(0:00) I saw a post in rMarketing the other day that said, (0:03) I just started learning SEO. Should I even bother or should I pivot directly to AEO? (0:11) And honestly, that's a huge question and it's exactly what we're talking about today. (0:15) If we haven't met yet, I'm Cassie Clark.
I'm a content strategist who helps startups and (0:22) B2B brands get seen with their content. And now that AI engines are part of how people search, (0:28) that means creating content that shows up in AI generated answers. (0:33) So this show is where I'm sharing what I'm learning, the experiments I'm running, (0:38) and the strategies you can use to get your business found in AI search.
(0:43) And in today's episode, we're starting right at the beginning with what AEO actually is, (0:50) how it works, and why it matters. (0:53) If SEO is about ranking in Google search results, AEO, or answer engine optimization, (1:02) is about becoming the source that AI tools like ChatGPT, Bing Copilot, or Perplexity (1:09) choose to quote when they answer a question. So traditional search engines rank hundreds of (1:15) pages by factors like keywords, backlinks, site speed, domain authority.
(1:21) AI engines work a little differently. Think of them like a librarian. They look for the most (1:27) credible, clear, and relevant answer they can summarize conversationally.
So instead of chasing (1:34) the number one spot on Google, you're now asking, how do I get my content picked as the trusted (1:41) answer? In terms of AEO, you might also hear terms that remind you a little of old McDonald's (1:50) farm. Those are GEO, which is a generative engine optimization, which focuses on AI and search. (2:01) AIO, or AI optimization, is kind of the bigger picture.
SGE, or Google's search generative (2:11) experience. If you've made a Google search in the last six months, you have seen this. (2:16) It's our AI answer layer that is on every Google search now.
So why do we care about AEO in 2025? (2:27) So is there even a point to staying on trend? I have seen this question asked so many times (2:34) on LinkedIn, in my content groups, and honestly, if you look deep enough, we are starting to see (2:41) a shift in search. It's more zero-click searches where people get the full answer without clicking (2:48) through to a website. And I know that might sound bad for an overall strategy because it probably (2:54) is going to reduce your traffic a little, but here's the kicker.
Once AI engines start citing (3:00) you, you hold that spot for a long time. So early adopters, brands who are working to position (3:08) themselves in these AI answers now, it's a long-term visibility play. And it matters even (3:15) more because those who click on your links in AI search, like in the citations, those people are (3:22) already interested in your brand.
Meaning they're more likely to enter your customer funnel, (3:27) and since they're already searching for answers, they are very interested in the offer you have (3:34) as a solution to their problems. All of that to say, SEO is still massively important (3:41) because as of now, it appears AI search uses Google to provide answers. So you still need (3:47) to create content that ranks.
However, with AEO, you also need to make sure that AI can recognize (3:56) your content as a source of truth, incited as such. So we know tons of tech bros are sharing (4:03) questionable AI strategies. I'm asking, do they even know what they're talking about? (4:10) Who knows? I'm really not sure they even know what they're talking about.
(4:16) But in an effort to learn in public and share what I'm learning with you, (4:20) I'm testing out AEO strategies with quick experiments. That means every week, (4:27) I'm running one small experiment tied to the topic that we're covering on this podcast episode. (4:33) So this week's test, I'm adding a short FAQ block to one of my blog posts that already ranks (4:40) in Google for a relevant question.
That particular post is titled, Why Startups (4:47) Are Hiring Fractional Content Strategists. It currently ranks in the third position in Google, (4:53) and it's being cited in the AI overview. So to add in those questions, I'm using also asked (5:00) to find the questions for that section.
So I'm going to add in three to five relevant questions (5:06) like, is fractional the same as freelance? What's the difference between a fractional and a (5:14) content strategist? Those are literally questions that also asked gave me this morning when I typed (5:19) in the keyword. So I'm going to use those exactly. I'm going to make my answers conversational, (5:25) mark them up with the FAQ schema, and track if that page starts showing up in perplexity, (5:35) being copilot, and chat GPT browsing mode.
I'm going to check this weekly, and I'm going to (5:41) share the results in a future episode, and I'm probably going to be talking about it all over (5:44) LinkedIn, so just FYI. If you want to follow along with your own experiment, pick a post, (5:51) and add an FAQ section, then track where it's getting picked up. Make notes, keep it in a (5:57) spreadsheet, or wherever you use your tracking, and just see what happens with this.
So if you (6:02) want to start thinking in AEO, here are three practical steps that you can take this week (6:09) and do, even if you only have one spare hour. The first one, audit your top content. Go into Google (6:17) Search Console or your analytics tool, whichever one you like.
Find your top five to ten pages by (6:23) traffic, then ask, does this post already answer a specific question? If it does, make a note. Those (6:32) pages are now your low-hanging fruit for AI search visibility, and they might be the ones that you go (6:39) in and add these little test experiments to, so like the FAQ section at the bottom. Number two, (6:46) hate the word, but you're going to go in and add some extra clarity and entities into your post.
(6:52) What that means is AI latches onto clear information, so replacing vague language with (6:59) specific named entities, like actual product names, industry terms, location, (7:07) people. So instead of saying our software, say Cassie Clark Analytics Program, or whatever your (7:15) product is. So use clear, specific wording, so it makes it easier for AI to identify what it is you're (7:22) talking about inside your content.
The third one, we're going to start small with AI-friendly (7:28) structure. So those pages I was talking about, and when you do your content audit, pick one page, (7:34) we're just going to do one at a time, make it easier for AI to parse, to sift through it. I like (7:41) sift through a little bit better than parse, but whatever.
Add a short bullet point summary at the (7:46) top, it's like key takeaways at the top, or insert a two to three question FAQ at the bottom. Answer (7:55) all of this in plain conversational sentences. In your headings, think beyond just the keyword.
(8:04) Use headings that match common search queries, like what is your topic, or how does this process work. (8:13) Doing just one of these steps this week, and you'll already be nudging your content toward (8:18) AI search ready. So when AI search, because it's bigger than SEO, I don't know that it'll happen.
(8:26) It might. We'll see. We'll see. You're already a couple steps ahead then, if you wait until later. (8:33)
If you've been listening and thinking, we should be showing up in these AI answers, but I have (8:38) no idea where to start, that's exactly what I help brands figure out. I'm Cassie Clark, (8:44) a content strategist who builds AI search ready content systems for startups and B2B companies.
(8:50) If you want to talk about how we can make your content work harder in this new search era, (8:55) connect with me on LinkedIn or visit my website, CassieClarkMarketing.com. (8:59)
Next week, next week's episode, we're tackling the big question, is SEO dead? Spoiler alert, (9:08) no, it's not, but it's changing fast. I'll see you in the next episode.
