Every podcast I listen to has been talking about AEO and GEO for business so I felt it was time to write an article on it. It’s not news to anyone that more and more people are using AI tools for searching, research, shopping, etc
I helped my brother implement an AEO/GEO system for one of the most noteworthy chiropractors on the east cost. I helped him implement this for his client so that I could get hands on before talking about it.
Let’s dive in…
The Shocking Reality of the Current Landscape
If you've been pouring money into SEO for the last decade, you have a problem. Not a directional shift problem. Your entire acquisition strategy is about to evaporate problem.
Here's the data that should scare you:
Only 12% of the URLs that ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Microsoft Copilot cite in their answers actually rank in Google's top 10 for the same query.
80% of those AI citations don't even crack Google's top 100.
Even pages sitting at #1 on Google only get cited by AI engines about half the time.
Translation: your hard-won SEO rankings don't mean what they used to.
Search query volume is projected to drop 25% structurally as consumers shift to AI. That's not diversify your channels territory. That's the river dried up and the fish are dying territory.
But here's the upside, and why I ran a live test before writing this. Brands that actually get recommended by AI convert at 11.4% to 14.2%. Your standard organic traffic converts at 2 to 3%.
Traditional SEO vs AI Optimization
This radar chart illustrates the fundamental shift in optimization priorities. While traditional SEO indexed heavily on keyword exact matches and raw backlink volume, AEO/GEO demands high semantic depth, conversational relevance, and authoritative brand mentions across the web.
The AI Search Landscape
Consumer product discovery is fracturing across multiple AI platforms. Understanding where consumers ask highly specific, high-intent questions ("What is the best clean skincare brand for rosacea?") is critical for targeting PR and content efforts.
The Collapsing Conversion Funnel
AI engines act as personalized concierges. Instead of a consumer researching 5 different DTC blogs to make a decision, the AI evaluates the consensus and recommends 1-2 brands. This drastically increases conversion rates for the recommended brand while wiping out top-of-funnel traffic for the rest.
Performance Impact on Consumer Brands
When a brand successfully transitions from keyword-stuffing to optimizing for LLM consensus (by earning high-authority PR mentions, user-generated content on Reddit/Quora, and deep technical site specifications), the underlying marketing metrics shift dramatically.
I put together a full report and playbook for you…Grab it here 👇
