But first. I remember that SEO was all about racking our creative brilliant brains to pick the right keywords. Write the blogs. Optimise the page title. Add a few internal links. Hope Google liked you. Check Search Console and optimise, then optimise again.

And for a long time, that worked.

But search has changed. Again. Because of course it has *cue my eyes rolling*.

People are no longer just typing a few words into Google and scrolling through ten blue links. They’re asking full questions. They’re using ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and AI-powered search summaries to get quick answers. Sometimes they don’t click anything at all.

So now we’re hearing more and more about AEO, which stands for Answer Engine Optimisation. Sounds fancy, maybe even sounds slightly made up. For all I care it could be called Alien Engine Optimisation *cue my brain thinking about little aliens wearing cute mechanic overalls while working with tiny spanners on their spaceship engine…*

Let me break it down for you:

• SEO helps your content show up in search results.
• AEO helps your content become the answer.
• Let’s break it down further (please read on, I promise to make it interesting for you).

First, what is SEO?

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation.

In normal human language, it means improving your website so search engines can find it, understand it, and show it to the right people.

Good SEO usually includes things like:

• Clear website structure
• Helpful page titles and descriptions
• Relevant keywords
• Quality written content
• Fast-loading pages
• Mobile-friendly design
• Internal links
• Backlinks from other trusted websites
• Blogs, FAQs and service pages that answer what your audience is searching for

Basically, SEO is about making your website easy for Google to read and easy for people to use.

And before anyone starts writing “SEO is dead” in a dramatic LinkedIn post, please don’t.

SEO is not dead.

It has just stopped being the only thing in the room.

So, what is AEO?

AEO stands for Answer Engine Optimisation.

It’s about creating content that can be easily pulled into direct answers by AI tools, voice assistants, search summaries and answer engines.

Think of the way people search now.

They don’t just type: “SEO agency Toowoomba”

They ask:

“What is the difference between SEO and AEO?”
“How do I get my business to show up in AI answers?”
“Is blogging still worth it for my website?”
“What should I do if my website traffic is dropping but impressions are up?”

These are more conversational, specific and intent-driven questions. I kind of like it because we’re relational human beings so of course we were bound to start using technology like this!

AEO is about making sure your content answers those questions clearly enough that an answer engine can understand it, trust it and use it.

Hot tip: if your content is vague, fluffy or trying too hard to sound clever, AI tools probably won’t know what to do with it… and neither will your customers, for that matter. So let’s avoid that ‘stuff’.

The key difference

Here’s the simplest way to think about it:

• SEO is about ranking.
• AEO is about being referenced.
• SEO wants your website to appear in search results.
• AEO wants your content to be used in the answer itself.

With SEO, someone searches, sees your page, clicks through and reads.

With AEO, someone asks a question, gets an answer instantly, and your business may be part of that answer, even if they don’t click straight away.

Yes, that can feel a little scary….

Less clicking. More skimming. Shorter attention spans. Classic internet behaviour, really *cue more eye rolling*.

But it also creates HUGE opportunities. Please be a positive polly with me for 5 seconds.

Because if your business is the one providing the clearest, most useful and intentional answer, you build trust before someone even lands on your website.

Why this matters for businesses

Your website is no longer just a brochure. It’s a source.

It feeds Google. It feeds AI tools. It feeds social content. It feeds the way people understand your brand before they ever enquire. YUM. YUM. YUM.

That means your content needs to be more than pretty words on a webpage. It needs to be clear, specific and useful.

If your website says:

“We deliver innovative solutions to help brands thrive in a changing digital landscape.”

• Beautiful? Maybe.
• Helpful? Head shaking :(
• What do you actually do? Who do you help? What problem do you solve? Why should anyone care?
• Now compare that with:
• “We help service-based businesses improve their website, content and digital marketing so they can be found online and convert more leads.”

Much better.

More intentionality. Bravo!

What should you do now? So glad you asked!

Start by reviewing your current website and content.

Here’s your checklist:

• Can someone understand what we do within a few seconds?
• Do our service pages answer the questions people ask before they enquire?
• Do our blogs explain topics clearly or are they just there for keywords?
• Are we writing for how people search now, or how they searched five years ago?
• Are we being specific enough? Or are we being INTENTIONAL enough (My favourite word of the year is ‘intentional’ if you hadn’t already guessed…)

If the answer is “hmm, maybe not,” that’s your starting point.

You don’t need to publish 100 blogs overnight. Please don’t. Nobody needs that kind of chaos.

Start with quality over quantity.

Here’s some simple things you can do:

• Write the helpful explainer blog - no fluff allowed!
• Add the FAQ section.
• Make your service pages clearer.
• Turn common customer questions into content.
• Use headings that actually say something.
• Replace buzzwords with plain human language.
• Less waffle. More value. And not the yummy kind of waffle either.

And lastly, SEO is still important and AEO is becoming increasingly important.

The brands that WIN online will be the ones that understand both.

Because the future of search is not just about being found. It’s about being understood. It’s about being trusted. It’s about being the answer when your audience is actively looking for help.

So, if your content is clear, useful, structured and genuinely helpful, you’re already moving in the right direction.

If your website is vague, outdated or relying on pretty design to do all the heavy lifting… we need to talk.

Search is changing, but the goal is still the same.

• Help people find you.
• Help them understand you.
• Help them choose you.

That’s SEO and AEO working together… some might say better together..

Can’t be stuffed doing the AEO audit yourself? I get it. Business owners have enough on their plates! 

Submit the contact form and our team will be in touch to do a website audit for you.

About the Author of this blog:

Maddie Riehl

Founder and Director of Hey Marketing, and Director of Hey Media. Maddie has a passion for all things creative digital marketing.

She began her career in marketing in 2013. She competed studies in Marketing & Business Communications while working in Agricultural Marketing travelling Australia. From there she took the brave and bold stepping into Agency Marketing in 2019, where she saw firsthand both the challenges traditional agencies face and the frustrations many businesses experience when relying on out-of-house support.

Driven by a desire to do things differently, Maddie launched her own non-traditional digital marketing agency in Toowoomba in 2021. Today, Hey Marketing brings together some of the region’s most talented creative marketing and media professionals, offering a powerhouse of local, human-led expertise across strategy, copywriting, web development, graphic design, PR, advertising, photography and videography.

Maddie is proud to champion a creative, collaborative approach that connects businesses with passionate specialists who genuinely care about using their creative gifting to positively impact lives.