SEO vs AEO: What’s the Difference and Do You Need Both?

SEO helps you rank and earn clicks in search results. AEO helps your content get cited inside AI answers. Most businesses in 2026 should do both.

If you’ve felt like search is getting “weirder” lately, you’re not imagining it. More queries end without a click, and more customers are starting their research inside AI tools. The practical result is this: you can be doing “SEO correctly” and still lose visibility, because the user never reaches the list of blue links.

This guide breaks down the difference between SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) and AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation), what each one is best at, and how Australian businesses can prioritise both without doubling their workload.

What is SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)?

SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is the process of improving your website so it appears higher in traditional search results on Google and Bing. The goal is straightforward: earn visibility for relevant searches, attract qualified clicks, and convert those visitors into leads or customers.

SEO usually includes three pillars. Technical SEO focuses on crawlability, speed, and indexation. On-page SEO focuses on the page itself: search intent, headings, internal linking, and content quality. Off-page SEO focuses on authority signals, especially backlinks and brand mentions. Local SEO adds another layer for Australian businesses, including Google Business Profile optimisation and location-based relevance.

SEO remains essential in 2026 because traditional search hasn’t disappeared. It’s still how people find services, compare providers, and validate decisions. But SEO is no longer the whole story, because many searches now end without a click — and AI answers can intercept the journey earlier.

What is AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation)?

AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation) is the process of structuring and optimising content so AI-powered platforms can extract it cleanly and cite it as a direct answer. Instead of competing for a click, you’re competing to become the source that tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews reference.

AEO is less about stuffing keywords into a page and more about making content quotable. That means leading with a direct answer, writing in self-contained sections, using headings phrased as real questions, adding comparison tables, and including FAQs with structured data (schema). It also means being specific: names, numbers, dates, tools, locations, and concrete definitions.

The important mindset shift is this: SEO optimises for ranked lists of links, while AEO optimises for synthesised answers. You still want strong SEO foundations — because AI tools often pull citations from pages that already rank well — but AEO adds an “extractability” layer that classic SEO doesn’t fully cover.

What’s the difference between SEO and AEO?

SEO and AEO overlap, but they optimise for different outcomes. SEO aims for rankings and clicks. AEO aims for citations and visibility inside AI-generated answers, even when the user never visits your site.

Here’s the simplest way to think about it: SEO wins when you earn the click. AEO wins when you become the answer.

The trap businesses fall into is treating AEO like a separate channel that replaces SEO. In reality, AEO is often an extension of SEO: strong pages with clear structure become the pages AI tools prefer to cite.

Why do you need SEO and AEO in 2026?

Search behaviour is changing in two big ways: fewer clicks and more “answer-first” experiences. Studies of Google clickstream behaviour show that a majority of searches end without a click to an external website, and research on AI Overviews suggests CTR drops sharply when AI answers appear. At the same time, ChatGPT’s scale has grown fast, and Gartner has publicly predicted a significant shift in search behaviour toward AI assistants by 2026. ([sparktoro.com][1])

For businesses, this creates a visibility problem: you can rank well and still lose the opportunity to be seen if the user never reaches your page. AEO helps you stay visible earlier in the research journey by getting your content cited in the answer itself.

For Australian businesses, there’s also a timing advantage. Many local competitors are still optimising for “classic SEO only.” Publishing clear, structured, updated answers can be a first-mover move in your niche — especially for service businesses, B2B providers, and any industry where customers ask repeatable questions.

When should you prioritise SEO?

Prioritise SEO when your growth depends on capturing demand through traditional search results — especially when the query has strong commercial intent and people still click to compare providers.

SEO tends to be the right first move when:

• You’re a local business relying on location-based searches (Sydney, Parramatta, Liverpool, etc.)
• Your category is competitive and trust-driven (users want to compare multiple sites)
• Your site has technical issues (slow pages, indexation problems, thin content)
• You need predictable lead volume from high-intent keywords
• Your content exists but doesn’t rank because the fundamentals are missing

A practical rule: if you don’t have reliable indexation, solid site speed, and clear service pages, AEO won’t save you. AI tools still need something worth citing, and SEO fundamentals are what make your content discoverable and trustworthy.

When should you prioritise AEO?

Prioritise AEO when your customers ask questions that AI tools answer directly — and your brand risks being invisible because the user stops at the AI response.

