One of the biggest challenges for SEO right now is not AI. There is a lot of misinformation around.
SEO never dies – it evolves. That means it’s up to us to understand how the industry is changing, and be careful who we listen to.
I don’t scare easily, but some of the AEO (or GEO) interviews I’ve seen in the past year have been genuinely eyebrow-raising – even for someone with Botox.
I still remember one speaker telling a room full of marketers that they were “sorry about anyone still working in SEO,” and then quickly recommending outdated tactics as the “secret sauce” to LLM visibility. It was… painful.
Thank you, the adults have entered the room. This week, four of the industry’s most trusted voices – Lily Ray, Kevin Indig, Steve Toth, and Ross Hudgens – came together for a roundtable on the future of search. It was the most helpful AEO session I have ever attended. Each shared some strategies they personally used to achieve LLM visibility.
Here’s what they had to say.
1. Advertisers work
Currently LLMs do not differentiate between paid and living programming. That means well-placed advertisers on reputable publishers can help brands get noticed in AI searches, like earned coverage. As in general PR, the credibility of the publication is still very important.
2. Marketing can increase visibility
Paid marketing can increase reach, but quality is more important than quantity. Focus on reputable, relevant books and use this strategy carefully.
3. Map pages to all audiences and use the conditions you provide
Brands that create clearly defined pages for each audience, industry, and use case are better positioned as AI searches become more personalized. This structure helps LLMs understand relevance and remain a strong SEO practice, with or without AI.
4. Homepage clarity
Your home page should clearly communicate who you serve and what you do. LLMs analyze homepage content much more easily than navigation menus, so relying on your nav to describe your offer is a missed opportunity.
Don’t ignore your foot. The product and service marks set forth herein are claimed by LLM. Wil Reynolds shared some great research that shows how background content can influence AI visibility.
6. Do not prioritize llm.txt
Despite speculation, no major LLM has confirmed using llm.txt files, and Google clearly states that they do not. Your time and effort are better spent elsewhere.
7. Go multimodal
Repurpose your valuable content across text, video, audio, and images. The goal is to build brand recognition across the full range of sources that LLM can draw from.
8. Actively shape your brand narrative
Actively craft your brand’s narrative. It is estimated that 250 documents are needed to influence the LLM’s perception of the genre. Brands that don’t publish and promote content always run the risk of letting others define that narrative for them.
9. Youth carries disproportionate weight
Recent content tends to perform better in AI searches, reflecting LLMs’ preference for recent information. That said, artificial “updating” without meaningful updates is a bad idea.
10. Immediate social services
Posts on platforms like LinkedIn—including Pulse articles—can appear in AI searches in hours, sometimes minutes, especially for accounts with strong followings. Reddit, YouTube, and other highly trusted platforms exhibit similar behavior.
11. The authorities expedite the installation
Publishing on reputable sites, in a niche industry can lead to immediate inclusion in LLM responses – sometimes within hours.
12. Don’t hide FAQs
FAQs should be visible and large, not hidden behind accordions. Don’t hold back on content either—eight to 10 questions answered well can clearly demonstrate expertise, purpose, and relevance to both users and LLMs.
Is AEO the same as SEO?
This much debated question was answered by John Mueller on Google Search Live in December. Putting the AEO cowboys in their place, he made it clear that good AEO still depends on good SEO:
- “AI systems rely on search. and there is no such thing as GEO or AEO without doing the basics of SEO. Tactics will come out and they will work for a short time, companies that want to exist for a long time should focus on something with proven long-term stability and not tactics.”
The overlap makes sense when you look at how modern LLMs like GPT-5 actually work. They use Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG). Rather than relying solely on frozen training data, RAG allows LLM to query search engines and trusted sources in real time before responding.
Simply put: if you want LLM visibility, you need to appear in search first.
So yes, good AEO is good SEO – but there are exceptions. The strategies above are currently working, but will definitely change as LLMs continue to evolve.
The best AI search strategy for 2026
Forget the magic button. Keep checking. Always doubt the hype. And choose who gets in your ear — or your LinkedIn feed.
Thanks to Bernard Huang and Clearscope for hosting this excellent panel.
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