Although its answers can sometimes be unreliable, there’s no doubt that AI has changed what users expect from search. While GPT is prone to hallucinations, there’s a new generation of conversational AI tools that synthesize search results, offering accurate information at speed. 

Enter “answer engines”. And with them, enter the new discipline of answer engine optimization (AEO). 

But, is AEO the same as good old SEO? How can you get started? What about Google AI Overviews?

In this comprehensive guide, we'll share everything you need to know to leverage answer engine optimization in your organic growth strategy.

Inside, you'll find:

What is AEO

Answer Engine Optimization is a strategy built for AI tools that deliver direct answers. This section breaks down its principles and how it changes your SEO approach.

AEO & SEO: How they complement each other 

While AEO is tailored for AI and voice assistants, it still relies on strong SEO foundations. This section explores how the two strategies overlap.

ChatGPT Search Engine vs. Google: How Is It Different from Traditional Search Engines?

This comparison breaks down key differences in algorithms, user experience, and ranking factors.

How to Implement an AEO+SEO Strategy

This section walks you through smart implementation strategies, common mistakes to avoid, and an actionable checklist to future-proof your content.

BONUS: How Google’s AI Overviews Could Be Cutting Traffic, but Increasing Conversions

Google’s AI Overviews may lower traffic but boost lead quality. This section explains the shift, shows how AEO can help, and gives you an actionable checklist to attract better leads.

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Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) is a subfield of SEO that focuses on creating content that directly answers specific user queries concisely and accurately. AEO requires understanding user intent and providing very concise answers.

At this point, you may be wondering - isn't that what proper SEO strategy requires? Long-winded content with vague answers and low value doesn't rank. Why differentiate AEO from good ol' SEO?

AEO requires a different approach from SEO because, while the principles of what makes content good haven't changed, the way that users consume that content has.

AEO emerged as a result of the rise of answer engines. And AEO strategies are fine-tuned to maximize the likelihood of your content being found through these engines. But, what are answer engines to begin with?

Let’s take a look at the differences between the ChatGPT search engine and its traditional counterparts.

What Are Answer Engines?

An answer engine is a type of search tool that aims to provide direct and concise answers to specific user queries instead of presenting lists of webpages.

Answer engines use artificial intelligence (AI) and natural language processing (NLP) techniques to understand user intent and deliver accurate and timely responses. 

This means that while it searches for words and phrases, it attempts to understand the underlying intent behind the query. Thus, the results are far more conversational and cover user needs better than traditional search or even modern search engines. 

That’s why it’s known as answer engine optimization (AEO) instead of search engine optimization (SEO). Examples of answer engines include generative AI bots like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Bard, as well as AI-powered voice search assistants such as Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant.

After examining these examples, two things become obvious:

• The AEO space isn't particularly new.
• Voice is tightly linked to answer engine optimization.

More on that later.

AEO vs. SEO: What is the difference between a search engine and an answer engine?

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The regular search experience involves having to fish for answers across dozens of websites. That's time-consuming, frustrating, and ineffective. Especially when the information you're looking for should be super actionable and concise.

Answer engines disrupt this experience, presenting users with a concise answer. But, what are the sources for this answer? Well, it's usually a compilation of top search results. Most answer engines are a convenient front end to the search experience, not a search engine competitor per se. Don't worry, we'll dive a bit deeper into it in the next section.

Turn AI Overviews Into High-Converting Traffic

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Most answer engines advertise themselves as complex and independent NLP and AI-driven tools. And they are - but that doesn't negate the fact that there's often an overlap between answer engines' sources and top search results.

Let's take a quick look at an example.

Do you need AEO?

We asked Perplexity whether answer engines get their answers from regular search engine results pages. With a confidence of 95%, Perplexity answered that:

"Answer engines do not necessarily get their information from regular search engines. Instead, they use AI and NLP techniques to understand user intent and analyze content on websites to provide direct answers."

That's very interesting - and partially true.

Now, let's take a look at the Google search results page for "Do answer engines get their information from regular search engines?" Except for a 2004 post from Nielsen Norman Group, the results do not match Perplexity's sources.

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There's a greater overlap if we look for this query on Bing - with all our sources being among the top results. Not to mention that there's a significant overlap between Bing's top results and Google's.

