UBCNews - Business - SEO vs AEO Strategies For Small Businesses: Best Ways To Get Noticed Online

Episode Date: March 2, 2026

Welcome back everyone! Today we're tackling something that's been buzzing in marketing circles lately - the shift from traditional SEO to this newer concept called AEO, or Answer Engine Optimization. And for small businesses, especially in specialized industries, this shift could be huge. I'm here with our guest who's been tracking these trends closely. So, let's start with the basics - what exactly is AEO and how does it differ from the SEO we all know? All One Planet Ltd City: Newcastle upon Tyne Address: 3 Peartree Court Website: https://alloneplanetagency.com

Welcome back everyone. Today we're tackling something that's been buzzing in marketing circles lately. The shift from traditional SEO to this newer concept called AEO or Answer Engine Optimization. And for small businesses, especially in specialized industries, this shift could be huge. I'm here with our guest who's been tracking these trends closely. So let's start with the basics. What exactly is AEO and how does it differ from the SEO we all know? Great question. So, um, think of it this way. SEO has been our bread and butter for years, right?

Keywords, backlinks, getting that number one spot on Google. But AEO takes things in a different direction. AEO optimises content for AI-powered engines like chat GPT, Gemini or Claude, to provide direct, concise answers. The focus shifts to authority, clarity, conciseness and accuracy. Mm-hmm, interesting. So instead of just ranking on a search results page, you're trying to be the source that the AI itself references when someone asks a question.

Exactly. And here's the thing. AI-driven search is changing the game pretty rapidly. We're seeing AI overviews and smart assistants becoming more prominent. Studies are predicting an 18% to 64% decline in organic click. because users are getting their answers directly from AI-generated responses. The new frontier is getting mentioned in the AI's top response, rather than just ranking on page one.

That's pretty significant. Now, I know some folks listening might be thinking, OK, but if AI traffic is still small, why should I care? What would you say to that? Right. So current AI referral traffic is hovering around just one percent, of total visits, but here's where it gets interesting. That traffic is growing exponentially. Web traffic from AI-driven referrals increased more than tenfold in the United States

from July 2024 to February 2025. Plus, visitors from these AI-generated recommendations can convert significantly better than organic search visitors. In one case, AI search accounted for just 0.5% of total visits, but drove 12.1% of all new sign-ups. That's a 23 times higher conversion rate. Wow, 23 times higher, that's hard to ignore, so even though the traffic volume is small now, the quality is off the charts.

Definitely. And here's another angle. AI platforms often cite different sources than traditional search. Research shows that ChatGPT primarily cites lower-ranking pages, about 90% of the time. Only 12% of URLs cited by chat GPT, perplexity in co-pilot rank in Google's top 10 search results. So there's a real opportunity for brands to gain visibility in AI responses

even without top traditional search rankings. So to everyone listening in specialized industries like digital service providers, industrial automation or logistics and supply chain, you might actually have a shot at being featured by AI even if you're not dominating Google yet. That point about gaining visibility in AI responses sets up our next piece, the practical implementation strategies. But first, a quick word from our sponsor.

In hyper-competitive fields like digital service providers, industrial automation, robotics, and specialized logistics, online visibility means everything. All One Planet Litted specializes in combining traditional, SEO with advanced answer engine optimization through their Omni-Doyen system. This done-for-you AI-driven approach helps establish authority across AI-powered search platforms, attracting high-intent buyers with precision. The goal is simple. Turn your online presence into a consistent lead generation asset.

Learn more at all-oneplanet agency.com. Picking up on that visibility in AI responses, how should small businesses actually approach building a strategy that covers both With SEO and AEO, where do you even start? Well, the key thing is you don't have to choose between them. A dual-track playbook is essential. I'd say allocate about 70 to 80% of your search budget to traditional SEO that delivers immediate traffic and revenue while dedicating 20 to 30% to AEO experimentation.

This balance maintains current channel performance, while developing comprehensive. for the platform transition. That sounds practical, and what about the technical side? What should businesses focus on? Three main areas. First, structured content, breaking down information into digestible, machine-readable blocks. Second, semantic markup using schema.org

and other structured data formats. Schema provides essential semantic context for AEO, translating with a. web page content into machine-readable data. And third, entity-based optimization, ensuring your content is associated with specific entities that AI models can recognize and connect. Right, makes sense. So you're basically making your content easier for AI to understand and reference. Precisely. And you know, for voice search specifically, you want concise, snippet-friendly answers that AI can easily extract and present.

Schema highlights these segments to boost your chances of becoming the featured answer. JSON LD is the recommended format for adding schema markup, because it allows for easier deployment and maintenance. I remember when I first tried implementing schema myself. I thought it would take hours, but with Jason LD it was done in about 20 minutes, much simpler than I expected. Ha, that's good to hear.

Sometimes the technical stuff sounds scarier than it actually is. Now let's talk about AI tools for streamlining this process. I imagine there are ways to make implementing both SEO and AEO less overwhelming. Absolutely. Generative AI adoption in marketing has soared. As of October 2025, adoption rates in B2B marketing and sales have reached over 4.4. And get this, 85% of B2B marketers use generative AI for content ideation, transforming static materials into dynamic intent-aligned assets.

For small businesses, AI presents an opportunity to compete at a higher level by automating tasks that would otherwise require entire teams. That's a huge advantage. Have you seen this play out in industrial sectors specifically? Oh, definitely. Industrial companies often face challenges like high marketing costs, limited budgets, and difficulty reaching highly specific niche audiences. Marketing for these sectors demand specialisation due to niche audiences,

complex sales cycles and technical product messaging. But AI-driven demand generation collects leads, fosters intent awareness and sustains prospect engagement before they even enter the sales pathway. That's encouraging, so what should businesses be measuring to track their success with AEO? Traditional metrics like organic traffic and keyword rankings remain essential, but you need to add AEO-specific metrics, brand-mentioned frequency in AI responses, citation rates across different AI platforms and share a voice in AI generated answers for core topics. Content featured in Google AI overviews receives attribution links, driving qualified traffic and building brand authority.

This involves tracking both current performance and future positioning. Or to put it another way, you're measuring where you are today, while keeping an eye on where you need to be tomorrow. Right, and establishing a strong online presence is essential for businesses in specialised fields to attract clients and drive growth in this hyper-competitive market. Have you ever wondered how your own business shows up when someone asks an AI assistant for recommendations in your industry? That's exactly the question every business owner should be asking themselves right now. The brands that will surface in AI-powered search are those with well-defined,

Entity graphs, connected authorship and structured data reinforcing their authority. And Gartner predicts that by 2027 mobile app usage will decrease 25% due to AI assistance. The shift is happening faster than most people realize. So ignoring either SEO or AEO means missing out on huge opportunities for brand discoverability and lead generation. The takeaway here is clear, small businesses, especially in specialized sectors, need to start building these capabilities now. Your future proofing your lead generation strategy while maintaining current performance.

Thanks so much for breaking this down today. My pleasure. An exciting time for digital marketing. And I think businesses that adopt this dual approach early will see real advantages.