Is your search engine optimization (SEO) agency still focusing on traditional SEO for traffic? If yes, then it may be time for an upgrade.
For years, the SEO’s goal was clear: rank at the top of the search engine results page (SERP) to capture traffic and revenue. But not anymore!
The new imperative is answer engine optimization, or AEO. AEO focuses on getting your brand cited and referenced within the concise, definitive answers provided by AI assistants and in overviews. This evolution isn’t just another algorithm update to adapt to — it’s a complete reimagining of how users discover your brand and consume your content.
Often, when users type a question into a search engine, an AI overview sufficiently answers their question. They never even click on any of the SERP results. This phenomenon, often referred to as a “zero-click” scenario, has led to the re-evaluation of what a successful search outcome truly looks like. As AI overviews dominate search results and chatbots like ChatGPT and Perplexity reshape user behavior, businesses face a critical question: Can their current SEO agency navigate this new terrain?
In this article, we will dive into AEO and how you can identify if your agency has the skills you need to show up in AI search.
Key takeaways:
- The traditional SEO model of ranking for clicks is giving way to AEO, which focuses on earning citations and mentions within AI-generated answers.
- This shift is urgent as AI-powered search is projected to overtake traditional search by 2027.
- To succeed, brands must build a reputation validated by external sources, not just by having good copy on their own site.
- AEO is not just about visibility but also about attracting more qualified, high-intent traffic.
- Traditional metrics like traffic volume are insufficient. Success in the AEO era is measured by brand mentions, sentiment, and the quality of the audience, not just the quantity.
The AEO imperative: Why your agency needs to adapt
The traditional SEO model was built on a simple premise: a direct correlation between high search rankings and increased organic traffic. Success was measured in clicks, and the primary goal was to climb the ladder of blue links. However, the introduction of AI-powered search has rewritten the rules.
Google’s AIOs now appear on billions of monthly searches — at least 13% of all SERPs. Even more telling, research from Semrush predicts that LLM traffic will overtake traditional Google search by the end of 2027. In fact, AEO is already being framed as a market potentially worth over $75 billion, with platforms like ChatGPT handling more than a billion queries daily.
A company can no longer rely on an agency that operates solely within the old framework because the “page one” of today’s search is no longer a list of links. It’s an intelligent, dynamic answer block that dominates the user’s first impression.
Mohammad Farooq, Director of SEO content at G2, points to a crucial mindset shift as a key challenge. He explains that getting a brand cited in an AI-generated answer is not the same as ranking high on a traditional SERP.
While there is a correlation, he questions whether one is truly the cause of the other. The core of this new approach is consensus.
Rather than simply optimizing for a search algorithm, brands must now build a reputation validated by external sources.
You need to reinforce your story through your website, but use external sources to validate it for answer engines. A good copy alone won’t save you.
Mohammad Farooq
Director of SEO Content at G2
For an agency, neglecting this shift means its clients are missing out on what is becoming a high-value search channel. AI-powered search is particularly effective at answering informational and top-of-the-funnel (TOFU) queries. As a result, the traffic that still clicks through to a website is often more qualified and has a higher intent to purchase. This means AEO is not just about visibility; it’s about attracting a more valuable audience.
Community forums and review sites also heavily influence AI-generated answers. According to a Semrush study, Quora is the most commonly cited website in Google AIOs, with Reddit acquiring second place. Quora and Reddit users often ask and answer niche questions that aren’t addressed elsewhere, making them rich information sources for highly specific AI prompts. This is because user-generated content (UGC) is now a key factor in visibility. And AI models are trained on the language from these sources to learn about a brand’s expertise and relevance.
This trend also extends beyond forums to specialized review platforms that shape purchasing decisions. Data from the LLM performance measurement site Profound indicates that G2 is one of the top sources cited by various LLMs, outperforming other community channels like Reddit. Furthermore, brand mentions on G2’s category and comparison pages are crucial factors that directly contribute to showing up in AI search results. A focused AEO strategy must include building a strong presence on high-value community and review platforms.
For your agency to ensure that your clients achieve high-value visibility, you need to verify that your SEO partner has successfully transitioned to the new AEO paradigm. Therefore, the next crucial step is vetting the expertise of the people responsible for your brand’s AI-era visibility.
5 questions to vet your SEO agency for AEO expertise
The stakes are high, so choosing the right SEO agency in the era of AEO is crucial.
To decide if your agency is equipped to navigate the new world of AEO, you need to ask the right questions. Here are five questions you can ask that will help vet their expertise and strategic vision.
1. What is their philosophy on content creation in the age of AI?
A traditional SEO agency might focus on creating a large volume of content targeting high-search-volume keywords, regardless of their position in the buyer’s journey. However, Farooq points out, “If an answer engine can easily explain ‘what’ and ‘how,’ should you still write about it? No. Focus on queries that help users make decisions rather than create awareness.”
AEO-savvy agencies understand that AI will handle basic informational queries, making it a waste of resources to create content that simply answers those questions. Instead, they will focus on creating content that addresses nuanced, complex, and decision-making queries.
What to look for
An agency that emphasizes creating high-quality, long-form content that provides unique value and helps users at the bottom of the funnel (BOFU). They should be able to articulate a strategy that goes beyond keywords to build topical authority and address the long-tail variations of questions that are likely to influence buying decisions.
