Topic Guide
AI Search Optimization & AEO
The next decade of search isn't ten blue links — it's one answer. Be the answer.
What is AI Search Optimization & AEO?
AI Search Optimization, also called Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) or Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), is the practice of structuring content so that large language model–powered search tools — ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Gemini, and Google's AI Overviews — cite your site as the source of the answer. It is the successor discipline to traditional SEO. The page that ranks #1 in Google in 2026 isn't necessarily the page that gets quoted in the AI answer above it.
Ian Garlic's Point of View
SEO didn't die. It got swallowed. The job is no longer 'rank a page' — the job is 'be the source the model trusts enough to quote.' That changes everything about how you write.
The winners write in clean answer blocks. They define the term in one sentence at the top. They use real schema. They publish first-hand expertise — interviews, case stories, original data — instead of regurgitated listicles. And critically, they make sure their best content is crawlable, structured, and obviously authored by a real human with a real point of view. Models can smell sameness from a mile away.
Best Podcast Episodes on AI Search Optimization & AEO
Hand-picked interviews from the Garlic Marketing Show.
Common Questions About AI Search Optimization & AEO
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