On the other hand, both Bing's Copilot & ChatGPT source answers from Bing. Meanwhile, Siri and Google Voice Assistant explicitly look for answers on Google. So, to answer for voice search, optimize for search engines.

In short, we could say that ranking high on a search engine is a good predictor of:

• Ranking high on other search engines
• Being used as a top source by voice assistants & AI-powered answer engines

So, should you go out of your way and start an AEO program?

Short answer: Focus on doing good SEO instead. AEO guidelines are very similar to SEO best practices.

Whether you want to be found through spoken queries or traditional search engines, your content should:

• Include structured data to help isolate and display answers to specific user queries
• Provide direct answers to your users' queries
• Have a conversational tone and a scannable structure

But, is following these guidelines enough to get found through answer engines? In short, yes. And we’ll dive deeper into them in the next sections.

Your Next-Gen SEO Strategy Starts Here

From ChatGPT to Google AI Overviews, we help you craft content that:

• Wins across answer engines and search results
• Serves your business goals and needs

Schedule a strategy call with Postigitalist.

Traditional search engines (e.g., Google) have ranked content based on building backlinks and establishing domain authority for years. They have also relied on specific content marketing metrics such as time spent on site and pages per session to guide ranking decisions. 

On the other hand, ChatGPT Search is a conversational search engine, so its framework is a bit different. 

Algorithm

Google's algorithm is keyword-based and relies heavily on backlinks (domain authority) to rank content. The ChatGPT search engine uses semantic relevance and tries to understand the user's intent to generate accurate responses.

User Experience

Google search results are typically lists of links for any given query. ChatGPT Search answers questions and provides context-relevant results that don't require scrolling through page after page of unrelated information.

Result Ranking

Google tends to rank content that has performed well over time and has high traffic. ChatGPT search engine highlights content that provides accurate and useful information to answer the user's question, even if it comes from a less authoritative source.

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Example: Let’s say your company offers a robust CRM for small businesses, and you want to rank for the query "best CRM solutions for small businesses." 

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When ChatGPT Search “examines” your content, it doesn't just look for the target keyword. It reads the context of the article and uses it to evaluate factors like:

• Practical examples or use cases
• How well it explains the CRMs it covers and their potential value for  small businesses
• If it accurately addresses the questions of a user who’s looking for CRM solutions for small businesses vs. just CRM software.
  
  

Not Sure Where to Start With AEO? We’ve Got You.

From implementation to avoiding common traps, we help you build an AEO strategy that complements your SEO and future-proofs your content.

Schedule your free consultation.

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As we mentioned throughout this guide, the way to win the voice search optimization & answer engine optimization games is to produce good, scannable content that answers user queries. That's it.

A couple of years ago, that only got you featured snippets on the SERPs. Now, you'll have that featured snippet read aloud by voice assistants. Or your content will be scraped and synthesized by Google AI Overview, ChatGPT, Perplexity, or a similar machine learning-powered tool.

While you can tweak your strategy to optimize for AI-powered search engines, over-optimizing can ruin your content and make it less effective in the long run. Plus, your strategy shouldn't revolve around the ChatGPT search engine entirely—Google and other engines still matter, and you can't afford to ignore them.

The Risks of Over-Optimizing for AI

The biggest risk of over-optimizing AI is losing your brand’s unique voice. When you stuff your posts with keywords and semantic variations, or write for machines instead of humans, your content starts to sound fake and robotic. For example, a blog post targeting small business owners might sound too techie and impersonal if you wrote it solely with AI in mind.

On the other hand, dumbing your content down to appease AI's relevance filters can leave you lacking substance and depth. Your audience deserves better. Aim for content that's rich and valuable, and write for humans first.

You can't sacrifice user experience for algorithms. Inauthentic content and a bad user experience will jeopardize your audience's trust and cause them to bounce. ‍

AEO & SEO Best Practices: Key Factors for Improving Visibility in ChatGPT Search Engine

You might be wondering: What is the best approach when writing to gain visibility in the ChatGPT search engine?

Some of the most important ChatGPT content optimization tips include:

• Writing user-centered, high-quality content
• Having well-structured content and data
• Prioritizing semantic context over traditional keyword research
• Demonstrating authority and trustworthiness
• Optimizing website speed and usability
  

Let’s dive deeper.

