Key Takeaways
- Do you know the key differences between AEO and SEO?
- AEO vs. SEO is the most asked-about question in the digital marketing forums.
- Read our latest blog to know more about AEO vs. SEO.
In the current digital landscape, the search methods are evolving!
Going are the days when users searched by writing their queries on a search engine, as now the searches are mostly voice searches.
A new way of searching has emerged as well, i.e., asking questions from an answer engine, i.e., an AI-powered model that reverts back in a conversational tone.
AEO is the answer for all your digital marketing needs to counter the impact of AI!
So, you must be wondering,
- How to optimize for answer engines?
- What is AEO?
- Which is better when comparing AEO vs. SEO?
- Will AEO replace SEO?
In this blog, we will help you with an apt comparison between AEO vs. SEO to clarify any doubts you have about the answer engine optimization.
If you are an SEO personal, a business owner, a digital marketer, an AI aficionado, or a marketing enthusiast, this blog will make you ready for the future of SEO in 2025.
A few facts about AEO & SEO
- Per second, there are 99,000 search queries on Google.
- 91 billion people are using Google across the globe.
- Per second, 63,000 searches are voice searches on Google!
- AEO can reduce your digital marketing budgets!
- 58% of the searches originate from Mobile devices, while only 40% originate from Desktop.
What is an Answer Engine?
An answer engine like ChatGPT, Perplexity, or more are AI-powered models that help users get their queries answered in a conversational language.
To achieve this, the answer engines utilize ML, or machine learning (to learn from the internet), using NLP, or natural language processing, to understand and revert in human-like responses.
Answer engines and voice assistants are the main reason behind zero-click searches, or those searches that do not lead to any website visit.
AI overviews by Google are also helping increase the number of zero-click searches.
Types of Answer Engines
There are two types of answer engines, and they are:
- AI-powered Voice Assistants
Siri, Cortana, Alexa, and Google Assistant are quite well-known voice assistants that can help the users to voice search the internet!
- Gen AI Bots
Bing AI, Google Gemini, Perplexity, and ChatGPT are some of the well-known generative AI bots that can cater to even complex conversations.
Both of these answer engine types can be optimized by AEO, or answer engine optimization.
How do Answer Engines deliver Zero-click search results?
Zero-click search results are those search results that cater to basic information related to the user queries right there on the search result page at the top.
It quenches most of the user queries, as most users need the basic information about their search query.
The links from which these answers are populated are also shared so that users can check them out or cite them if needed.
Answer engines help in catering instant answers using zero-click search results, and thus they lead to the same along with Featured snippets for AI overviews and voice search results.
What is Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)?
To optimize for answer engines, a new form of SEO is required, and then came the answer engine optimization or AEO!
AEO ensures that the web content is,
- Written in clear and concise language.
- Utilizing conversational keywords.
- Catering heading and subheading in a question form.
This makes it apt for the answer engines to populate their answers from AEO-powered web pages and websites.
How can AEO fit within the current Digital Marketing & Search strategies?
A few of the digital marketing companies, like Wildnet Technologies have recognised the potential and future of AEO.
They are using it to ensure that the clients’ web content is not only answer engine-ready but also AI overview and voice search-ready.
Here’s how you incorporate AEO in your current digital marketing and search strategies:
- Content Strategy
By creating clear and concise content that is covered in question-based headings & subheadings, you can make your content strategy ready for AEO!
- Voice Search Optimization
By adding conversational keywords in your content strategy, you can optimize your web content for AEO-powered VSO or voice search optimization.
- Featured Snippet & Structured Data
Your content and digital marketing strategies are already aligned to AEO; all you need to do is make sure your web content is structured properly!
In short, your content should be skim-able and understandable just by the headings and subheadings.
- Local SEO
By adding local search keywords like “near me” and more, you can optimize your digital marketing strategies for local SEO as well as AEO!
Shall we get to know the benefits as well as importance of answer-driven search results and AEO?
