How AEO/GEO is changing search

Search isn’t just about finding the right website anymore.

Google can answer a question directly through AI Overviews. ChatGPT can compare five products without sending someone to a single review page. And buyers can research an entire category, narrow their shortlist, and decide which brands are worth considering before visiting a company’s website.

That’s a fundamental change to how discovery works.

AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) and GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) are the names marketers have given to adapting to that shift. There’s still plenty of hype around both. But the changes to rankings, citations, brand visibility, and organic traffic are measurable.

The more useful question isn’t whether AEO/GEO is just SEO with a different name. It’s how AI has changed the search journey, and what marketers need to do differently.

Here’s what the data tells us.

TL;DR

• AI search is changing how buyers research products. In a 2026 US consumer survey, 65% of AI chatbot users said they’d replaced at least some product-related Google searches with chatbot conversations.
• Google rankings no longer determine which pages get cited. Ahrefs found that only 37.1% of Google AI Overview citations also ranked in the organic top 10 for the same query.
• AI search is moving beyond informational queries. Semrush recorded a 71% increase in the share of commercial-intent search results containing AI Overviews over six months.
• Ranking visibility isn’t translating into the same volume of clicks. Ahrefs’ 2026 study associated AI Overviews with a 58% lower average CTR for the top organic result.
• Marketers need to measure more than rankings. AI citations, brand mentions, generative search impressions, referral traffic, and conversions now provide different pieces of the visibility picture.

How has AI changed the way people research products?

AI search is moving more of the research process into a single conversation. Instead of opening ten tabs to compare products, buyers can ask an AI assistant to summarize the options, explain trade-offs, and narrow down which brands deserve a closer look.

And that behavior is already showing up in the data.

In a September 2026 consumer study, Semrush and Exploding Topics surveyed 2,338 US consumers. Among respondents who used AI chatbots, 65% said they’d replaced at least some product-related Google searches with AI conversations.

That doesn’t mean Google has been replaced. The same research found that many AI users maintained their Google usage. They’re adding another layer to how they research.

The bigger change is what happens before the click.

A buyer can ask ChatGPT to compare marketing automation platforms, eliminate tools that don’t meet their requirements, and build a shortlist without ever visiting a vendor’s website.

Your brand might be part of that answer. It might be missing entirely. Or it might be described using information you didn’t publish.

That’s why AI visibility isn’t just about getting a link into an answer. It’s also about the information shaping the buyer’s decision before they reach your site.

How is AI search changing brand authority?

AI search can form answers about a brand using information from its website, third-party publications, reviews, and online discussions. That makes accurate, credible information beyond your own website more important, although off-site mentions don’t automatically cause AI citations.

One Redditor summed up the skeptic position perfectly: “I can’t see how AEO/GEO meaningfully differs from traditional SEO practices.”

At surface level, both AEO/GEO prioritize content quality authority signals, and both want your brand associated with credible sources.

But the mechanism for establishing authority has changed.

Traditional SEO uses backlinks as votes of confidence. Your site earns links from authoritative domains, Google interprets that as trust; your rankings improve. Linear. Measurable. Well-understood.

That changes what brands need to pay attention to.

In a 2025 Ahrefs experiment, researchers created Xarumei, a fictional luxury paperweight company. They built an official website and then planted conflicting information across Reddit, Medium, and another blog.

Some AI systems repeated the fabricated details. Gemini, Perplexity, and others picked up false information about the company’s founders, locations, and products. ChatGPT was more resistant, frequently relying on the official FAQ to challenge the claims.

The point isn’t that AI blindly believes everything it reads on Reddit. It’s that a brand’s story can be assembled from sources the brand doesn’t control.

That’s a different kind of visibility problem and potentially a reputation problem, too.

The response isn’t to manufacture mentions everywhere. It’s to make sure accurate information about your brand exists in places buyers already trust, and to understand how that information is being represented in AI-generated answers.

Why is AI search moving beyond informational queries?

AI-generated answers are increasingly appearing when buyers compare products, evaluate services, and research purchasing options. That means the impact of AEO/GEO extends beyond informational content into the consideration stage of the buying journey.

And the data shows how quickly that’s changing.

