It's top of search, why isn't it in ChatGPT?

SEO alone is not enough... Why AEO and GEO are necessary

“Search engine optimization (SEO) alone is not enough.”
Many marketers are aware of this reality but cannot explain it clearly. Recently, data released in the United States has drawn a lot of attention by explaining this reality in detail.

In April 2025, U.S. growth marketer Kevin Indig analyzed the correlation between Google search traffic and brand mentions in ChatGPT across four diverse industries—finance, fashion, tech, and software—using Similarweb data. The results revealed numerous cases where top-ranked search companies were not even mentioned in ChatGPT, while brands with low search traffic had high mention rates in ChatGPT.

For example, in the credit card sector, brands like Chase and CapitalOne, which have high search traffic, showed lower-than-expected mention rates on ChatGPT, while brands like Google and PayPal, which have low search traffic, were prominently mentioned in AI responses. In the handbag sector, channels like Target and Instagram also showed high AI mention rates despite relatively low traffic.

This means that just because you excel at SEO doesn't mean you'll be exposed on AI.

SEO and AEO are like different instruments, but the music is the same

Kevin compares this difference to music. SEO and AEO (GEO) are like different instruments, such as a piano and a guitar, but the fundamental “principles of creating music” are the same. Content quality, crawlability, and trustworthy external signals are important for both. However, the playing style and context differ.

SEO still operates primarily based on short keyword-based queries. In contrast, AI chatbots operate based on long prompts, sentence-based questions, and clear intent, processing information by understanding user intent and providing direct answers. Therefore, to be exposed on ChatGPT, content must not only be well-organized but also provide direct responses to specific and clear questions.

The necessity of AI search optimization as indicated by data

The most interesting finding from this analysis is that the correlation between SEO and AEO varies by industry. In fields such as CRM (customer management software) and earbuds, there was a high correlation between SEO and ChatGPT mentions. In other words, if you perform well in search, you will also be mentioned in AI.

On the other hand, in fields such as credit cards and handbags, which are popular and have diverse brands, the correlation was low. Instead, these fields emerged as “opportunity markets” where latecomers could rapidly increase their market share through AI optimization.

Additionally, a correlation of approximately 0.33 was observed between LLM mentions and brand search volume. This suggests that brands mentioned by AI are not simply those ranked highly through SEO, but rather those with high market recognition and search volume.

Content Strategy for Success in AI Search

While traditional SEO and AEO have many overlapping aspects, there are clear differences in actual implementation strategies. SEO reflects various user response signals such as clicks, dwell time, bounce rate, and keyword matching, while ChatGPT places greater emphasis on contextual relevance, general brand recognition, and the reliability of refined information.

Additionally, while Google classifies and processes content through quality standards, spam filtering, and SERP features for YMYL (Your Money, Your Life) content, ChatGPT currently lacks such filtering capabilities. As a result, the structure, citations, clarity, and safety of content become even more important.

What we need to do now

Not all companies need to immediately abandon their SEO strategies and switch to AEO strategies. Rather, it is important to determine whether there is a high or low correlation between SEO and AI exposure in our category.

If top SEO brands are also mentioned in AI, then we can maintain our current strategy while making gradual improvements. On the other hand, if a brand ranks high in search but is not mentioned in ChatGPT, strategies such as content restructuring, brand awareness enhancement, securing external citations, and prompt-centric content design are necessary.

Although the term AEO has not yet become widespread, at this point where AI is at the center of search, SEO alone is no longer a perfect solution. In some industries, AI optimization strategies have already become important enough to determine brand market share.

The core of the strategy is “adaptation,” not “innovation”

SEO and AEO are not different technologies. Rather, they are part of a process of rearranging strategies to suit the AI era, based on a single foundation. What is needed now is not to create a new framework, but to understand which field we belong to and respond appropriately with flexibility.

The era where AI replaces search has not yet fully arrived. However, the trend of AI expanding its influence alongside search is clear. At this point, if you ignore AEO, your brand may slowly but surely disappear from ChatGPT's recommendation list.

Kevin Indig test data

Credit Cards

• chase.com — 6.6M clicks | 13.6% ChatGPT visibility

• reddit.com — 5.2M clicks | 0% ChatGPT visibility

• capitalone.com — 4.1M clicks | 10.3% ChatGPT visibility

• citibankonline.com — 3.2M clicks | 4.4% ChatGPT visibility

• comenity.net — 2.9M clicks | 0% ChatGPT visibility

• google.com — 337K clicks | 20.3% ChatGPT visibility

• paypal.com — 209K clicks | 19.7% ChatGPT visibility

• americanexpress.com — 1.3M clicks | 16.9% ChatGPT visibility

• visa.com — 116K clicks | 15.7% ChatGPT visibility

• chase.com — 6.6M clicks | 13.6% ChatGPT visibility

Handbags

• reddit.com — 241K clicks | 0% ChatGPT visibility

• youtube.com — 152K clicks | 5.3% ChatGPT visibility

• amazon.com — 77K clicks | 9.8% ChatGPT visibility

• nordstrom.com — 51K clicks | 0% ChatGPT visibility

• coach.com — 48K | 6.1% ChatGPT visibility

• target.com — 7K clicks | 24.2% ChatGPT visibility

• instagram.com — 7K clicks | 13.8% ChatGPT visibility

• louisvuitton.com — 27K clicks | 10.0% ChatGPT visibility

• gucci.com — 15K clicks | 9.9% ChatGPT visibility

• amazon.com — 77K clicks | 9.8% ChatGPT visibility

Earbuds

• reddit.com — 1.2M clicks | 0% ChatGPT visibility

• youtube.com — 868K clicks | 7.1% ChatGPT visibility

• cnet.com — 512K clicks | 0% ChatGPT visibility

• amazon.com — 474K clicks | 15.1% ChatGPT visibility

• bose.com — 407K clicks | 10.2% ChatGPT visibility

• apple.com — 152K clicks | 16.8% ChatGPT visibility

• amazon.com — 474K clicks | 15.1% ChatGPT visibility

• bose.com — 407K clicks | 10.2% ChatGPT visibility

• wired.com — 120K clicks | 9.5% ChatGPT visibility

• google.com — 31K clicks | 9.5% ChatGPT visibility

CRM

• zoho.com — 314K clicks | 8.7% ChatGPT visibility

• salesforce.com — 225K clicks | 33.8% ChatGPT visibility

• sfgcrm.com — 188K clicks | 0% ChatGPT visibility

• yahoo.com — 179K clicks | 0% ChatGPT visibility

• youtube.com — 167K clicks | 4.1% ChatGPT visibility

• salesforce.com — 225K clicks | 33.8% ChatGPT visibility

• google.com — 30K clicks | 25.8% ChatGPT visibility

• hubspot.com — 104K clicks | 22.5% ChatGPT visibility

• linkedin.com — 36K clicks | 20.7% ChatGPT visibility

• facebook.com — 7K clicks | 10.1% ChatGPT visibility

Author: ChainShift Chris

Reference: https://www.growth-memo.com/p/is-geoaeo-the-same-as-seo

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