AEO vs SEO: What Changed and What Didn't

The discovery surface and measurement questions differ

SEO examines how pages are found in search and lead to visits. AEO examines how products are described and used as sources in AI answers. Both rely on accurate, readable public information.

AI visibility is more than included or excluded. Product position, the explanation, cited sources, and factual errors can all affect what your team should work on next.

Look at one product through different measures

• Search: inspect impressions, positions, clicks, and landing pages.
• AI answers: inspect mention rates, recommendation position where meaningful, citations, and descriptions.
• Website outcomes: compare channel-level sessions, inquiries, orders, and revenue.
• Work completed: record what changed and when, then repeat measurement under comparable conditions.

Share the technical groundwork

Check whether the page can be read, important information is in the body, links work, and structured data matches the visible content. These checks help people and agents interpret the page.

Google’s AI search guidance does not require special AI files or schema. llms.txt is an optional proposed format for guiding agents through information, not an access-control file.

Run the work together

Reuse the same product evidence in search-facing pages and content developed from AI-answer questions. Inspect competitor sources, then decide whether to improve an existing page or publish a new guide.

Keep channel outcomes separate. Appearing in an AI answer after an edit does not establish that the edit caused all subsequent visits or revenue. Prompt conditions and a change history make the next decision easier to assess.