Write User-Centered, High-Quality Content

As you can see, ChatGPT's algorithms prioritize user satisfaction. So it's no surprise that user-centered content is highly effective. Here are some tips:

Provide exact answers to user questions

Reusing the example we shared in the previous section: Instead of writing about broad CRM-related topics, focus on answering specific questions. "How to fix a leaky sales pipeline" is a much more effective piece of content than a broad "Best CRMs for 2025" listicle.

Clear and concise > complex

Avoid technical jargon unless absolutely necessary. Offer concise yet informative explanations so readers (and AI) can grasp the key points quickly.

Use a variety and digestible formats

Incorporate more visual content like graphs, tables, step-by-step guides, and infographics to increase engagement and help ChatGPT algorithms digest your content.

Have Well-Structured Content and Data

ChatGPT loves well-organized content, making it essential to pay attention to headers, formatting, and overall layout.

• Use headers and subheaders: Follow a clear hierarchy with h1 for titles, h2 for sections, and h3/h4 for subsections. This helps ChatGPT summarize your content in response to complex queries.
• Leverage bullets and lists: Make large chunks of information skimmable with bullet points or numbered lists. This not only improves readability but also enhances the likelihood of being pulled into FAQs or snippets.
• Implement tables: Tables add clarity to comparative data. For example, a table comparing ChatGPT search engine vs. traditional ones for SaaS queries can simplify how users digest key points.
  
  

Prioritize Semantic Context Over Traditional Keyword Research

ChatGPT search engine isn't just looking for exact keywords. It's smart enough to evaluate semantic context, so you don't need to stuff your content with variations of the target keyword.

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Thus, keyword research can be used positively, both for uncovering conversational and long-tail keywords and also for identifying the topics that truly matter to your audience.

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If you want to rank in semantic search, we advise you to:

• Leverage Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI): Instead of writing for "best CRM for startups", use variations of that phrase and related terms and concepts. For example, if you sell a CRM platform, you could use descriptors like "scaling customer relationships", or "affordable CRM tools”.
• Answer questions as they would be asked: Format your headers and subheaders as questions (for example, “What are the benefits of CRMs for startups?”).
• Create conversational content: Style content like FAQs and blog posts you'd want to have a cup of coffee with and read.
  
  

Pro tip: Use Semrush's Keyword Strategy Builder to find the right keywords and seamlessly turn your keyword research into topic research. 

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Leverage AI-Specific Features

AI search engines like ChatGPT Search value content tailored for its framework. To help you out, here's what you can do:

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• Create FAQs: A majority of queries asked of ChatGPT are in the form of FAQs. Add an FAQ section to your content with precise questions.
• Add structured data markup: Use Schema.org markup to help search engines discover your content. Apply schema tags to things like product specs, reviews, and FAQ sections to make it easier to read and understand.
• Optimize for long-tail: As we mentioned, long-tail keywords such as “How to optimize your content marketing strategy for AI search engines” are perfect for AI because they're how users search.

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Demonstrate Authority & Trustworthiness 

ChatGPT search engine evaluates the credibility of sources and favors content from trusted sources, experts, and well-sourced information. Here are a few tips to increase your authority:

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• Leverage your expertise: Use data, research, and real-world examples to demonstrate your authority on a topic. If you're a SaaS company, showcase customer results and include case studies with clear before-and-after metrics.
  
  
• Prioritize comprehensive, authoritative content: Write detailed guides that cover all aspects of a topic. Instead of a generic "cloud storage" page, publish a "Beginner's Guide to Cloud Storage Solutions for Small Businesses" that covers must-have features, security, pricing, and more.

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• Regularly update content: Revamp outdated content to reflect the latest trends and information. ChatGPT favors recent and accurate data as well as evergreen pages, so old posts are a bad fit.

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Empower mobile users with a good UX

Is your website accessible to begin with? If your website doesn't meet accessibility and performance standards, users will get frustrated and leave it soon. That high bounce rate will inevitably impact your positioning in organic search results. 

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In short, your great content will be considered irrelevant by search engines and relegated to the bottom of the SERPs. And that low positioning will prevent you from getting featured snippets and being used as a source by answer engines or AI overviews.

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Too many web pages suffer from considerable usability and site speed issues. If your website is one of them, focus on optimizing your platform for regular organic search first.

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Need a quick way to get started?

