The SEO to AEO Shift

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The search landscape is changing dramatically as Google and other engines evolve from providing lists of links to delivering direct answers. This shift from Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) requires a new approach to your digital content strategy—but don't worry, you don't need to start from scratch.

We walk you through exactly how search is changing and what it means for your business visibility. Traditional SEO elements—metadata, alt text, keyword research—remain important foundations, but they're just the starting line now. Today's AI-powered search engines scan your content looking for expertise, context, and genuine value. The days of keyword stuffing and thin content are over; now, your pages need to answer real questions that your customers are asking.

The practical steps we outline will help you audit and enhance your existing content without rebuilding everything. Learn how to transform each page by adding paragraphs that address common questions, improve blogs with detailed explanations and real examples, and write in a conversational tone that's both accessible and authoritative. We share specific techniques for training your team to maintain brand consistency while adapting to these new requirements, plus how our DallowryFlow system incorporates these best practices into templates that help you create AEO-friendly content.

Whether you're feeling overwhelmed by these changes or excited about the opportunity to showcase your expertise, this episode gives you the roadmap to stay visible as search technology evolves. Remember: traditional SEO is still your starting line, but answering questions and sharing valuable insights is what will keep you visible in this new era of search.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome back to Stacked, and last week we talked
about how the shift from SEO toAEO might affect you and some
tips that we recommend to stayin the search engines.
Today, we're also going to talkabout how to shift from SEO to
AEO and stay seen, because, likewe talked about last week, seo

(00:23):
is changing, and so you mightstill be wondering what you
really need to actually do aboutit, and hopefully, over this
last weekend, you did a littlebit of research on your own, but
today I'm going to try andbreak it down even simpler so
that you can know exactly how toshift and step-by-step
instructions that you can take,because, even though the rules
are changing, you do not have tothrow out everything you've

(00:44):
built.
You just need to make a fewsmooth shifts instead.
So for years, seo, or searchengine optimization, has been
about what happens behind thescenes of your website.
So it's the metadata, that'sthose background titles, page
descriptions, that searchengines read.
You'd pick a few keywords,you'd write alt text for your

(01:06):
images, usually adding yourbusiness name and your city, so
Google knew where you werelocated, and then you'd add a
bullet list of servicessomewhere on your site just to
tell the bots what you actuallydo, and that was pretty much the
standard.
The problem is, search enginesare actually now turning into
answer engines.

(01:27):
So instead of showing people alist of 10 links where you would
want to rank on page one ofGoogle, they're now using AI to
scan everything that you've everpublished.
Then they build a summary ofthe question someone is
searching for and that summarypulls your answer straight onto
the results page, and sometimespeople are never even going to

(01:50):
click your website because thelink is now a super tiny chain
link next to the answer.
So if you're not providinghelpful, clear answers with real
details and real value, the AIhas nothing solid to summarize.
Your name and your links mightstill show up in the summary,
but only if your content isstrong enough to earn it.
Google and the other searchengines still want the basics in

(02:13):
place.
So, yes, keep using metadataand keep using alt text on
images, and a list of what youdo is never a bad thing.
But that's literally just thefoundational elements now,
because now they want context,they want to see you show off
your expertise, they wantdetails and explanations.
They want your content to feellike it was written by a person

(02:35):
who knows what they're talkingabout, not just someone checking
a keyword box.
So if you're writing a blogabout water heaters, it
shouldn't just list water heaterrepairs in Oklahoma City.
It should answer questions likehow long should a water heater
last?
How can you tell if it'sfailing?
When is it smarter to replacethan repair?
Real questions with realanswers.

(02:57):
That's what's going to getpicked up in the AI summary.
You can't trick this new systemsummary.
You can't trick this new system.
If your blog is full of filleror fluff or it's just stuffed
with keywords and it doesn'treally answer anything, it is
not going to show up on an AIgenerated response.
But if your website has useful,well-written pages that explain

(03:18):
what you do, how you do it, whyit matters and what results you
get for people, then you'll bein a great place.
Ai tools are trained to lookfor information that is helpful
and trustworthy and they'redesigned to reward it.
So here's the good news for youyou don't have to burn
everything down.
First, keep your traditionalSEO foundations in place your

(03:40):
metadata, your alt text, yourbullet list services and we
recommend you audit those once ayear.
But that's still just your baselayer and now you're going to
build on top of it.
So you should go through yourwebsite page by page and add a
paragraph or two that answersthe real question you hear every
day regarding the page thatyou're on.
You need to look at your blogsand see if they actually explain

(04:03):
things clearly and if theydon't rewrite them with more
details.
You should definitely shareexamples, screenshots, case
studies or even short storiesabout past clients, because
these build trust and contextand write the way that you speak
.
This is where brand voice comesin so much value, so you need
to pretend you're explaining itto a sixth grader using simple

(04:26):
words, short sentences and realadvice, without being any kind
of like know-it-all ordownplaying the intelligence of
your reader.
If you can do all those, you'llbe creating content that feels
helpful, honest and human, andthat's exactly what these new AI
systems are going to love.
So if you have a team, theyneed to understand these shifts

(04:47):
too.
Here's what we recommend youteach them.
Don't write for Google alone.
Write for real people with realquestions.
Use examples instead of vaguepromises.
Organize content so it's easyto read and scan.
Be honest, because AI tools canspot nonsense, so don't fake
things.
Check your existing contentregularly to update or improve

(05:08):
it and with this kind oftraining, it's going to keep
your brand voice consistent,even if you have multiple
writers or team members addingcontent.
We built these best practicesright into Gallery Flow.
Our blog templates use questionand answer formatting so you
can answer real questions.
Our podcast show notes andcommunity threads include
keywords, but also useconversational language so that

(05:29):
we can show up in summaries, andour content tools help make
sure that you can take what youalready know and turn it into
searchable, helpful assets, andthis is how you're going to keep
your name in front of customerseven when the search engines
get smarter.
So traditional SEO is stillyour starting line, but it is no
longer the finish line, and ifyou want to stay seen focusing

(05:50):
on answering questions, sharingyour real expertise and creating
content that's actually worthreading, that is how you're
going to get links included inthese new AI summaries and how
you're going to keep growing, nomatter what happens next with
search technology.
This is Stacked where weautomate, elevate and repeat.