2. How do they plan to leverage off-page SEO for your brand?
While off-page SEO has always been a key component of any search engine marketing (SEM) strategy, its role has expanded significantly. Off-page SEO was often viewed as a means to build domain authority through link building, but not anymore.
An AEO-ready agency should understand that AI systems don’t just crawl traditional web pages; they also consider information from forums, social platforms, review sites, and professional networks. They should have concrete plans for building their authority across these channels.
The post-AI SEO will be about off-page SEO. This isn’t just about building new backlinks. This shift is about getting brand mentions, being more PR-heavy in your off-page tactics, and ensuring quality backlinks over quantity.
Mohammad Farooq
Director of SEO Content at G2
What to look for
An agency that has a comprehensive strategy for securing brand mentions across various platforms. They should understand the importance of user-generated content (UGC) on sites like Reddit and review platforms like G2. They should be prepared to manage your brand’s reputation on these sites, actively engaging in conversations and ensuring positive citations.
3. Do they monitor brand mentions and sentiment on external platforms?
Farooq emphasizes that a brand’s reputation on community forums and review sites can directly impact inclusion in AIOs. He also highlights the risk of a brand being “negatively cited on GPTs,” which could severely damage its reputation. A forward-thinking agency will recognize this and proactively manage it.
What to look for
An agency that uses tools and processes to track and analyze brand mentions and sentiment on forums, social media, and review platforms. They should be able to provide you with a clear picture of how your brand is perceived externally and have a plan to address any negative feedback or capitalize on positive mentions.
4. How do they measure success beyond keyword rankings and traffic?
In the old world of SEO, success was a simple numbers game: higher rankings and more traffic. But in the age of AEO, these metrics are incomplete. Getting cited in an AI answer is a new form of success. Your agency should understand this reality and propose new ways to measure the impact of its efforts. Kevin Indig, a Growth Marketer and Growth Advisor at G2, emphasizes just how fundamental this shift has become when connecting SEO efforts to actual revenue and lead generation in an AI-first world.
It’s tricky because the classic search funnel (search -> click -> convert) is broken. A mix of self-attribution, channel-level attribution, and long-term views is key.
Kevin Indig
Advisor at G2
What to look for
An agency that can show you how its efforts are contributing to the business’s bottom line. They should be able to connect their work to key performance indicators (KPI) like lead generation, customer conversions, and ultimately, revenue. They should also be transparent about the challenges of measurement in this new environment and be actively working on new ways to track brand influence.
5. What is their philosophy on SEO in general?
While AI has introduced new challenges, the fundamental principles of good SEO have not changed. A great agency will have a philosophical approach that balances new tactics with evergreen principles.
As Kevin explains, “Reviews take over a lot of the role of EEAT (experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness) for local SEO. The way I understand it, EEAT reflects what users are looking for in good web results. On the local level, reviews influence decisions the most. Businesses can help with good visuals, detailed information, NAP (name, address, and phone number), and supporting content.”
What to look for
An agency that understands that AEO is not a replacement for good SEO, but an evolution of it. They should be committed to creating content that is genuinely useful to users, built on a foundation of technical excellence and a strong, authentic brand voice. The bottom line: Adapt or become irrelevant.
The shift from traditional SEO to AEO is fundamentally reframing the in-house SEO versus agency dynamic. Where traditional SEO could often be managed internally with basic technical knowledge and content creation, AEO demands a broader skill set that spans reputation management, multi-platform strategy, and continuous monitoring across diverse digital ecosystems.
In-house teams may find themselves needing agency partners who can navigate the complex web of external validation sources, while agencies must evolve from keyword tacticians to strategic reputation architects.
The division of roles is shifting from “we’ll handle on-page, you handle off-page” to “we need integrated expertise across all touchpoints where our brand story lives.”
To lead in this answer economy and distribute credibility, you need AEO. This means brands must shift their focus from an insular, website-centric view to a holistic, ecosystem-aware strategy. The companies that will thrive are not those that are simply “ranking” but those that are building robust knowledge graphs around their expertise.
The future of search is here, and it’s an opportunity for agencies to demonstrate their strategic value and for brands to build a presence that is not just visible but indispensable.
The key to survival and success is to embrace this new reality and recognize that AEO has managed to accelerate SEO’s original intent: to prove authority, trust, and relevance.
FAQs
1. What is AEO?
AEO refers to answer engine optimization. It’s the process of optimizing web content to be featured as a direct answer or “position zero” result in search engines and conversational AI platforms.
2. What is E-E-A-T, and why is it important for AEO?
E-E-A-T is a framework Google uses to evaluate the quality and credibility of content. It stands for experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. This is important for AEO because answer engines and AI models are designed to provide the most reliable and trustworthy information available. They rely on these principles to determine which content is credible enough to be selected as a featured snippet or direct answer.
3. How does an AEO-savvy agency approach content creation differently?
An AEO-savvy agency understands that AI will handle basic informational queries, making it a waste of resources to create content that simply answers those questions. They will instead focus on creating content that addresses nuanced, complex, and decision-making queries that help users at the bottom of the funnel.
Ready to master GEO? Join our exclusive webinar with Reddit on October 16th to learn how B2B brands build on authentic engagement for real business results.
Edited by Supanna Das
