The Next Big Thing in Marketing & SEO: AEO (AI/Answer Engine Optimisation)

Thesis. The “next big thing” isn’t a hack or a hidden tag—it’s a mindset shift. In an AI-mediated web, visibility is less about owning a blue-link rank and more about becoming the safest citation and most operable destination for assistants and agents. Answer/AI Engine Optimisation (AEO) is the discipline of earning inclusion—and clicks—in AI Overviews / AI Mode on Google, ChatGPT Atlas and ChatGPT’s web answers (with Sources), and Perplexity (which cites by default and can run Deep Research). This guide defines AEO precisely, shows how it fits with SEO and GEO, and gives you a practical rollout plan grounded in official documentation—not rumors.

1) What AEO means in 2025 (and why it matters)

Google Search. AI Overviews (AIO) show an AI-generated snapshot with links to learn more when Google decides a summary will help, especially on complex, multi-step questions. Google’s guidelines are explicit: there’s no special markup to turn AIO “on”; participation flows from helpful, reliable, people-first content and ordinary Search eligibility. Google also states that AI Overviews help people “get to the gist” and then explore the web through links.

AI Mode & measurement. In 2025 Google began rolling out AI Mode—a deeper, conversation-style experience inside Search—and clarified that AI Mode clicks and impressions are counted in Search Console’s Performance (“Web”) report. Multiple industry write-ups noted the documentation update and confirmed that AI Mode traffic rolls into Web totals rather than a dedicated tab. That means you must annotate and correlate, not expect a separate “AIO” filter.

ChatGPT & Atlas. OpenAI launched ChatGPT Atlas, a browser with ChatGPT built-in. It can summarize and compare what it reads, show Sources, and—in Agent mode (preview)—perform tasks during browsing (e.g., research, shopping, booking). To appear here, your content must be citable, and your site must be agent-operable (clear structure, accessible controls, stable deep links).

Perplexity. By default, Perplexity shows citations. Its Deep Research mode says it “performs dozens of searches, reads hundreds of sources, and reasons through the material” before synthesizing a report—making evidence-rich pages with primary references more likely to be cited.

Bottom line: AEO is the practice of increasing your probability of being selected and linked in these AI experiences—and proving that those citations translate into clicks and revenue.

2) AEO vs. SEO vs. GEO (how they interlock)

SEO (Search Essentials): Crawlability, indexation, relevance, clarity, and page experience. This foundation still governs eligibility and discovery (Google’s SEO Starter Guide remains your checklist).
AEO (Answer/AI Engine Optimisation): Write answer-first, verifiable pages that AI systems can quote safely, and make your site operable for agents that act (not just read).
GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation): A research/industry lens on visibility inside generative answers and how to measure it (presence → citation → impact). In practice, GEO is the measurement layer you apply to AEO work.

Think of AEO as SEO for the “answer UI”: your page is both a source for the AI’s paragraph and the next step users click.

3) The AEO page blueprint (copy this structure)

A page that earns AI citations does three things: answers decisively, proves claims, and clarifies edges.

Executive verdict (3–5 sentences). State the recommendation, assumptions, and who the page is for (e.g., “For teams under 50 seats, choose X; pick Y if regulatory retention ≥ 7 years…”).
If/then thresholds. Write rules that are easy to quote: “If offline staff >20%, prefer solutions with bandwidth throttling…” (Make numbers and conditions explicit.)
Comparison table. Put criteria users actually trade off (e.g., SSO, offline, total cost, integrations). Tables are quotable and auditable.
Edge cases & exclusions. Spell out when the advice fails and who should not use it.
Primary references. Link the official spec, law, or vendor doc behind every critical claim. Perplexity’s Deep Research favors exactly this kind of grounding.
Authorship + updated-on. Show who maintains the page and when you last revised it (signals “helpful and reliable” in Google’s framing).

This blueprint mirrors how AI Overviews present a snapshot + links, how Atlas shows Sources, and how Perplexity cites by default.

