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AEO vs. SEO in 2025: How to Earn Citations from Answer Engines (Without Losing Your SEO Fundamentals)

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AEO vs. SEO in 2025: How to Earn Citations from Answer Engines (Without Losing Your SEO Fundamentals)
seo vs aeo
Key takeaway: Ship entity-rich, question-driven content with structured data and tight answers. Then measure weekly which of your URLs are being cited by AI systems—and optimize from there.

Table of contents

  1. What is AEO (and what changed)?
  2. AEO vs. SEO: overlap and differences
  3. Ship entities, FAQs, and snippets answer engines can lift
  4. Schema you actually need in 2025
  5. How to measure AEO: citations & share-of-voice
  6. AEO launch checklist
  7. FAQs

1) What is AEO (and what changed)?

AEO (Answer/Artificial Engine Optimization) focuses on getting your brand cited or recommended inside AI answers (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews). Practically, it’s still the SEO foundation—plus intentional work on entities, concise answers, and measuring AI citations.

Diagram: SEO foundation with an AEO layer for AI answers
SEO foundation → AEO layer for AI answers and citations.

2) AEO vs. SEO: overlap and differences

  • Overlap: High quality content, crawlability, performance, E-E-A-T signals.
  • Differences: Target answers and citations in AI systems; write Q&A blocks; emphasize entities; monitor LLM citations weekly.

Reality check: Google and practitioners keep saying “normal SEO works” for AI Overviews. AEO ≈ SEO fundamentals + answer/citation focus.

3) Ship entities, FAQs, and snippets answer engines can lift

  1. Entities first: Define the people, organizations, products, and topics you want to be associated with. Use precise names and glossary sections.
  2. Answer blocks: Add 40–80 word “answer boxes” at the top of sections; follow with details and proof.
  3. FAQs: Convert common queries to scannable Q&A (and mark up with FAQPage).

4) Schema you actually need in 2025

  • Article, Organization, BreadcrumbList (site-wide hygiene)
  • FAQPage and optional HowTo where appropriate
  • Speakable selectors for key takeaways and the H1

5) How to measure AEO: citations & share-of-voice

Track weekly: run a fixed prompt panel across ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews; log whether your brand/URLs are cited. Trend your “AI share-of-voice,” not just single snapshots. Complement with referral analytics.

6) AEO launch checklist (copy/paste)

  • Map target entities and questions you want to own
  • Add answer boxes (40–80 words) + longer proof sections
  • Mark up Article, Breadcrumbs, Organization, FAQPage
  • Optimize titles/meta for clarity, not just keywords
  • Build source-worthy references and get cited
  • Set up weekly AI prompt panels + logging
  • Report trends: citations, brand mentions, AI SOV

FAQs

Is AEO just a rebrand of SEO?
Not exactly. It builds on SEO but adds a deliberate focus on answer engines and measuring citations/mentions in AI outputs.
Do I need LLMS.txt or a special “AEO tag”?
No. Stick to fundamentals, entities, and clear answers. There’s no magic tag to force inclusion in AI answers.
How fast will I see results?
AEO visibility can be volatile week-to-week. Track trends and iterate based on citation data and user engagement.

Author: Your Name · Category: Growth, SEO · Last updated: Sep 29, 2025

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