In a July 2026 Semrush study, researchers analyzed more than 600,000 keywords across ten industries. Over six months, the share of commercial-intent search results containing AI Overviews increased by 71%.

That’s not a small shift.

Commercial searches are where people compare alternatives, weigh up features, and try to work out which solution is worth their money.

AI can now enter that process before the buyer reaches your comparison page.

For marketers, this changes the role of several familiar content formats:

• Comparison pages need to explain meaningful differences between products, not just stack features into a table.
• Product and service pages need clear information about capabilities, limitations, pricing, and who the solution is actually for.
• Original research and customer evidence give AI systems and buyers information they can’t get from another generic roundup.
• Brand positioning needs to hold up beyond your website, particularly when AI is comparing competitors.

That doesn’t mean every commercial query now produces an AI answer. The same Semrush study found that AI Overviews became slightly less common on transactional queries during the study period.

But the boundary between researching and choosing a product is becoming less clear.

Your content strategy needs to account for both.

Does ranking #1 on Google guarantee visibility?

A top organic ranking doesn’t guarantee that your content will be cited in an AI-generated answer. AI search systems can retrieve information from related queries and other sources, so the pages selected for an answer don’t always match the highest-ranking pages for the original search.

A Semrush study found that ChatGPT regularly cites pages buried at position 21 or lower on Google’s results. Not occasionally. Regularly.

(Image Source)

In Ahrefs’ 2026 analysis, researchers examined roughly 4 million URLs cited in Google AI Overviews. Just 37.1% also ranked in the organic top 10 for the same query. Another 36.7% didn’t rank in the top 100 organic results.

That’s a significant difference between ranking for a query and being selected as a source.

The mechanism matters, too. Google can expand a search into related questions before generating an answer, which means content that answers a useful follow-up question can become relevant even when it doesn’t dominate the original SERP.

AI models use a technique called query fan-out. When you ask a question, the AI doesn’t run one search; it runs several variations of your query in the background, then looks for consensus across many different sources.

We saw this firsthand while building a Chrome extension that extracts the actual queries ChatGPT runs. 

When we asked: “What is the best SEO keyword research tool?”, ChatGPT triggered these searches:

• “Best SEO keyword research tools 2025”
• “SEO keyword research tool comparison features pricing”
• “Top keyword research tools reviews”
• “Keyword research software recommendations”

It’s synthesizing answers from multiple result sets, not just the top-ranking page for your exact query.

This creates an opening.

A small niche blog with a perfectly structured comparison table can get cited over a large corporate site with 10,000 backlinks if that corporate site buries the answer under 2,000 words of filler. The AI model is optimizing for answer extraction, not domain authority.

• Traditional SEO: If you’re not on page one, your chances of being seen are near zero.
• AEO/GEO: If your content provides a more direct and structured answer than the top result, AI will surface it even from position 50.

That’s not replacing SEO. That’s layering a new discoverability mechanism on top of it.

How are AI Overviews changing organic search traffic?

AI Overviews are changing the relationship between search rankings and website visits. A page can rank highly while receiving fewer clicks because Google answers part of the user’s question directly in search results.

Ahrefs’ analysis of 146 million desktop search results, AI Overviews appeared for roughly 21% of keywords in the dataset. Informational searches accounted for most of those results.

(Image Source)

The click impact is more revealing. In a 2026 study, Ahrefs analyzed 300,000 keywords and estimated that AI Overviews were associated with a 58% lower average click-through rate for the top-ranking organic result, relative to the expected rate without an AI Overview.

That doesn’t mean every AI Overview causes a 58% drop. It’s an observational estimate. But it shows why rankings alone are becoming a less useful measure of search performance.

You can still rank first. You just can’t assume that position will deliver the same clicks.

Translation: Your “how-to” and “what-if” articles—the bread and butter of top-of-funnel SEO—are increasingly being answered directly by Google’s AI summary. The user gets the answer. You get nothing.

• The traditional SEO playbook says: Write comprehensive guides. Capture informational intent. Drive traffic to your site where you can convert them.
• The new reality: Google answers the question inline. The user never clicks. Your perfectly optimized guide ranks #1 and generates zero traffic because AI Overviews extracted the answer and presented it as Google’s own content.

