For the past two decades, getting found online meant one thing: ranking on Google. Business owners learned about keywords, backlinks and meta descriptions. The whole discipline became known as Search Engine Optimisation or SEO. But something significant has shifted.
The rise of AI-first search
Increasingly, people ask an AI assistant like ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity or Grok instead of scanning a list of links. They may receive a synthesised response that names businesses, explains why and sometimes includes a link—but the format, sources and level of detail vary by system and query.
That shift changes how local businesses can publish information. SEO signals do not map neatly onto an AI response, which may have no stable list of results or ranking position. Each system decides independently what to access and use.
What is AEO?
Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) is the practice of structuring business information so that AI systems have a clearer source to interpret if they access it. It's about being readable to machines, not just searchable by humans; it cannot guarantee finding, reference or accurate representation.
Where SEO often focuses on visibility and ranking on a results page, AEO focuses on making information available in a form an AI system can interpret. Neither approach guarantees that a system will access, use or present it.
How AEO differs from SEO
SEO is about ranking. AEO makes information easier to reference.
In SEO, pages compete for positions on a results page. In an AI response, a system may cite, link to, mention or omit a source; there is no predictable placement, and citation is never assured.
SEO can reward volume. AEO prioritises clarity of available information.
A long-form blog post stuffed with keywords might rank well on Google. When an AI assistant uses business information, clear, structured facts can be easier to interpret: what you do, where you are, who you serve and what real customers and the business owner have said. Whether it uses those facts varies.
SEO is often link-driven. AEO is information-driven.
Backlinks are one signal in SEO. For AEO, verified, current, schema-marked information gives systems a structured source to interpret. An owner-controlled identity page may complement a heavily optimised website, but no profile guarantees an AI response or outperformance.
Why local businesses are especially exposed
Large brands have armies of marketers and technical teams. They produce schema-marked content, press releases and structured data by default. Small and local businesses rarely do. As more people use AI assistants to research services, publishing a current, shareable identity gives smaller businesses another clear source to offer.
A local electrician, baker or accountant who publishes a structured identity page with real Q&A gives systems another current source to consider. That may be useful alongside other channels, without implying an advantage over competitors.
AEO and SEO aren't opposites
You don't have to choose. Structured identity pages with proper schema markup can make business information easier for AI systems and search engines to interpret, while each service independently decides whether to access or use it. AEO and SEO outcomes can differ.
The best time to set up your structured identity was a year ago. The second best time is now.