AEO is the practice of optimizing content to appear in AI-generated answers and their citations, including both generative answers and the accompanying citation lists.

AEO differs from SEO and GEO: AEO targets direct AI responses using FAQ/HowTo schemas with emphasis on E-E-A-T; GEO focuses on AI citability; SEO aims at traditional rankings and crawlability.

There are two main optimization tracks: generative answers (brand mentions, sentiment, and positioning within the answer) and citations (being linked as a source in the AI citation list).

AI-driven search currently accounts for a small but rapidly growing share of search activity, with potential to dramatically increase AI-influenced traffic.

Early adoption of AEO strategies could be impactful as AI search usage grows and begins rivaling traditional search in scope.

As AI search expands, it will increasingly influence how brands appear, highlighting the need to optimize for AI-driven visibility.

Brand marketing and PR can influence training data over months-long horizons, as stakeholders weigh authority and consensus in model training.

Prompt tracking is essential; monitor relevant prompts and consider manual approaches for smaller sites to manage costs.

Conclusion: AEO requires an ongoing, data-driven approach with continuous improvement to stay ahead as AI-powered search evolves toward 2026 and beyond.

Future guidance suggests continuing traditional SEO alongside AEO, with ecommerce brands benefiting from in-chat shopping integrations that enable purchases within AI conversations.

AI-driven search will emphasize personalized, contextual content, and non-traditional metrics like AI citations and conversational visibility will gain importance.