“If you rely only on traditional SEO and ignore AEO and GEO, you’ll lose out on traffic.”

— Reddit comment 

This isn’t speculation. It’s already happening at scale.

That raises another question: what are the remaining clicks worth? Our analysis of LLM traffic versus Google traffic looks at why traffic volume and commercial value aren’t always moving in the same direction.

What actually works for AEO/GEO optimization?

Effective AEO/GEO starts with useful, accessible content that answers real questions, covers relevant comparisons, and provides information worth citing. It also requires understanding where your brand appears across AI platforms rather than treating Google rankings as the only measure of visibility.

Clear structure helps, but there’s no magic word count or formatting rule. Direct answers, useful headings, and specific comparisons make information easier to understand. They don’t guarantee a citation. If Google’s AI Overview is answering the query, look at what it’s citing and what it’s missing. Then optimize your content to fill those gaps and increase your chances of being mentioned as a source.

Structure matters more than word count. Tables, lists, direct answers in the first 100 words—these increase extraction probability. Long-form narrative buried under six paragraphs of intro doesn’t.

Second, shift traffic strategy toward content AI Overviews don’t trigger. Comparison pages. Pricing pages. Product reviews with specific use case breakdowns. These still drive clicks because they require human evaluation, rather than just information extraction.

• Traditional SEO: You write guides to capture clicks and build top-of-funnel traffic.
• AEO/GEO: You optimize for citations within the AI answer itself, knowing your brand gets mentioned even if the user never visits your page. Then you double down on content types that still generate direct traffic.

Third, take your brand’s presence beyond your own website seriously. Reviews, industry publications, relevant communities, and independent comparisons can all shape the information available to AI search systems.

But being mentioned isn’t the same as being trusted, and a correlation between brand mentions and AI visibility doesn’t prove that manufacturing more mentions will improve citations.

If your brand repeatedly appears in high-quality discussions alongside established competitors, AI models start treating you as a peer. 

That’s not gaming the system. That’s understanding how the system works now.

How should marketers measure AI search visibility?

AI search performance needs to be measured across visibility, citations, traffic, and conversions. A brand mention isn’t necessarily a citation. A citation doesn’t guarantee a click. And a click doesn’t tell you whether the buyer was already influenced by an AI-generated recommendation.

This is one area where the tools are starting to catch up.

In June 2026, Google introduced dedicated generative AI performance reporting in Search Console. The reports show which pages receive impressions in AI Overviews and AI Mode, with breakdowns by country, device, and date.

That gives marketers a better view of where their content appears, although it doesn’t provide a complete picture of individual AI referral clicks, citations across other platforms, or downstream revenue.

For a useful starting point, measure four things:

• AI visibility: Which relevant buyer questions surface your brand or content?
• Citations and mentions: Which sources are referenced, and how is your brand described?
• Traffic: How are organic clicks and AI referrals changing?
• Business outcomes: Are those visits contributing to qualified leads, sales, or conversions?

Keep the reporting separate enough to see what each metric tells you.

The goal isn’t to win the most citations for the sake of a dashboard. It’s to understand whether you’re appearing during the research and decisions that matter to your business.

What are the biggest mistakes marketers make with AEO/GEO?

The biggest mistakes are manufacturing brand mentions, assuming citations guarantee traffic, abandoning SEO fundamentals, and treating AI visibility as a one-time optimization. Different AI platforms can surface different sources, so results need ongoing monitoring.

Let’s be clear about what doesn’t work.

• Don’t manufacture brand mentions. The Xarumei experiment showed how misinformation can influence AI-generated answers. It’s a warning about credibility and reputation, not a playbook for manipulating AI search.
• Don’t abandon traditional SEO. GEO layers on top of SEO fundamentals. If your content is thin, your site structure is broken, and your backlink profile is weak, optimizing for AI extraction won’t save you.
• Don’t obsess over AI visibility for every keyword. Some queries still drive high-intent clicks. If you rank #1 for “enterprise marketing automation platform pricing,” you’re getting traffic even if AI Overviews appear. That’s bottom-funnel intent AI can’t fully satisfy.
• Don’t treat this as a one-time optimization. AI models evolve. Query fan-out patterns change. Citation preferences shift as training data updates. This requires ongoing monitoring, not a one-month audit.

