AEO focuses on being retrieved and cited by AI systems at the question level, while SEO focuses on ranking pages in traditional search; in practice, you need both, tuned to different signals and formats.
Key differences (at a glance)
- Unit of optimization
- SEO: keyword → page rank
- AEO: question (and variants) → snippet/chunk retrieval and citation
- Dominant signals
- SEO: links, technical health, on-page relevance
- AEO: semantic clarity, chunk structure, freshness, topical authority, explicit AI crawl paths (sitemaps/llms.txt)
- Format bias
- SEO: comprehensive pages that satisfy query intent and SERP features
- AEO: scannable chunks with direct answers, mini-FAQs, and clear sources
- Measurement
- SEO: impressions, rankings, organic sessions
- AEO: AI bot hits, LLM referrals, citation share, question coverage, engagement quality of AI-driven visits
When to emphasize each
- Net-new categories or fast-changing topics → AEO (freshness + chunkable updates)
- Competitive head terms with established SERPs → SEO (authority building + technical excellence)
- Product education and support → AEO (FAQs, guides, txt assets)
A combined playbook
- Structure content for chunks (AEO) on pages that can also rank (SEO)
- Publish clusters that cover the question graph (AEO) and interlink for crawlability (SEO)
- Expose sitemaps and llms.txt for AI discovery (AEO) and maintain technical health (SEO)
- Measure both worlds: rankings + AI bot hits/LLM referrals; iterate monthly
Example page pattern
- Start with a 1–2 sentence direct answer
- Expand with H2/H3 sections (what/why/how/compare)
- Include a mini-FAQ and 2–4 reputable citations
- Keep metadata and sitemaps current; reference in llms.txt
FAQs
- Will AEO replace SEO? No, AI and web search co-exist. Optimize for both.
- Do links matter for AEO? Authority still matters, but clarity, structure, and freshness carry more weight for LLM retrieval.
- Can one page serve both? Yes, design for chunkability without sacrificing depth.