4) Technical AEO: clarity over tricks

There is no AIO schema. But there are technical signals that reduce ambiguity and help Search (and assistants) understand your site:

Site name: Indicate a preferred site name so Google can “best represent and describe the source of each result.” Consistency across homepage content and markup matters.
Organization structured data: Give Google administrative details (logo, URLs, sameAs, contacts). This disambiguates your entity for knowledge panels and visual elements and steadies how assistants attribute you.
Structured data fundamentals: Use JSON-LD that matches visible text; Google uses structured data to understand the content of the page and the world (people, companies)—don’t markup what isn’t there.
Page experience, especially responsiveness: Interaction to Next Paint (INP) replaced FID as a Core Web Vital in 2024–2025; Chrome and Search documentation call out the deprecation timeline and transition. A good INP makes your page more usable for people and agents.

Reality check: Many “AEO hacks” floating around the web violate structured-data rules or overpromise. Stick to Search Central’s documents; they’re the durable path.

5) How AEO plays out on each surface

Google AI Overviews & AI Mode

Triggering: Appears when Google determines a summary adds value; not every query. The snapshot links out to the open web for deeper reading.
Content strategy: AIO rewards complex, multi-step explainer pages that lead with a verdict and provide thresholds, tables, and primary sources users can verify.
Measurement: Clicks/impressions from AI Mode are counted in Search Console’s “Web” totals. Annotate your AEO releases; compare Web clicks/CTR for optimized pages as AIO/AI Mode presence fluctuates.

ChatGPT & Atlas

Behavior: Atlas is a browser with a super-assistant that reads pages, shows Sources, and in Agent mode can perform tasks (research, shopping, booking) while you browse.
Implication: Make your pages skimmable (answer-first + tables) and your UI operable (semantic HTML, accessible controls, stable deep links). Otherwise, the agent can’t complete steps reliably.

Perplexity (incl. Deep Research)

Bias toward evidence: Deep Research runs dozens of searches and reads hundreds of sources before writing. Pages with checkable numbers, version constraints, and primary citations get linked. Monitor which statements it lifts and make yours crisper than competitors’.

6) Measurement: stop asking for a “rank,” track presence → citation → impact

Presence (Does the AI block show up?)
For each priority query (by market and device), log whether AI Overviews appeared, whether Atlas showed a Sources panel, and whether Perplexity (standard/Deep Research) returned an answer. This matters because availability and triggers vary by query/time and rollout stage.

Citations (Are you in the links?)
Record the domains/URLs linked in the module. Treat them as a set, not a strict rank; note their order if visible and keep screenshots for audits. Compare your content anatomy vs. cited competitors (thresholds, tables, primary sources).

Impact (Do the cited pages earn clicks?)
In Search Console → Performance (Web), track Clicks/Impressions/CTR for the URLs you optimized. Since AI Mode is part of Web totals, the best proof is a time-aligned uplift on those pages after you ship AEO changes.

Tip: Add a “citations log” column for which specific claims the AI quoted. If your page is missing the crisp, quotable sentence the snapshot wants, add it (with a source).

7) Conversational & agentic UX: make your site operable

AEO is not just words on a page; it’s interface engineering for agents:

Semantic HTML: Use real headings, ordered lists for steps, and <table> for specs; avoid “div soup.” That improves extraction and quoting.
Accessible controls (agent-friendly): Label inputs and buttons, use proper roles, and ensure keyboard operability so an agent presses the right control. Atlas’s Agent mode assumes programmatic clarity.
Deterministic deep links: Create URLs for preselected variants, carts, and checkout steps so assistants can land users on the exact state they recommended.
Performance: Improve INP by reducing main-thread long tasks and heavy event handlers; web.dev and Chrome guidance set expectations for the transition from FID.

