With the rapid development of the internet, many companies are searching for new ways to make their products known to more people. In the past, people relied on Google searches, clicked on links, and found answers on their own. Later, methods like Facebook ads, blogs, and SEO (Search Engine Optimization) emerged—those who adopted them early gained more attention.
Now, AI-powered chat tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity have become extremely popular. Many people simply ask questions directly in these tools and get instant answers, without needing to click through to web pages. This shift has made a new form of optimization increasingly important—“Answer Engine Optimization” (AEO).
AEO is about making your content easier for AI bots to find and recommend, so when someone asks a question in ChatGPT, your content has a chance to be shown. The natural traffic driven by traditional SEO is decreasing because search habits are changing. If your content isn’t selected by AI, it basically loses exposure.
So how can you ensure your content is picked up by AI?
- First, make sure AI bots can access your website—don’t block them.
- Use Google Analytics or HubSpot to track traffic generated by AI recommendations.
- Write your content in a structured Q&A format, so AI can directly extract answers. Avoid only writing stories or long-form articles.
- Check if your content is “worthy of ranking”—in other words, is it better than what AI currently recommends?
- Continue using proven SEO strategies, such as boosting site authority and building high-quality backlinks.
- Participate in discussions on Reddit and other social platforms, as AI loves to quote content from these sources.
The author is also testing these methods, like posting content on LinkedIn to see if it gets recommended by AI, continually tweaking content structure, and tracking changes in AI-driven traffic.
AEO is still new and everyone is exploring. Those who seize the opportunity and act early will gain a bigger advantage. In the future, many people will specialize in AEO services, just as they did with SEO. If you haven’t started experimenting with AEO yet, now is the perfect time.