Voices of Search Podcast – "Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) Maturity"

Host: Jordan Cooney
Guest: Guy Yalif, Chief Evangelist at Webflow
Date: September 29, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Jordan Cooney and Guy Yalif delve into the evolving landscape of search, focusing on the maturation of Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) amid the rapid rise of large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT and Gemini. They discuss actionable strategies for brands to optimize visibility in answer engines, distinguish AEO from traditional SEO, address changing user behavior, and share both immediate and longer-term tactics to thrive in AI-driven search environments.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Evolution from SEO to AEO

• Search Paradigm Shift: Traditional SEO’s focus on keywords and blue links is no longer sufficient as user expectations shift toward direct, concise, authoritative answers delivered by LLMs.
• AEO Defined:
  • SEO = Optimizing for links and keywords in search engines.
  • AEO = Optimizing for visibility and authority in LLM-driven answer engines.

“SEO uses our words. LLMs, as we all know, reframe the answers—not through our carefully crafted copy.”
— Guy Yalif (06:40)

• Risk and Opportunity:
  • Risks: Losing brand narrative control, potential traffic drops, content homogenization.
  • Opportunities: More qualified traffic from AEO (e.g., higher conversion rates from LLM-originated users).

“Semrush said they are 4.4x more valuable. Ahrefs found they convert 23x better than typical SEO traffic.”
— Guy Yalif (08:45)

2. Disruption of the Funnel: Awareness vs. Conversion

• LLMs are reshaping how users move through the funnel; they’re not strictly upper, middle, or lower funnel.
• The two systems (SEO and AEO) are increasingly converging—content needs to cater to both human and machine consumers.

“I think websites will be important forever, but…they have two audiences to speak to. They’re going to speak to humans…and they need to speak to machines.”
— Guy Yalif (12:48)

3. Content Strategies for AEO Success

• Human Content Wins:
  • Purely AI-generated content performs poorly compared to human or human-assisted content.
  • Authentic narratives, case studies, and original stories outperform dictionary-like, generic pages.

“These real human narratives are the ones that get LLM traffic and not these dictionary-like pages.”
— Jordan Cooney (21:31)

• Structural and Visual Considerations:
  • Shift from keyword stuffing to thoroughly answering baskets of questions.
  • Use visual, emotionally engaging content to improve user and LLM experience.
  • Personalization by industry, persona, and other dimensions is more important than ever.

“Consider putting [the takeaway] up front to make it the cost for the LLM to crawl lower.”
— Guy Yalif (18:23)

• Metadata & Structured Data:
  • Schema.org is vital—88% of top sites haven’t implemented schema markup, missing visibility opportunities.
  • Content with structured data is cited 42% more often by answer engines.

4. Measuring Success in the AEO Era

• Metrics Evolving:
  • Traditional keyword rankings become less relevant.
  • Share of voice, sentiment, and brand mentions across earned (e.g., Wikipedia, Reddit) and owned channels become key.
  • Listening and responding on third-party platforms is increasingly important.

“Listening expands to places many of us may not have invested in…because LLMs have chosen to value that content as original, authentic content.”
— Guy Yalif (24:22)

• Real-Time Brand Narrative:
  • Brand perception in LLMs can update rapidly—content changes may reflect in model output within a day.
  • Outdated or inaccurate content on external platforms can persist unless proactively managed.

5. Technical Foundations for AEO

• Essentials Remain Critical:
  • Fast, secure, globally available websites.
  • Dynamic generation of schema, sitemaps, and robots.txt.
  • Mobile responsiveness—contextual to industry and audience.
  • LLMs.txt and similar files: Emerging best practices (currently unproven impact).

“In my humble opinion, it tends to be a much, much, much, much smaller number that matter.”
— Guy Yalif (29:04)

• Contextual Technical Investment:
  • Technical prioritization should consider audience specifics, not just broad recommendations.

6. Practical Steps—Your First 30 Days for AEO

“If I were to boil it down to three, I would humbly suggest…”
— Guy Yalif (34:16)

1. Answer High-Intent Questions:
   • Identify key questions from sales/support calls, and create content providing clear, comprehensive answers.
2. Implement Schema Markup:
   • Start with high-impact pages to improve answer engine citations.
3. Audit Your Brand in LLMs:
   • Prompt LLMs with your brand name and evaluate the responses for accuracy and brand messaging integrity; update content as needed.
   • Bonus: Leverage Webflow's free AEO rubric and audit tool for tailored recommendations (webflow.com/resources/aeo).

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On the risk of LLMs reframing brand messaging:

  “It was intentional to call out that SEO uses our words. LLMs…reframe the answers, not through our carefully crafted copy.”
  — Guy Yalif (06:40)

• On traffic quality and volume trends:

  “Overall, SEO is down 15-25%. But the upside is…LLM [traffic] converts better.”
  — Guy Yalif (07:41)

• On the value of authentic stories:

  “These real human narratives are the ones that get LLM traffic and not these dictionary-like pages of content.”
  — Jordan Cooney (21:31)

• On the need for content personalization:

  “Creating content by industry, by company size, by persona, by product, by use case…is even more important.”
  — Guy Yalif (18:04)

• On measuring AEO success:

  “Keyword ranking as a concept doesn’t exist…you move to share of voice, you versus your competitors.”
  — Guy Yalif (23:19)

• On technical priorities:

  “It tends to be a much, much, much smaller number that matter.”
  — Guy Yalif (29:04)

• On rapid feedback loops with LLMs:

  “You can change content on your site and it can show up in the LLM, like this afternoon, tomorrow.”
  — Guy Yalif (26:58)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• AEO vs. SEO – Definitions and Differences: 06:06–10:31
• Funnels & Traffic Quality: 11:37–14:47
• Content Types That Win in AEO: 15:15–21:52
• Storytelling and Authenticity in LLM Results: 20:24–21:52
• Measuring Success in AEO: 22:32–26:34
• Brand Measurement & Rapid LLM Updates: 24:50–27:55
• Technical Foundations: 28:23–33:28
• Thirty-Day AEO Game Plan: 34:16–36:22

Takeaways for Listeners

• The search landscape is rapidly shifting toward LLM-driven answer engines, requiring new optimization tactics and a greater focus on structured, authentic, and personalized content.
• Brand storytelling, technical hygiene, and real-time brand monitoring are mission-critical for success in answer engine optimization.
• Rapid iteration and adaptability are essential as both the engines and best practices continue to evolve almost weekly.

For a free AEO maturity audit rubric and actionable next steps, visit webflow.com/resources/aeo.