Search used to be simple.

Need a recipe, a plumber, or an answer to the meaning of life? Type a phrase into Google, get a list of links, choose one, and off you go.

That’s not how it works anymore.

Now, we can ask complicated questions and get structured, well-researched answers from AI platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini.

Even the meaning of life.

And more than that, these tools communicate with us. They explain the topic, answer related questions, and ask if we’d like to know more about the topic. They even ask us if they did a good enough job explaining the topic, offering to rephrase the answer or if we’d like a metaphor.

And this is all without needing to click through to a single website.

AI Overviews

So, is Google dead?

Nope.

Like William Wallace, Google isn’t going down without a fight. In fact, it’s leading the charge with its own integrated AI tools. Namely, AI overviews.

“AI Overviews are a feature in Google Search that provide AI-generated summarise of search results, aiming to offer quick answers and deeper insights by synthesising information from across the web.”

– An AI Overview, on AI Overviews.

As pictured above, AI Overviews appear ahead of traditional search results, giving curious readers the information they need without needing to click or even scroll.

What does this mean for your business?

It’s got its pros and cons.

On one hand, it means your content can rank more easily.

On the other hand, it means even if your content ranks well, you’re probably going to get fewer clicks.

Clap those hands together, and it means you’ve got a whole new strategy to optimise your website for online to funnel traffic and organic leads.

🧠 Real world scenario:
A customer searches “Best law firm on the Gold Coast”, or “dentist on the Gold Coast”.

If Gemini or ChatGPT answers the question without mentioning your business name, you’re not even in the running, no matter how good your track record is.

Search hasn’t disappeared. But how people interact with it has fundamentally changed.

If you want to stay visible, your content needs to be built for AI.

So, what is Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO)?

You’ve probably heard of SEO. It’s all about helping your website show up in search results.

Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) is the next layer. It’s how you help your content get picked up and referenced by AI tools like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Perplexity, tools that now generate their own answers instead of just listing links.

But here’s the key: AEO doesn’t replace SEO. It builds on it.

To stay visible in an AI powered world, your content still needs all the core SEO elements, clear structure, strong metadata, solid site performance, internal linking, and useful content. AEO simply adds new signals and strategies to help AI platforms recognise, trust, and quote your content when answering questions.

Why AI tools are different

They don’t just look at page titles and backlinks
They break down meaning, structure, and context
They stitch together answers from multiple sources in real time
They reward clarity, trust, and relevance, not just keywords

So if your content isn’t structured in a way AI can understand, or it lacks the signals that show you’re a credible source, you’re invisible in that moment a user is looking for an answer, even if your SEO is strong.

AEO is about preparing your content for this new reality.
The good news? If your SEO foundations are solid, you’re already halfway there.

Why does AEO matter for your business?

If your business relies on people finding you online, this shift in search isn’t optional, it’s a priority.

AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity are already becoming a go to source for answers. And when people get the answer directly from AI, they often skip the rest. That means:

Fewer clicks from traditional search results
Less traffic to websites that aren’t being referenced
Lost visibility if your brand isn’t part of the answer

But it’s not all bad news. This change opens up new ways to stand out, especially for businesses that are early to adapt.

🔍 AI search is less about ranking, more about relevance.

If your content clearly answers a specific question and is easy for AI to understand, your brand can show up more often, even in competitive spaces.

SEO still matters. You just need to evolve it.

You don’t need to start from scratch or throw out your SEO strategy.
You just need to build on it.

That means continuing to publish valuable, well structured content and keeping your site healthy, while also making it easier for AI tools to read, trust, and cite what you’ve got to say.

✅ If you’re already investing in SEO, you’re not behind, you’re in a great position to move forward.

You don’t need to be a developer or data scientist to take advantage of AI search. A few smart changes to your content and structure can make a big difference.

What success looks like in the AI era

In the past, SEO success was all about page rankings and traffic. Today, that’s only part of the story.

With AI tools giving users direct answers, many people never click through to a website. That doesn’t mean your content isn’t working, it just means success now looks a little different.

Here’s what matters more than ever:

Being cited in AI answers

If ChatGPT or Gemini references your business in a response, you’re instantly positioned as a trusted voice, even if the user never visits your site.

Task completion

AI tools are starting to take action on behalf of users. If your site allows them to complete a task, book a service, compare options, get a quote, you’re more likely to be featured.

Cross platform visibility

Your brand should be showing up not just on Google, but across Reddit, YouTube, Perplexity, social media and forums. These are all places AI pulls content from.

Structured data and clarity

Pages that are clearly written, well marked up and easy to scan are more likely to be used in AI generated responses.

Actual results, not just clicks

High traffic numbers don’t matter if they don’t convert. In the AI era, it’s about getting in front of the right people, with the right message, at the right time.

🔍 If you’ve ever asked ChatGPT for a recommendation, you already know how powerful it is when your brand is the one that gets mentioned.

It’s not about chasing every ranking. It’s about building trust, relevance and visibility in the places your audience now turns to first.