AEO tends to be the right first move when:

• Your buyers research with questions (“What’s the difference between…?”, “How much does… cost in Australia?”, “What should I choose…?”)
• You sell something that needs explanation, not just a price list
• You already rank decently but clicks are softening
• Your content is strong but not structured for extraction (no tables, no FAQ, no clear answers)
• You want visibility across multiple platforms (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews)

A practical rule: if you can write the “best short answer” to a question in your niche — and support it with a clear page structure — you can compete for citations even against larger players.

When do you need both SEO and AEO?

Most businesses need both, because users don’t follow one single path anymore. A modern buyer might:

1. ask an AI tool for a shortlist,
2. click one or two sources to validate,
3. Google again to compare providers,
4. check reviews, then
5. convert after multiple visits.

That mixed journey means you want:

• SEO so you’re visible and clickable in traditional results, and
• AEO so you’re visible inside AI answers before the user clicks anywhere.

The most efficient approach is not “two strategies,” it’s one strategy with two outputs: build pages that rank well and read like quotable reference entries. The good news is the same improvements often help both: better headings, clearer answers, cleaner internal linking, updated content, and structured data.

What does SEO + AEO together look like in practice?

Here’s an example pattern that works well for service businesses (this is a composite example based on common client scenarios).

A training provider wants to capture searches like “AI training for managers,” but also wants to show up when people ask AI tools, “What’s the best AI training for business leaders in Australia?” The combined approach looks like this:

• Build (or improve) a service page that targets the core intent and ranks for SEO
• Add a direct answer section near the top (“Who is this for, what you’ll learn, outcomes”)
• Add a comparison table (“in-person vs virtual”, “half-day vs full-day”, “public vs private”)
• Add an FAQ section with clear 40–60 word answers and FAQ schema
• Publish one supporting guide that answers the broader question (“What is AEO?”, “How to choose training”, etc.)
• Refresh the page quarterly with updated dates, examples, and outcomes

That single content cluster becomes eligible for both: rankings (SEO) and citations (AEO).

How do you measure SEO vs AEO?

SEO measurement is mature: rankings, clicks, sessions, conversions. AEO measurement is newer: citations, mentions, and AI-driven referral traffic. You don’t need fancy tools to start — you need consistent tracking.

A simple monthly AEO routine: choose 10 target questions, test them in ChatGPT and Perplexity, log whether you’re cited, and record the URL and extracted snippet. Then check GA4 for referrals from AI sources and track conversions over time.

What should Australian businesses do first?

If you’re starting from scratch, don’t try to “do everything.” Do the highest-leverage basics that benefit both SEO and AEO.

Step 1: Fix technical foundations. Make sure your site is indexable, fast, and mobile-friendly. If Google struggles to crawl your site, AI tools won’t reliably cite it.

Step 2: Create one cornerstone answer page. Pick a question your customers ask every week. Write a direct answer, add a comparison table, and include FAQs with schema.

Step 3: Add structured data. At minimum: Article schema on blog posts, FAQPage schema on FAQ sections, and LocalBusiness/ProfessionalService schema on your homepage.

Step 4: Improve extractability. Make sure your headings are question-shaped, sections are self-contained, and the key answer appears early.

Step 5: Refresh quarterly. Update dates, examples, and facts. Add one new FAQ each quarter based on real customer questions.

If you want the fastest path, start with one page, do it properly, and replicate the pattern across your service pages and your first 3–5 blog posts.

Common mistakes when trying to “do AEO”

AEO fails when the content isn’t actually visible, isn’t specific, or isn’t trustworthy enough to cite.

Common mistakes include:

• Hiding important content behind client-side rendering (the answer exists only after JavaScript runs)
• Writing fluffy content without entities (no numbers, names, dates, tools, locations)
• Burying the answer under a long intro (AI tends to extract early)
• Publishing without tables, comparisons, or FAQs (less structure to extract)
• Blocking AI crawlers without meaning to (robots rules or security layers)
• Treating AEO as separate from SEO (ignoring the foundations that make pages discoverable)

The fix is boring — and that’s good news. Write the clearest answer in your niche, structure it cleanly, mark it up properly, and keep it updated.

Key takeaways

• SEO focuses on rankings and clicks; AEO focuses on citations inside AI answers
• AEO doesn’t replace SEO — it layers on top of strong SEO foundations
• Structured, answer-first content (tables, FAQs, comparisons) performs best for both
• Measure AEO with consistent query testing + AI referral tracking in GA4
• Australian businesses can still capture a first-mover advantage in many niches