Why AEO Is Essential for Business Owners

Theo Payn
Nov 3
3 min read

Key Takeaways

What is AEO? Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) ensures your business is cited accurately and recommended by AI tools like ChatGPT and Google’s AI Overviews, not just ranked on traditional search engines.

Why is AEO important now? User behaviour is shifting to conversational AI and LLMs. Businesses that optimise now capture visibility and authority before competitors dominate AI-generated answers.

How does AEO differ from SEO? Traditional SEO targets keywords and links; AEO focuses on structured, question-driven, authoritative content that AI systems trust and reference directly.

What are GEO and AI SEO? GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) and AI SEO are closely related practices. GEO focuses on getting content included in AI-generated answers, while AI SEO uses advanced analytics and NLP to meet evolving user intent.

How can businesses adapt? Businesses should optimise content for questions, implement structured schema, build authority across the web, and continuously monitor their LLM visibility.

What Are AEO, GEO, and AI SEO?
How SEO Is Evolving
LLM Adoption and Changing User Behaviour
How Business Owners Can Adapt to AEO

What Is AEO, GEO, and AI SEO?

Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO), Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO), and AI SEO are modern strategies that ensure your business is not only discoverable but actively recommended by AI tools, chatbots, and search platforms.

AEO: Structures your website and brand information so AI platforms provide direct, authoritative answers about your business.
GEO: Ensures your content is included in AI-generated responses by being machine-readable, accurately cited, and widely referenced.
AI SEO: Uses AI, machine learning, and natural language processing (NLP) to optimise content beyond keywords, meeting the evolving intent of users.

All three approaches aim to optimise how AI systems fetch, synthesise, and recommend answers, not just how humans search keywords on Google.

*Using ChatGPT to search for products & services*

How SEO Is Evolving

Traditional SEO focused on ranking for specific keywords. Today, high-impact optimisation is holistic and intent-driven:

AI and machine learning personalise search results based on user context and preferences.
Voice and visual searches are increasingly common, requiring conversational answers.
Structured data, FAQ formats, and clear context help AI provide accurate answers.
SEO success now means being the AI’s recommended answer, not just the top link.
Authority, topical expertise, and a strong web presence are crucial as AI draws from multiple sources.

LLM Adoption and Changing User Behaviour

Understanding LLM adoption is critical for businesses:

The global LLM market is projected to reach $82.1 billion by 2033.
67% of organisations use LLMs in operations as of 2025.
ChatGPT surpasses 400 million weekly users.
Google’s AI Overviews appear in 13% of all searches and over 50% of tracked keywords.

User habits are shifting rapidly:

Many, particularly Gen Z, now use LLMs as their primary research tool.
Users ask complex questions conversationally and receive personalised answers instantly.
This shift changes how businesses are discovered, researched, and evaluated, directly affecting sales and visibility.

How Business Owners Can Adapt to AEO

To stay ahead, businesses must optimise for AI-driven search:

Write for questions, not just rankings: FAQs, guides, and direct answers work best for LLMs.
Build authority across the web: AI pulls from multiple sources, so your brand should be consistently cited.
Use structured data: Implement schema markup and keep information accurate and current.
Provide complete, trustworthy content: Cover topics comprehensively so AI recognises your brand as an expert.
Act now: Businesses that optimise today capture the AI “top spot”, the recommendation, mention, or link LLMs deliver as the answer.

In the AI era, visibility isn’t just about clicks, it’s about being recognised, trusted, and recommended by the systems people increasingly rely on. Investing in AEO now ensures your brand stands out in the AI-driven search landscape.

How We Can Help

At Based, we specialise in helping Auckland and New Zealand businesses hit the ground running in AI visibility. With a background in SEO and digital marketing, we now focus on helping brands adapt to the LLM and AI landscape.

We provide a full-service, practical approach to AEO:

Deep discovery sessions to understand your brand, audience, and data.
Audits and competitor research to uncover gaps and opportunities for AI visibility.
Question-driven and semantic optimisation to align content with how people naturally ask questions.
Schema and content ecosystem strategies that make your information clear, trusted, and AI-readable.
Authority-building through backlinks, citations, and brand mentions to strengthen trust signals.
Monitoring and ongoing optimisation to ensure your brand stays visible, relevant, and authoritative as AI search evolves.