8) Governance: training vs. runtime access, and transparency

As AI browsing accelerates, brands must decide how their content is used:

Training vs. access: You may choose to limit AI training on parts of your site while still allowing runtime fetching so assistants can cite public pages. Implement via robots/CDN policies thoughtfully (and revisit quarterly). (Vendor docs vary; assess business trade-offs.)
Disclosure & trust: Publish sources on your own pages, keep author bios and updated-on stamps, and maintain policy pages that are easy for assistants to summarize. Google’s “helpful, reliable” framing rewards this transparency.

9) Common myths to retire (with receipts)

“There’s a secret AIO tag.” False. Google: AI features show up when they add benefit; focus on people-first content and Search eligibility.
“We’ll see AIO traffic in its own Search Console tab.” Not currently. Google/industry confirm AI Mode clicks & impressions count in the Web report; use annotations and correlation.
“Performance doesn’t matter to AI.” False. INP replaced FID as the responsiveness Core Web Vital; responsiveness affects users and agents alike.
“Perplexity/ChatGPT will cite us even if we’re vague.” Unlikely. Deep Research favors evidence-rich passages; Atlas shows Sources. Publish checkable claims with primary references.

10) A 30-day AEO rollout (field-tested)

Week 1 — Evidence & scope

Pull Search Console (Web) data for the last 90 days; shortlist 25 complex questions with impressions ≫ clicks. (These are promising AIO candidates.)
Draft page outlines using the AEO blueprint: verdict → thresholds → table → edge cases → references.

Week 2 — Production 3. Publish 6 answer-first pages and retrofit Organization structured data + preferred site name on the home page. Validate markup (and ensure it matches visible content).
4. Improve INP on those pages (trim long tasks, defer non-critical scripts).

Week 3 — Audit & iterate 5. For each target query, check AIO presence and record linked sources; in Perplexity, run the same query (standard + Deep Research) and save the citations; in Atlas/ChatGPT, check Sources for similar prompts.
6. Compare your pages to cited competitors: add missing thresholds, clarify version constraints, and expand tables as needed.

Week 4 — Measurement & storytelling 7. Join your citations log to Search Console (Web) page metrics. Report presence → citation → impact with screenshots and time-aligned click/CTR deltas. Keep iterating monthly as rollouts evolve.

11) Handling risk and volatility (with eyes open)

Evolving UX & coverage. Google continues to expand AI Overviews and AI Mode; product posts outline rollouts and positioning (more advanced reasoning, multimodality, follow-ups). Expect shifting triggers; keep measuring presence and citations rather than anchoring to a single snapshot.
Debates about accuracy. Newsrooms have reported hallucinations and incorrect answers across AI products; this only increases the premium on verifiable content and primary citations on your site. If an AI misstates your brand, publish a citable correction and use feedback channels.
New agent behaviors. Atlas introduces Agent mode, which changes what “conversion” looks like (an agent may pre-fill carts or forms). Instrument deep links and server-side events to attribute these flows.

12) Executive summary for stakeholders

AEO goal: Become the safest citation and most operable destination for AI experiences (Google AIO/AI Mode, ChatGPT Atlas, Perplexity).
How: Publish answer-first, evidence-rich pages; add Organization + site name clarity; keep markup honest; optimize INP; make UI agent-ready.
How to prove it: Track presence (AIO/AI displays), citations (are you linked?), and impact (clicks/CTR in Search Console Web).

References (selected, for further reading)

Google Search Central — AI features & your website; Find information faster with AI Overviews.
Google — AI Mode product update; AI Mode traffic in Search Console (industry coverage).
OpenAI — Introducing ChatGPT Atlas (Sources; Agent mode).
Perplexity — Introducing Deep Research (dozens of searches; hundreds of sources; citations).
Google Search Central — Site names in Search; Organization structured data; Intro to structured data.
web.dev / Chrome — INP becomes a Core Web Vital (FID deprecates; INP guidance).
Google Search Central — SEO Starter Guide (bedrock eligibility).