The quick version
SEO gets you on Google's list of results. AEO gets you into the answer AI gives people directly. Both matter, but they work through different mechanisms.
Think of it this way: SEO is about ranking. AEO is about being recommended.
How SEO works
Search Engine Optimization has been around for decades. When someone searches Google, the algorithm looks at hundreds of factors to decide which pages to show. The big ones include backlinks (how many other sites link to yours), keyword relevance, domain authority, page speed, and user engagement signals.
SEO is competitive because everyone's fighting for the same 10 spots on page one. You're trying to rank higher than your competitors for the same keywords.
How AEO works
Answer Engine Optimization is newer. When someone asks ChatGPT or Perplexity a question, the AI reads across the web, evaluates sources, and crafts a direct answer. It doesn't show a list — it recommends specific businesses.
The signals AI uses are different from Google's. Our research found that domain authority — the single most important metric in traditional SEO — has almost no correlation with AI recommendations. The correlation was r = -0.05 in our chiropractic study and r = 0.002 in our physical therapy study. Essentially zero.
What matters for each
SEO priorities
- —Backlinks and domain authority
- —Keyword optimization and search intent matching
- —Page speed and technical performance
- —Click-through rates from search results
- —Content freshness and regular updates
AEO priorities
- —Website structure and information architecture
- —Dedicated service or condition pages
- —Clear, extractable information in each section
- —Structured data (schema markup) for business info
- —Consistent information across the web
Where they overlap
The good news: many AEO improvements also help your Google rankings. When you reorganize your website to be clearer for AI, it also becomes clearer for Google. When you create dedicated service pages, they rank for long-tail keywords. When you add structured data for AI, Google uses it too.
The overlap means you're not choosing between AEO and SEO — you're strengthening both at the same time.
Where they diverge
The biggest divergence is what doesn't transfer. A strong backlink profile that dominates Google might have zero effect on AI recommendations. Conversely, the kind of clear, structured content that AI loves might not move the needle on Google without supporting backlinks.
This is why businesses that only focus on traditional SEO are missing the AI search opportunity entirely — and why businesses that focus only on AEO might see AI gains without corresponding Google improvements.
What should you prioritize?
Start with the changes that help both: clean up your website structure, create dedicated service pages, add structured data, and make your content clear and scannable. These improvements compound across both channels.
Then layer in channel-specific tactics: link building for SEO, and AI-specific optimizations like crawler access and answer-formatted content for AEO.
The businesses that will win the next few years are the ones treating AI search as a real channel — not an afterthought.
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