1. Go to Google PageSpeed Insights
2. Run a quick test for your site
3. Implement the resulting performance and accessibility recommendations

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Luckily, this is one of our areas of expertise. If you need help, don’t hesitate to reach out. 

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Quick optimization wins

• Minimize load times → Compress images, enable browser caching, and use a reliable hosting service to improve speed. Tools like Google PageSpeed Insights can help fine-tune performance.
• Ensure mobile-responsiveness → With AI often accessed through mobile devices, designs optimized for smaller screens are indispensable.
• Simple navigation → Structure your site so users can quickly find what they’re looking for. Intuitive menus and prominent CTAs enhance retention.
  
  

Actionable Checklist for AEO & SEO

Here’s a quick checklist to optimize your content effectively for SearchGPT visibility in SaaS:

1. Develop user-focused content answering niche queries.
2. Organize content with headers, bullets, and tables.
3. Shift focus from keywords to context-based optimization.
4. Demonstrate authority with credible examples and stats.
5. Add FAQs and structured data to your content formats.
6. Optimize technical elements like speed and mobile usability.

Smarter Content for a Smarter Search World

Create scannable, high-authority content that gets picked up by AI and loved by users.

Talk to our team and start optimizing with purpose.

A while ago, you may have noticed a dip in traffic but an uptick in conversions. That’s a trend we’ve seen with some of our clients recently. The culprit? Google’s AI Overview. Let’s unpack this feature, what it means for your SEO strategy, and how to make it work in your favor.

What’s Google AI Overview?

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Google’s AI Overview is a new feature that uses generative AI to deliver quick, concise, and accurate answers directly within search results. Think of it as Google’s version of “SearchGPT.” It’s designed to provide users with instant clarity on their queries using a Google-optimized snippet.

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For content marketers, this is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it’s an opportunity to really cover users’ needs with content and showcase your expertise at the top of the search results. On the other, it can mean fewer clicks to your website if the overview satisfies the user’s query.

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But don’t worry. If you play your cards right, being featured in these overviews can elevate your brand’s visibility and drive more qualified leads to your site. All you need is answer engine optimization (AEO).

But first, let’s look at a few examples of how Google’s AI Overview works in action.

I googled "what’s a Kanban board" as an example. For this query, you get an AI Overview—a mini-article that also includes a video. This article has been generated by AI based on the top three results for this query.

‍If your article gets fed through AI as a top result, you'll be featured here, which is awesome. I mean, there are people saying that SEO is dead, ranking makes no sense, and we should look for other growth channels or diversify. But there’s still an opportunity to be highlighted by Google, which essentially acts as the source for this AI Overview.‍

From what we can see, the AI Overview has had a pretty big impact. It stops low-quality or unqualified traffic from even reaching your website. Instead of clicking through, skimming your article, and bouncing, users now get their answers straight from the overview. And the traffic that does make it to your website is more likely to convert.

‍Take this example: if I’m a student who just heard "Kanban board" mentioned in class and I google "what’s a Kanban board," the AI-generated answer probably gives me everything I need. I’m not clicking through to Atlassian’s or Asana’s website because my question’s already answered.

But if I’m managing an Agile team or trying to embed a Kanban board into my project management workflow, as Asana’s meta title suggests, I’m more likely to click through to these articles. This makes me a more qualified lead for Atlassian or Asana than a student simply searching for a definition.

In addition to the top three results, there are extra articles for those interested in sources beyond the top three that were used to create this synthesis.

AEO + SEO: The Way to Get Featured in AI Overviews 

So, what does Google’s AI overview mean for SEO? As we’ve mentioned, it means you might see less traffic since users looking for quick answers, like "what’s a Kanban board," are satisfied with the AI Overview. But SEO is still crucial. By creating high-quality content with clear, concise answers, you can rank and even have your content featured in the AI Overview itself. Thus, bringing more qualified traffic to your website.

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Google can still highlight your content if it’s used as a source for the AI Overview. Interestingly, the AI Overview appears above sponsored results, and the order of the sources isn’t fixed—it can change with each refresh. In fact, some overviews include videos, while others don’t.

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For instance, I searched for "best project management tools for startups," a long-tail keyword. This keyword suggests a more precise intent to adopt a project management tool at a startup. In this case, there were three sponsored results, followed by entries like Reddit and HubSpot, but no prominent AI Overview.

