Most brands think Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) is just SEO with a new name. They’re wrong!
After analyzing how Fortune 500 brands show up in AI, our resident expert, Zubin Mowlavi (EVP, Commerce) identified three critical things most teams still don’t understand about winning the AEO game:
1️⃣ You’re playing two games at once.
AEO has two distinct layers:
- 🧱 Layer 1: Foundational Training Data. This is the compounding asset built from millions of reviews, mentions, and editorial content. It determines if the model knows you at all.
- 🧱 Layer 2: Live Retrieval. Models like ChatGPT and Perplexity actively search the web in real-time. Well-structured content can be cited here in as little as 7 to 14 days.
That means if you aren’t optimizing for both layers…you’re missing half the surface area. The brands winning right now are the ones who recognize the value in both of these layers, and work to implement the combo in their AEO strategies.
2️⃣ Your product catalog is the bare minimum.
A catalog might get you considered, but organic signals earn the recommendation. Here’s what most brands miss: the AEO analysis that tells you where you’re invisible (or not showing up in LLM search and retrievals) is exactly what you need to reverse that.
Once you can identify the gaps from your AEO data, brands can start identifying prompts that work for products. From there, your data can be used to brief future social content and help strengthen your visibility even more.
3️⃣ You can’t buy your way in (yet).
Right now, every brand is on equal footing on the organic side. Brands building real equity today are creating a moat for when paid ads eventually arrive. Meanwhile, the brands waiting for their “perfect moment” are only falling behind and, transparently, will have to play catch up against other leading brands.
The winners will be the brands that treat organic content as their AI & content strategy. 💫 And remember, AEO isn’t a sprint or a one-time thing. It’s a gradual process, and a compounding asset that brands can slowly build now for major results ASAP. Your next steps are simple and it all begins with getting your brand in the answers.
Ready to Rethink Your Strategy? 🤔
If this breakdown has you second-guessing your current approach to AEO 🤝 Connect with us!
About Zubin Mowlabi
Zubin Mowlavi is the EVP of Commerce at VaynerX and our resident expert on AI search behaviors and modern digital strategy. With a 20+ year background founding and scaling digital commerce agencies, Zubin bridges the gap between traditional SEO and cutting-edge digital growth, especially as AEO strategy begins to take precedence.
His expertise lies in turning market signals and emerging tech into enterprise products that unlock scalable growth. Zubin has helped Fortune 500 brands strengthen their share-of-voice in zero-click results and developed playbooks to accelerate retail-media growth across global platforms like Amazon and Shopify.