Answer Engine Optimization: Benefits and Importance
There are four key aspects that will help you understand the importance and benefits of AEO as well as answer-driven search results!
They are:
- Focusing on User Intent
Users do not want big and long writeups about their queries anymore.
They need quick and short answers so that they can switch back to the task at hand!
Or, the user intent has changed from detailed awareness to need-to-know awareness.
- User Experience
Users find it easier and more comfortable to get direct answers to their search queries, be it from a search engine, a voice assistant, or an answer engine.
- Competitive Edge
If you are the only one providing search answers leveraging AEO, then your target audience will definitely switch to your website, leaving your competitors far behind.
- Boosted Engagement
Since AEO-powered websites will be cited by answer engines, voice assistants, and AI overviews, then it will automatically be shared in case of normal search queries as well.
This will increase your user engagement rates as it will have three more user engagement sources along with organic searches.
And that’s why answer-driven searches are important, and AEO is beneficial for the businesses.
AEO vs. SEO: The Shift
Before we get down to the differences between AEO and SEO, let us first understand why the shift happened from AEO to SEO.
Although the shift is not quite visible yet, it is underway, and AEO vs. SEO will be the most hyped question of 2025!
Here why the shift is happening,
- Voice searches (leaving traditional SEO far behind)
- NLP, or natural language processing (helping AI understand and revert in human-like language)
- AI-powered Digital Marketing (AI can help with various aspects of digital marketing services and thus can speed up innovation as well as its inculcation.)
- Featured Snippets (as search engines are getting an AI boost)
- Localized Zero-click Searches (local searches result in sales within 24 hours, but even they are falling in the zero-click search category)
So now you know that the AI infusion is happening in 2024 and it will become rampant in 2025, which will make AEO the way forward!
AEO vs. SEO: The Differences
AEO vs. SEO is going to be the most asked question, whether it is a client meeting or team meeting if you are a digital marketing agency!
So before your clients start asking you about AEO vs. SEO, you should know about it all.
| AEO or Answer engine optimization | SEO or Search engine optimization | |
| Main goal | To provide clear answers to the users. | To drive organic traffic through the roof! |
| Content | Short, answer-based, and to the point. | Long form to provide related information as well. |
| Search type | Zero-click searches | Click-through searches |
| Query’s Intent | Direct questions like Which is better when comparing AEO vs. SEO? | Informational, conversational, comparison, commercial, and more. |
| Targeted Devices | Answer engines and Voice assistants | All devices |
| Technical Aspect | Schema markup and Structured data for ease of understanding for AI! | Technical SEO and On-page SEO |
| UX or user experience | Top-notch, as they get answers then and there. | Varies depending upon the user-focused approach of the particular website. |
| Examples | It is needed for Siri, Alexa, Google Featured snippets, and more. | It is needed for all search engines. |
| KPIs or key performance indicators | Answer accuracy, featured snippet visibility, and more. | CTR, or click-through rate, organic traffic, and more. |
Fig 1. A tabular representation of AEO vs. SEO.
Now that you know the AEO vs. SEO differences, it is time to ponder the question: which is best? Well, since these two are covering different aspects of the search queries, and thus none is better than the other.
So, which is the best way forward then for your digital marketing campaigns?
A combination of both can make you the user-favoured website and business!
AEO vs. SEO: The Benefits of Combining them
The future of SEO is entwined with AEO as it helps in holistically covering all sources of user queries.
And here’s how you can benefit from a combination of them:
Enhanced Brand visibility
Using AEO and SEO together will lead to immensely boosted brand visibility because now your brand will be getting visibility across,
- Search engines via SEO and
- Answer engines, AI overviews, and Voice searches via AEO!
This is a dream come true for businesses and digital marketing firms alike.
Immediate Answers and Long Form Content
Using AEO will guarantee that your web content is clear and concise, while using SEO will help in ensuring that the web content is also providing detailed information about the topic.
This will cater to an answer-based user experience on the search and answer engines along with an in-depth or expertise-based user experience once the user clicks on the website link!
