SEO vs. AI Answer Rank: What Businesses Need to Know

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today…to tell you the funeral is off. SEO isn’t dead. It’s just smarter now! No, really.

If you’ve found yourself asking whether AI is replacing good ol’ Google, you’re not alone. At TRIO, we’ve been hearing rising concerns surrounding traditional SEO strategies, especially with the growing popularity of ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and other AI tools that serve up answers instead of links. 

The truth? Search is evolving. But that doesn’t mean SEO is outdated or unnecessary. It just means your strategy needs some tweaks.

What’s changing (and what isn’t)?

Traditional SEO (search engine optimization) has always been about showing up on page one of Google. That’s still important. But AI tools are introducing something new.

In today’s AI-driven world, AI-generated responses, like those from ChatGPT, provide fast and helpful answers to user questions without the need to click. These responses are built upon content from across the internet, underscoring the continued importance of your blogs, landing pages and other online content.

So, what is AEO exactly?

AEO (answer engine optimization) is the process of structuring and writing content in a way that allows AI platforms to understand and confidently use it to answer questions. Instead of just thinking about how to climb Google’s rankings, you’re now also thinking about how to become a trusted source for AI.

To show up in AI-generated answers, your content needs to be:

• Credible: Demonstrate experience, expertise, authority and trustworthiness (Google’s E-E-A-T guidelines still apply)
• Structured: Use headings, FAQ formats, lists and schema markup to help AI understand and extract information
• Helpful: Answer real questions your audience is asking
• Consistent: Update your content regularly to stay relevant and accurate

As Patrick Moorhead, author of “The Soverign CMO: Growth Strategy for the AI Answer Economy,” puts it, “Start thinking about what you’re writing as pages in the encyclopedia for your industry.” That’s the mindset AEO rewards.

Is SEO going away?

No, SEO is still a valued part of any digital marketing strategy. AI and AEO are just reframing the approach to SEO. 

AI platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google’s AI Overviews (formerly Search Generative Experience) rely on the open web to generate answers. That means they’re still pulling from websites, blogs and trusted online content.

That’s good news! It means that much of your existing SEO strategy also benefits AEO. When marketing agencies: 

• Build content clusters around core services
• Write detailed, informative and keyword-focused blog posts
• Optimize metadata, internal linking and page speed

…we’re not just helping you rank higher on Google. We’re also helping your business become a reliable source for AI-powered search.

And while it’s true that users might not click when they get their answer directly from AI, there’s still value. AI tends to reference and surface high-authority sources. That builds your reputation and increases trust, even if it doesn’t always appear in your web traffic report.

What is TRIO doing to keep you visible in AI-driven search?

Our full-service marketing agency has been riding the AI wave. We’ve immersed ourselves in AI and developing stories like this to ensure nonprofits and businesses like yours aren’t left in the digital dust. 

Since launching our AI initiative (TRIO 4.0, check it out), we’ve been tracking this shift closely and are already taking proactive steps for our clients:

• Monitoring how AI tools are sourcing information
• Structuring content to help you appear in featured snippets and AI answers
• Prioritizing clarity, accuracy and authority in every piece we create
• Reviewing our SEO strategies with this new dual lens (Google + AI)

Best of all, we’re doing this as part of your existing SEO strategy. Like all smart marketing, our strategies are just evolving with the times.

What can you do right now?

Whether you’re not a TRIO client (yet) or just want some homework, here are a few simple ways to support your AEO (and SEO) strategy starting today:

• Review your website for clarity and helpfulness
• Add an FAQ section answering real customer questions
• Define your services clearly and use language your audience understands
• Think in topics, not just keywords—cover subjects thoroughly
• Keep your content fresh and accurate

Plus, there’s one more tactic you could try. Have you ever asked yourself, “Should I mention competitors on my website?” The answer is yes.

It may sound counterintuitive, but in the age of AI-powered search, acknowledging your competitors on your website could actually work to your advantage and help protect your brand presence.

Why? Because AI search tools rely on context and relationships between entities to determine relevance and credibility. When your competitor writes content that includes your brand by name, they are helping AI associate themselves with your business. This can result in their website populating in AI-generated responses when someone searches for you or topics related to your brand.

In short: if your competitors are talking about you, and you’re not talking about them, they may capture more AI real estate than you’d expect.

Here’s how to combat that:

1. Address common comparisons. If customers are likely to compare your offerings to a competitor’s, address the differences openly and factually. This builds transparency and can help you own the narrative.
2. Create comparison pages. Structured comparison blogs (e.g., “Company A vs. Company B: Which Is Right for You?”) can rank well and feed AI models with trustworthy, direct content.
3. Stay neutral, not negative. AI tools reward helpfulness and factuality, not smear campaigns. Avoid framing competitors in a negative light.

Mentioning your competitors can feel risky, but in the right context, it shows confidence and positions your brand as a trustworthy resource to your audience and the AI engines shaping modern search.

Not sure where to start? That’s where we come in.

Evolve your digital marketing strategy with Team TRIO.

Whether you’re trying to boost your organic traffic or ensure ChatGPT mentions your business in a response, TRIO can help you build the strategy (and the content) that gets you there. Want to know how you’re showing up in the age of AI search? Let’s talk.