as Search, and that the same best practices apply. Other assistants run their own crawlers and searches but reward similar basics. So the following serve both:
- A site that crawlers can reach and render.
- Fast, stable pages with clear structure.
- Content that genuinely answers what people are looking for.
- Evidence of expertise and trust: named authors, credentials, real examples.
- Mentions and links from reputable sites.
If your SEO foundation is weak, fix that first. It holds up everything else.
Where they differ
| SEO | AEO | |
|---|---|---|
| Goal | A high position on a results page and a click | Being named, recommended and described accurately in the answer |
| Unit of work | Keywords and pages | Buyer questions and the facts that answer them |
| Who decides | Mainly Google's ranking | Several AI assistants, each reading different sources |
| Third-party sources | Valued mainly as links | Valued as independent confirmation, linked or not |
| Outcome when you lose | A lower position, still some visibility | Often complete absence from the answer |
| Measurement | Rankings, clicks, organic traffic | Mentions, position in the answer, description, cited sources |
Questions rather than keywords
SEO research starts from search volume for short phrases. AEO starts from the longer questions buyers put to an assistant, often with their situation built in: their sector, city, budget or constraint. Those questions rarely show up in keyword tools, so they come from sales calls, customer interviews and testing the assistants themselves.
Mentions count, not only links
A list article that names your company without linking still tells an AI assistant you belong in the category. In SEO, an unlinked mention does little. In AEO, it can be the thing that gets you into the answer.
Consistency matters more
When your own site, your LinkedIn page and three directories describe you differently, a human reader shrugs. An AI model may hedge or leave you out. AEO puts more emphasis on making your core facts identical everywhere.
Several engines, not one
SEO for most UK businesses means Google. AEO means at least ChatGPT, Google's AI features, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude and Copilot, and they often disagree. Measurement has to cover them separately.
How to split your effort
- If your site has technical problems, fix them first. Both disciplines depend on it.
- If buyers in your market already ask AI assistants for recommendations, which is common in B2B services and considered purchases, AEO deserves dedicated attention.
- If most of your revenue comes from people searching for a known product by name, SEO and paid search may still carry most of the weight, with AEO protecting how you are described.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is AEO replacing SEO?
No. AEO builds on SEO. Google's AI features rely on its search index, and every AI assistant needs a site it can crawl and read. AEO adds answer-focused content, third-party presence and measurement across AI assistants.
Can an SEO agency do AEO?
Some can. The questions to ask are whether they measure answers across several AI assistants, whether they work on third-party sources beyond link building, and whether they can show results in AI answers rather than in rankings.
Does ranking first on Google mean I will appear in AI answers?
It helps, especially for Google's own AI Overviews, but it is not a guarantee. Other assistants use different sources, and the answer often names companies that do not rank first.