Shift from SEO to Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)

SEO is morphing into Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), as brands compete to rank inside LLM outputs rather than on traditional search engine results pages.

Who it affects: marketers, e-commerce brands, agencies, content creators

Notable: Organic traffic as the number-one source dropped from 48% of stores in 2017 to just 17% in 2025. Seventy percent of ChatGPT's information reportedly comes from Reddit, making that platform a strategic seeding ground. SEO is becoming 'search everywhere optimization,' focusing on off-site content creation and semantic mentions rather than backlinks. A nascent industry for ranking inside LLMs (GEO) is forming.

Mentions across sources: 14