User Experience and Engagement
Users are going to love a website that is not only powered by SEO but also by AEO!
Because when they need it, they can get the short answers, and when they desire it, they can get the detailed information behind it too.
Thus, instead of thinking AEO vs. SEO, you should be thinking AEO and SEO!
AEO Vs. SEO: Best Practices
Here are the best practices to follow when thinking of AEO vs. SEO, so that you can use them both accordingly!
- Focus on Question-based keywords
- Always have FAQs and short-form content.
- Never forget Structured Data Markup!
- Ensure Local Optimization
- Content should be easily readable.
- Page speed should be as high as possible!
Using these best practices, you can easily use AEO and SEO.
AEO vs. SEO: Success Measurement
Since you are now complementing traditional SEO with AEO, the KPIs or key performance indicators are going to be a little different!
They are as follows:
- Voice Search traffic
Measure it via Google Analytics!
- Position in Featured Snippet
By measuring how often your content is featured in the Featured snippets, you will know how apt your content is for Google’s AI overviews.
- Organic Search Traffic
Traditional SEO is aimed at driving organic traffic, and thus it needs to be measured too!
- CTR or click-Through Rate
For zero-click searches, your CTR will be low, but for click-through searches or organic searches, it will be high!
In short, it should be somewhere in between.
- Engagement Metrics
Measure Time spent on your web page, Bounce rate, Scroll depth and more to find the user engagement level.
- Conversion Rate
In the end, all the digital marketing activities are being undertaken to get the maximum conversion rate.
So, ensure your conversion rate is maximum!
By keeping a keen eye on the above KPIs, you can easily cover both AEO and SEO’s performance.
Conclusion: The Future of SEO is AEO + SEO!
The digital world is adapting the AI trend, and this is only going to increase rapidly as we progress into 2025.
The only way forward for SEO services to still be relevant is to power it via AI-powered SEO marketing.
But, using AI alone will not help; AEO is also needed to ensure that the websites are optimized for AI-powered answer engines.
Plus, a combination of SEO and AEO will leave your competitors far behind, be they businesses or digital marketing agencies.
So, choose AEO now, before it becomes a convention!
Wildnet Technologies is a leading digital transformation company in India that is helping its clients benefit from a combination of AEO and SEO to cater the 360-degree digital marketing experience.
If you would like to learn more,
- Why AI for SEO is the Future of Search Marketing?
- Impact of Digital Marketing on a Sustainable Business | A Unilever Case Study
- Wildnet’s Digital Yum (our thought leadership’s weekly POV on the latest in the digital transformation industry)
Contact us now at info@wildnettechnologies.com to get yourselves the AEO advantage!
FAQs
FAQ 1: Is SEO Dead?
Ans: Not SEO is not dead, and it will never die!
But the traditional SEO will keep getting outdated, and thus it needs revamps via AI usage, VSO, ASO, or app store optimization, AEO, and more.
FAQ 2: What is a zero-click search?
Ans: A search that does not result in a click on one of the search results is known as a zero-click search.
You can read more about it here.
FAQ 3: How to develop an AEO strategy?
Ans: You can follow the steps mentioned below to craft an effective AEO marketing strategy.
- Identification of Common User Queries
- Creating concise and answer-based content.
- Using Schema Markup for appropriate data structuring.
- Mobile and Voice search optimization of the website.
- Constant monitoring and updates to ensure relevancy!
And voila, you have a working AEO marketing strategy.
FAQ 4: How is the content structure of AEO and SEO different?
Ans: SEO focuses on long-form content, so it will naturally have long paragraphs full of various types of keywords, graphics, and more using business tone as well as descriptive headings.
While AEO focuses on short-form content, it will have,
- Bullet points
- Short paragraphs
- Question-based headings
- Laymen or conversational language.
Thus, the content structure is different for both of them.
FAQ 5. How do page speeds differ when doing an SEO vs AEO comparison?
Ans: For SEO, page load speeds up to 2-3 seconds are great, but in the case of AEO, page load speeds need to be lower than 2 seconds.