From our experiments, the more specific the query, the less likely it is for an AI Overview to appear. Middle- or bottom-of-the-funnel keywords seem to bypass the AI Overview more often.‍

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If you want traffic, diversify your strategy and target specific use cases or variations of middle- and bottom-of-the-funnel keywords. Programmatic SEO works well for this, and that’s something we at Postigitalist specialize in. If you want to learn more about this service, you can click here.

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The Shift: Less Traffic, More Value

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So, here’s the takeaway: Top-of-the-funnel keywords will likely continue attracting traffic, but at lower volumes and with more qualified users. In my opinion, since we measure success in terms of qualified traffic that converts, this shift is manageable.

If you’re a publisher who monetizes eyeballs rather than conversions, this might be more challenging. You should explore other channels, like video, to maintain your audience.

However, if you’re a B2B SaaS company, don’t worry. Lower traffic doesn’t necessarily mean a negative impact—if you’re doing things right, it shouldn’t hurt you.

To stay visible in this new search landscape, focus on creating content that answers specific user questions clearly and concisely. Think about how you can add real value, not just rank for keywords.

This shift isn’t about working harder—it’s about working smarter. Align your strategy with the user’s search intent, and you’ll not only keep up with AI Overviews but turn them into an advantage.

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Your 2025 AEO Strategy Starts Here

Ready to adapt and dominate in this new era of search? At Postigitalist, we specialize in helping brands create user-focused content that ranks in AI Overviews and drives ROI.

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‍Schedule a call today to see how we can transform your content marketing strategy.

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🔎 GENERAL CONCEPTS

1. What is Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)?
AEO is a content strategy focused on creating clear, concise, and accurate answers to user queries—optimized for AI-driven platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity, or voice assistants like Siri and Alexa.

2. How is AEO different from traditional SEO?
While SEO aims to rank in search engine results pages (SERPs), AEO targets direct answers within AI interfaces. SEO helps you get found; AEO helps you get featured.

3. What are answer engines?
Answer engines are tools like ChatGPT, Google’s AI Overview, and Alexa that provide immediate answers rather than a list of links. They use AI and NLP to understand intent and summarize relevant content.

🔄 STRATEGY + RELATIONSHIP WITH SEO

4. Do I need to choose between SEO and AEO?
No. AEO and SEO work best together. A strong SEO foundation increases your chances of being selected by answer engines as a trusted source.

5. Can ranking on search engines help me rank in answer engines too?
Yes. Many answer engines pull data from top-ranking sources on Google or Bing. If you rank high in SERPs, you're more likely to be cited in AI-generated answers.

6. Should I change my whole content strategy for AEO?
Not necessarily. Instead of reinventing your SEO, refine it—focus on scannability, structure, and semantic context to meet the needs of both humans and machines.

⚠️ RISKS & CAUTIONS

7. What are the risks of over-optimizing for AI tools?
Over-optimization can lead to robotic content, keyword stuffing, or diluted brand voice. Focus on clarity, value, and human-centered writing instead.

8. Does optimizing for ChatGPT mean ignoring Google?
Definitely not. While AI tools are gaining traction, Google and Bing still dominate traffic. Balance your efforts to stay visible across platforms.

🚀 IMPLEMENTATION & BEST PRACTICES

9. How can I improve my chances of being featured in AI Overviews?
Use structured data, answer specific queries clearly, include FAQs, and format content with subheaders, bullet points, and semantic context in mind.

10. What kind of content works best for answer engines?
Scannable, user-focused, and semantically rich content performs best. Think: FAQs, how-tos, comparison tables, and conversational blog posts.

11. What are some quick wins to improve AEO performance?

• Add FAQ sections
  
  
• Use Schema.org markup
  
  
• Optimize for long-tail queries
  
  
• Improve page speed and mobile UX
  
  
• Prioritize clarity and authority
  
  

📊 RESULTS & ROI

12. Why is my traffic dropping even though my conversions are up?
Google’s AI Overviews may be satisfying top-funnel queries directly in SERPs, sending fewer—but more qualified—visitors to your site.

13. Is AEO worth it for B2B SaaS companies?
Yes. AI-powered search is filtering casual users, meaning your remaining traffic is often more intent-driven—resulting in better leads and higher ROI.