How Do I Get My Site to Come up in AI Searches?

What can you do to make sure your information appears when people search using ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, or any other AI search engine? It’s all about AEO, or answer engine optimization. AEO is to AI search as SEO (search engine optimization) is to Google search. But what is AEO exactly? And do we really need to care about AEO? Because, let’s be honest, AI fatigue has set in, and if you do a Google search for AEO, American Eagle Outfitters still comes up in the number-one spot.

Here’s the short answer (because AEO says I have to provide a clear answer right away or I’ll be ignored). Yes, AEO matters if you want to be included in the exponentially growing world of AI search. So, let’s look at what AEO is, why it is suddenly so crucial, and how our AI overlords are actually training us to think and act more like humans.

WHAT IS AEO?

Answer engine optimization is the process of optimizing your online content so that AI search engines like Gemini and ChatGPT can use it to directly provide answers to user questions (rather than simply listing links à la conventional search engines).

I think of it like looking for a recipe. A traditional search delivers a recipe blog. You may eventually get to the recipe, but only after you’ve read about the blogger’s recent trip to Mexico and how that inspired her to make this dish, and how hard it was to find chilhuacle peppers, but how essential they are to the authentic flavor. An AI search engine gives you the recipe, and that’s it. Because somehow AI knows better than we do that when a human is searching for a recipe, what they actually want is (this will blow your mind) a recipe!

DOES AEO REALLY MATTER?

How much should we care about answer engines like ChatGPT? A LOT. More than half of Google searches are now ending without a click (meaning many people are getting the answers they need without having to go to another website). Research from BrightEdge reported that the use of search queries with eight or more words has seen a 7x increase in just the last year.

Search habits are changing. Not only are our search queries getting longer—they are also including more conversational language. Increases in voice search and mobile search have led to these changes. So has  the fact that, with tools like Google AI, we can now be so much more precise in how we search. Instead of typing in “steering noise” to try and find out why the car is making strange sounds (traditional search), we can ask, “How come my 2011 Honda Pilot makes a screeching sound on hard turns?” and Google AI will unearth a YouTube video on exactly that.

Google’s AI overviews now appear in at least 13% of search engine results pages (SERPs). Research by Semrush predicts that large language model (LLM) traffic will overtake traditional Google searches by 2027. So, does AEO really matter? Yes. And you only have a few years to get out in front.

HOW CAN I SUCCEED AT AEO?

How can you ensure that your content gets picked up by AI search platforms? Here’s where you can begin:

• Start with SEO.
  Everything you’ve done to improve your SEO is not for naught. The basics of SEO are the starting point for AEO. Features like metadata and backlinks are equally important to both.
  
• Use structured content and schema markup.
  Answer engines rely on structured data. Make sure you are using H1, H2, and H3 headings correctly to clearly indicate main ideas and sub-topics. Add schema markup to your site. There are loads of tools to help you do this. Many content-management systems have plug-ins you can use.
  
• Figure out what your prospects are asking.
  As Banklinko explains, “As more users realize they can use conversational language to make their searches, longer queries will become more common.” Research what your potential clients are asking. Information from sales calls, user feedback, and community forums is helpful for this task.
  
• Make it skimmable.
  The same things that make your content easy for people to skim make it easy for AI to ingest. Put your bottom line up front. Keep your paragraphs short (only 2 or 3 sentences). Use bulleted lists. A study by Surfer found that AI-generated answers contain ordered (numbered) or unordered (bulleted) lists 78% of the time.
  
• Include quotes and statistics.
  Backlinko shares that, “Pages with quotes or statistics have been shown to have 30–40% higher visibility in AI answers.” (See what I did there?)
  
• Give it answers that look like answers.
  AI engines are all about providing answers to questions, so consider having FAQs on your website that answer the questions people are asking. How-to guides are also a great format to consider. AI search is more competitive than traditional search. You are no longer fighting to be in the top 10; you’re trying to get into the single, summarized response that an AI system delivers. And, as Neil Patel warns, “If your content doesn’t look like an answer, AI tools won’t treat it like one.”
  
• Pay attention to all the places you show up.
  According to Backlinko, “AEO is just one piece of a larger shift. We’re entering the age of Search Everywhere. Discovery no longer happens in a single Google results page. It’s happening across AI chat, overviews, forums, video, and social.” Your off-site presence in places like YouTube, Reddit, and local business pages can improve your visibility in AI search.

IS AI MAKING US THINK MORE LIKE HUMANS?

Think about what your prospects are actually asking. Where have I heard that before? Ah, yes, that’s what we tell people when we help them with their messaging. Someone stocking their first-aid kit isn’t searching for “four-sided adhesive seal.” They are searching for “waterproof bandage.” And now they might be searching, “Which bandage stays on longest while swimming in the ocean?”

AI search also does a better job at finding where we humans talk about products and services. Reddit, YouTube, and other sites with user-generated content often appear in AI search results. So do podcast content and transcripts.

Are AI search engines going to be what finally convinces organizations that they should stop using business lingo and confusing acronyms? Is this how the corporate world accepts what messaging experts have been saying all along—that better readability scores matter? Wait, is this what it feels like when AI steals your job?

Interested in non-AI-based real-live human sales coaching? Get in touch at mastery@maestrogroup.co.