Short answer: SEO optimizes for rankings and clicks in search results. AEO optimizes for being named and recommended inside AI answers. Most brands need both, but they are measured differently and SEO tools cannot show you what AI says about you.
Side by side
- Goal: SEO wants a top ranking. AEO wants to be in the answer.
- Unit of work: SEO targets keywords. AEO targets the prompts buyers actually ask.
- Success metric: SEO tracks rankings, traffic and clicks. AEO tracks mentions, citations, share of AI answers and sentiment.
- Where the signal lives: SEO is mostly your own site and backlinks. AEO spans your site plus the reviews, publications and forums AI engines cite.
Where they overlap
Clear, well-structured, trustworthy content helps both. Many AI engines draw on the web, so pages that rank well are often cited too. But ranking well does not guarantee you are named in the answer.
Why SEO tools miss AI visibility
SEO tools measure positions on a results page. An AI answer has no page two: you are either named or not. You need to run real prompts in each AI engine and record what comes back.
How to run both
- Keep your SEO fundamentals strong
- Add a prompt list that mirrors buyer questions
- Track your share of AI answers alongside rankings
- Prioritize fixes that move AI visibility, such as answer-shaped pages and earned mentions
Where Tallee fits
Tallee is built for the AEO side: live tracking across ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, Grok and Copilot, the sources behind each answer, and actions ranked by predicted impact, with experts to help you act.
FAQ
Will AEO hurt my SEO? No. The work that helps AEO, like clear answers and credible mentions, generally supports SEO too.
Which should I start with? If buyers already ask AI about your category, start measuring AEO now, even while SEO continues.
