Table of Contents

1	What is AEO and why it has emerged as a new talk of the town?
2	Why SEO still matters?
3	Why AEO shouldn’t be followed blindly?
4	Final Thoughts from the SEO pro

Let me share something of interest that I have noticed while working in digital marketing lately. You know how everything keeps changing with Google and other search engines? I remember when it was all about cramming keywords into content (those were some dark days!), but now it’s fascinating to see how things have evolved, especially with voice search being huge.

I’ve been excited about this newer approach called Answer Engine Optimization, or AEO. In essence, it’s all about getting your content to directly answer people’s questions, that is, the same kind of response you would like from Alexa when you ask it something. It’s pretty cool because it works really well for those featured snippets you see at the top of Google searches.

But here’s the thing – while I’m absolutely sold on AEO and its potential, I always think about how it stands in the bigger picture. Traditional SEO is not going anywhere; I mean, building a house comes first before adding all of that fancy stuff. Today, I want to explain why I consider them both important and, more importantly, how both work together to really spice up your online presence.

What is AEO and why it has emerged as a new talk of the town?

Before diving into why SEO is still standing, let’s analyze what AEO is, in the first place, and why it seems such a trending topic in 2025. My clients are always asking me if I can get their business in AI search results such as Chatgpt or Gemini. And after putting my years of experience in technical SEO, I finally succeeded to bring one of my local seo clients on the top of these search results.

Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) is an approach that targets ensuring content’s optimal condition to answer user inquiries promptly and directly. AEO optimizes content to answer these kinds of questions in a way that search engines—particularly Google—can feature it directly in the search results, often in a featured snippet or knowledge panel. Such answers appear at the very top of search results, above organic links, giving them prime visibility. For businesses that want to optimize their content for AEO, the results can be nothing short of revolutionary, with an influx of organic traffic and greater visibility on search engines.

Why SEO Still Matters?

Look, I know all the buzz these days about AEO, but let’s talk about why SEO is not going anywhere. And that’s where solid SEO practices come in. Sure, I have seen enough trends come and go; with my experience, AEO is indeed changing the game with its strong focus on answers and voice search, but SEO will remain the backbone of most things we do online.

Think about it – whether someone’s asking Alexa a question or typing keywords into Google, they still need to find your content. And that’s where solid SEO practices come in.

I want to explain why SEO still deserves your attention, even as AEO gains momentum…

Search Engine Rankings are still key

While AEO focuses on answering specific questions, SEO remains essential for overall ranking. Keyword optimization, link building, content optimization, and technical SEO helps your website to rank well for most searches – not merely voice search or question types. While AEO focuses on answering specific questions, SEO remains essential for overall ranking.

It’s always great to see website traffic soaring

A great SEO strategy brings organic, consistent traffic to your site. AEO is more on finding the right answers; while SEO will make sure your whole website ranks for as many searches as possible. As much as possible, one would want people to end up on your site to see and read your content; that is what SEO allows to happen.

Comprehensive user experience

SEO is not just about ranking but a way of creating an excellent user experience. Page speed, navigation, and mobile responsiveness have to be optimized to make your website user-friendly. All these are essential to keep your visitors on your site for longer and turn them into customers. AEO answers the queries of their users, but SEO is required to structure the website so it can be well-delivered in terms of seamless user experiences across touch points.

Building topical authority is always going to be the key

SEO is a long-term strategy for building domain authority and trust with search engines. A website that consistently produces quality content, gains backlinks, and adheres to best SEO practices will build a solid reputation over time. This authority plays a big part in determining whether your content will rank well on Google or other search engines, even when it comes to featured snippets.

SEO drives long-term results

SEO is not an instant ROI strategy, like paid advertisements, but over time your website can see improvements in rankings and traffic, and the results can be more sustainable. AEO can be sure to deliver quick wins but never underestimate the long-term influence of SEO.

Why AEO shouldn’t be followed blindly?

Despite all the benefits from AEO, one should not follow it blindly. And that’s why:

Not every query needs to be a featured snippet

Simply not all the queries answered by AEO should come as featured snippets. There must be a balancing act, which should then complement some SEO strategy toward in-depth content satisfying intent over mere answers.

Search Engine Optimization provides the foundation

SEO is the foundation that AEO builds upon. Without SEO, AEO can be ineffective. AEO might not prove to be very effective. Even a website which ranks pretty well for broad search queries automatically stands a chance of selection as a featured snippet.

AEO is not a one-size fits all solution

Answer Engine Optimization thrives well with certain query types-that which can easily be replied with shortness and concision. However, there are indeed many occasions wherein AEO won’t serve best for queries or topics; such cases demand longer descriptions and deep explanation. There are many topics for which the concentration on quality and rank is a priority through multiple queries in search for SEO.

AEO is much more competitive compared to the evergreen SEO

AEO Is Much More Competitive Featured snippets and voice search optimization push much more businesses to compete for top ranks. Niche and well-established industries are, therefore, highly competitive for AEO strategies. In such a scenario, a solid SEO strategy becomes crucial for maintaining visibility through various channels.

Final Thoughts from the SEO pro

Let me just wrap this up – I have been really digging deep into AEO lately, and honestly, it’s pretty mind-blowing how it’s reshaping the way we connect with people through search. What really gets me excited is how it’s perfectly suited for voice search and those featured snippets that pop up at the top of Google. But here’s the thing – I’d be crazy to suggest ditching SEO. It remains the backbone of everything we do online, bringing in that steady stream of organic traffic and building our credibility.

You must want to see my client reviews so that you would be able to trust what I am saying:

From what I’ve seen, the real magic happens when you use both. Think of AEO as your quick win: you get those immediate, visible results, whereas SEO is your long game, building steadily. Looking ahead, I am betting that successful digital marketing will need both of these tools in the toolkit. Those who figure out how to balance them will surely have an edge. So, so yeah, embracing the potential of AEO and AI in 2025, but keeping SEO firmly in my strategy, too. See my client reviews and schedule a free inbound marketing discovery call where we will work as a team and get your business revenue to the pinnacle. Let’s earn millions in 2025.