If AI can’t find you, neither can your customers: What is AEO?
A few years ago, the big question was how well your website ranked on Google and other search engines, whether you were on the first page or buried deep in the results. But the way we search the internet is changing fast. AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and other conversational assistants are reshaping online discovery. Today, it’s just as important that these AI systems can see, read, and understand your website as it is for Google to rank it.
Artificial intelligence doesn’t just chat anymore, it searches, reads, and recommends. Its answers are built from web content, which means that if your site isn’t clear or machine-readable, you’ll simply be left out of those answers.
And that matters: according to recent studies, traffic coming from AI assistants converts up to five times better than traditional organic traffic. The customers of today and tomorrow are no longer typing their questions into Google, but into ChatGPT or Perplexity. If your site isn’t part of those answers, you’re missing out.
The New Era of Optimization: Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)
While SEO (Search Engine Optimization) focuses on ranking higher in Google results, AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) recognizes that AI-driven “answer engines” now play a key role in how people get information.
Instead of ranking links, these engines provide direct answers to user questions, often quoting or summarizing information from trusted sources. In practice, AEO means optimizing your site not only for human users and search engines, but also so that AI systems can easily understand, process, and recommend your content.
This isn’t just SEO 2.0. AEO emphasizes:
- Structured, machine-friendly content
- Clear question–answer formatting
- Strong credibility signals
If your website is logically organized, authoritative, and easy for AI to interpret, it’s far more likely to appear in conversational answers, putting your brand directly in front of the next generation of customers who “search” by asking AI.
Imagine someone asks ChatGPT:
“What’s the best Italian restaurant in Budapest?”
And your business shows up not as a paid ad, but as a trusted recommendation.
That’s the essence of AEO: your website speaks not only to people, but also to the AIs that guide them.
Why Act Now?
1️⃣ Greater visibility from new channels
AI tools like ChatGPT are already generating significant real-world traffic. Optimize today to start converting AI-driven visitors tomorrow.
2️⃣ Credibility and authority
AI systems cite transparent, expert sources. Build content with that in mind, and both people and machines will trust your brand.
3️⃣ Content that works harder
AEO isn’t about keyword stuffing, it’s about real answers to real questions, in natural language that large language models understand.
(Fun fact: the average AI query is 23 words long, compared to just 4 on Google!)
4️⃣ Competitive advantage
Most companies still ignore AEO. Getting started now can put you years ahead of the competition.
Ready to Make Sure AI Can Find Your Website?
Soon, the key question won’t just be “What’s your Google ranking?”
but also “Are you included in ChatGPT’s answers?”
📩 Contact us today — we’ll check your website’s AEO readiness for free!
We don’t just build websites, we create future-proof digital experiences. Let us help make your site not only visually engaging, but also fully understandable to the AI systems that shape the next era of search.
