What is Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) and how does it change SEO?

Hubspot's discussion on Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) and its impact on SEO marks a significant shift in the way marketers approach content optimization. The article highlights the need to optimize content for AI-powered answer engines, rather than just traditional search engine results. This means that website owners must now consider how their content will be crawled, indexed, and presented by AI systems, in addition to traditional search engines. As AI-powered answer engines become more prevalent, website owners will need to adapt their SEO strategies to ensure their content is optimized for these new systems. This may involve using more conversational language, providing direct answers to common questions, and structuring content in a way that is easily digestible by AI algorithms. To stay ahead of the curve, website owners can take several actionable steps: first, review their llms.txt files to ensure they are allowing AI-powered answer engines to crawl and index their content; second, use AI-specific keyword research tools to identify opportunities for optimization; and third, experiment with AEO-friendly content formats, such as Q&A-style blog posts or conversational landing pages, to improve their visibility in AI-powered search results.