Why does AEO matter now?
Because for a growing share of questions, the answer is written before anyone reaches the links. When an AI summary appears on a Google results page, click-through on the results roughly halves, and only around one reader in a hundred clicks a link inside the summary (Pew Research Center, 2025).
Ranking still matters. But a first-place position no longer guarantees the visit.
How is AEO different from SEO?
SEO asks: where do we appear in the list? AEO asks: does the answer use us, and how? They overlap. A page that’s technically sound, clearly written and trusted helps with both. But they’re measured differently, and a team that only watches one will misread the other.
What does “being in the answer” actually mean?
There are three different outcomes. The answer can cite you, meaning it links to your page as a source. It can name you, writing your brand into the text with no link. Or it can do both. And of course it can leave you out entirely.
These aren’t interchangeable. A citation can send a visitor; a name builds awareness. Reporting them as one number called “mentions” hides the difference that matters most.
Can anyone guarantee a place in an AI answer?
No. AI answers shift by time, place and person. What can be done honestly is to measure where you stand today, show who is being used instead of you, and make sure your pages are in a shape the engines can use.