Market
Missed SEO in the 2010s? Here’s Why AEO is Your Second Chance
Published by
Daniel Lee
on
Aug 27, 2025
A Quick History of Missed Opportunities
Back in 2005, it wasn’t obvious that SEO would dominate. Paid ads were king. Content was thin. Blogs were hobbyist playgrounds.
But the brands who saw the potential — and invested in SEO before it was mainstream — built long-term growth machines.
Now we’re in a similar place, but the environment has changed.
The Search Landscape Is Changing — Again
Search is no longer confined to Google. In fact, many users now ask ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity for direct answers — skipping Google entirely.
ChatGPT has over 800 million weekly users
Claude and Gemini are embedded in productivity tools
Google AI Overviews now appear in ~15% of US search results
Perplexity AI is growing rapidly among researchers and power users
People are no longer browsing links. They’re reading answers.
Enter Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)
AEO is the process of optimizing your brand’s visibility in AI-generated responses, rather than just ranking on search result pages.
Instead of asking:
“How do I rank #1 on Google?”
You now ask:
“How do I make sure ChatGPT or Claude mentions my brand in its answer?”
That’s the shift. And it’s already underway.
Why This Is a Second Chance
If you missed building your blog in 2012, or never cracked Google SEO — this is your moment.
AEO is still nascent. Most brands aren’t monitoring how they appear in AI answers. Even fewer are optimizing for it.
This creates an opening for early adopters to:
Claim key queries in AI search
Become part of AI model context windows
Influence what large language models (LLMs) say about their brand
Grow authority — not in search rankings, but in conversation relevance
AI answers are the new real estate. The earlier you claim your space, the more lasting the advantage.
What You Can Do Now
If you want to take this second chance seriously, here’s where to start:
1. Track Your AI Visibility
Use platforms like Visiblie to see how often your brand shows up in ChatGPT, Claude, or Perplexity.
2. Map AI-Relevant Prompts
Find the most common user questions in your category (e.g. “Best CRM for startups?” or “Mailchimp alternatives”) and optimize content accordingly.
3. Optimize Structured & Authoritative Content
Answer-focused pages, comparison guides, review aggregation, and schema tags all help.
4. Seed Your Brand in Trusted Sources
AI models pull from Reddit, Quora, G2, Capterra, and Help Centers — so your presence there matters.
