SEO helps search engines discover and understand useful pages. AEO focuses on making that information understandable and verifiable in AI-assisted answers. The work overlaps, especially when an assistant uses a search index or retrieves normal web pages.
Shared foundations
Use accessible HTML, stable URLs, descriptive titles, useful internal links, and current facts. Cite reliable evidence and keep structured data consistent with the visible page. Google’s AI features guidance keeps established SEO practices relevant.
Different outcomes to measure
Search impressions and clicks, AI referrals, sampled answer citations, crawler requests, and on-site chat questions are distinct signals. A screenshot comparing Google and ChatGPT illustrates the interfaces; it does not establish how either provider weights ranking factors.
There is no universal rule that freshness or clarity carries a specific greater weight in every LLM retrieval system. Improve the source content and measure your actual results.
See AEO 101 and visibility metrics.