The Reddit skeptics are right to question whether every agency selling “AEO services” actually knows what they’re doing. Most don’t. They’re repackaging SEO fundamentals with new terminology and charging a premium.

But that doesn’t mean the underlying shift isn’t real.

Where should marketers start adapting to AI search?

Start by auditing how AI search represents your brand and content for important buyer questions. Compare the cited sources with your existing pages, identify genuine information gaps, and track whether your changes affect visibility, traffic, and conversions.

1. Audit your informational content for AI extraction: Pull your top 20 “how-to” and “what-if” articles. Search those exact queries in ChatGPT and Gemini. See which sources get cited and why. Compare your content structure to cited sources. Identify gaps in directness, structure, or detail.
2. Build structured answer formats into new content: Use tables for comparisons. Lead with direct answers in the first paragraph. Break complex processes into numbered steps. Make your content easy for AI models to parse and extract without ambiguity.
3. Track brand mentions across high-authority communities: Set up Google Alerts for your brand name plus “Reddit,” “Quora,” and key industry forums. Monitor where your brand appears in organic discussions. Engage authentically when relevant, but don’t force it. AI models recognize inorganic promotion patterns.
4. Shift content investment toward click-preserving formats: Prioritize comparison pages, pricing breakdowns, and use-case-specific reviews. These content types still generate direct traffic because they require human judgment, rather than just information extraction.
5. Test and measure AI visibility as a distinct metric: Track citation rate in AI responses separately from traditional rankings. If you rank #3 on Google but never get cited by ChatGPT, that’s a signal your content structure needs work for AI extraction.

Frequently asked questions

How has AEO/GEO changed search?

AEO/GEO reflects the shift toward AI-generated answers that summarize, compare, and recommend information. Brands can gain visibility through AI citations and mentions, even when users don’t click through to their websites.

Does ranking first on Google guarantee an AI citation?

No. AI search systems can retrieve information from multiple related queries. A page can rank first organically without being cited, while lower-ranking pages may appear as sources.

Are AI Overviews appearing on commercial searches?

Yes. Semrush’s 2026 analysis found a 71% increase in the share of commercial-intent search results displaying AI Overviews over six months. AI-generated answers are increasingly part of product research and comparison.

How is AI search affecting organic traffic?

AI Overviews can reduce the clicks available to traditional search results. Ahrefs’ 2026 analysis estimated a 58% lower average CTR for the top organic result when an AI Overview appeared, relative to its no-AI-Overview baseline.

How should marketers measure AEO/GEO performance?

Track AI search impressions, brand mentions, cited sources, referral traffic, and conversions. These measure different outcomes, so citation counts alone aren’t enough to assess business impact.

Search has changed. The job is still to be worth finding.

AEO and GEO are still buzzwords. Agencies will oversell them. Consultants will package familiar SEO work as something revolutionary.

But dismissing them entirely misses what’s actually happening.

People are researching through AI conversations. Google is answering more questions directly. AI citations don’t always follow organic rankings. And brand information from across the web can influence how a company gets described before a buyer reaches its site.

SEO fundamentals still matter. But they’re no longer the complete picture of how someone discovers, evaluates, and chooses a brand.

The job now is to understand where your buyers are getting their answers, make sure the information about your brand is worth finding, and measure whether that visibility leads to something valuable.

That’s the change marketers need to adapt to.

What to do next

If you’re trying to understand where AI search is creating new opportunities, CXL’s Increase visibility and revenue from AI discovery engines course covers how changing search behavior affects content strategy, brand authority, proprietary research, and measurement. For the more tactical side, Optimize pages for AI search with GEO/AEO shows you how to find citation opportunities, analyze AI-powered comparisons, and close content gaps that matter to buyers.

Join CXL’s AI Native Marketing program

AI search is one part of a bigger change in how marketing work gets done.

CXL’s AI Native Marketing program helps marketers build working AI systems rather than adding more disconnected tools. The current program covers creating a shared marketing brain, a campaign engine with quality checks, and a reporting agent that turns performance data into actions. The aim is to make AI part of the workflow, not another experiment that ends when you close the chat.