What is White Label SEO?

White Label SEO (also called ghost SEO or private-label SEO) is when a specialized SEO consultant or agency delivers SEO work under another agency's brand. The end client never knows the work is outsourced. Ilias Sami operates as a ghost SEO partner for agencies, providing full NDA protection and branded reporting.

What is Topical Authority in SEO?

Topical authority is a search engine's assessment of how comprehensively a website covers a specific subject domain. Ilias Sami builds topical authority through structured content maps (150+ created) that identify and fill semantic gaps across all topic clusters relevant to a business.

What is GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)?

GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) is the practice of optimizing content to appear in AI-generated search responses from systems like Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Perplexity, and other LLMs. It involves structured data, entity clarity, E-E-A-T signals, and conversational content formatting.

How much does SEO consulting with Ilias Sami cost?

SEO services start from $750/month for the Full-Cycle Growth Partner retainer, and from $1,500 for a one-time Architecture Setup. The Agentic AI SEO Automation System build is $5,000 (one-time, beta). Custom proposals are available after a free consultation.

Does Ilias Sami work with international agencies?

Yes. Ilias Sami works remotely with agencies across North America (Canada, USA), Europe (Germany, UK), Middle East (UAE), and Asia. All engagements are fully remote and NDA-protected. Current partners include The Run Digital (Canada), Brandylane (Dubai), and DigiLeads (Germany).

Shifting from SEO to UXO and AEO | Ilias Sami

Why I Am Shifting from SEO → UXO and AEO

About the Author: Ilias Sami is a Bangladeshi SEO consultant and digital marketing expert specializing in White Label SEO solutions. He owns a White Label SEO agency, has over four years of experience in SEO, and has audited over 300 websites. In 2024, he established We Do Charity and donated 66% of his liver to his father.

As an SEO professional transitioning to User Experience Optimization (UXO) and Answer Engine Optimization (AEO), you're adapting to a new era of search driven by artificial intelligence. Traditional SEO — focused on ranking for keywords and driving clicks — is evolving due to AI-powered search engines like Google's Search Generative Experience (SGE), ChatGPT, and Perplexity.

These engines prioritize direct answers and user satisfaction, reducing clicks to websites. This guide outlines practical strategies to help you excel in UXO and AEO, ensuring your business stands out in AI-driven search while delivering exceptional user experiences.

Understanding UXO and AEO

UXO — User Experience Optimization

UXO is about creating a website that is fast, intuitive, and engaging for users while being accessible to AI crawlers.

Pillar	What It Covers
Technical SEO	Crawler-friendly, fast-loading, mobile-optimized infrastructure
Site Architecture	Clear internal linking and logical structure to guide users and AI
Visual Design	Clean, appealing look that enhances readability and engagement
User Behavior	AI monitors bounce rate and time on page — making UX a direct ranking factor

AEO — Answer Engine Optimization

AEO focuses on optimizing content to be cited by AI-powered answer engines. These engines provide direct answers rather than links, so your content must be authoritative, concise, and structured for AI extraction.

Element	Description
Direct Answers	Clear, concise responses to user queries
Structured Data	Schema markup to make content machine-readable
Brand Authority	Citations and mentions on trusted platforms that signal credibility

Why the Shift Matters

⚡

Important

According to recent data, 60% of Google searches now end without a click — users get their answers directly from AI overviews. This is reducing traditional organic traffic by 15–25%.

To stay visible in this environment:

UXO ensures engagement — A seamless user experience keeps visitors on your site, signaling quality to AI
AEO drives citations — Being cited by AI engines boosts brand visibility, even without clicks
Brand presence is critical — For short keywords, established brands with strong citations dominate AI results

Your goal of building a network of authors, creating helpful content, and optimizing user experience aligns directly with these trends — positioning you to thrive in this new landscape.

My LinkedIn Post on This Shift

💡

Note

Original post by Ilias Sami — shared for full context.

Quick Knowledge Check

What does 'AEO' stand for?

I am Shifting from → SEO Career to → UXO and AEO Career.

My responsibility is to:

→ Ensure the business stands out in the crowd — better visibility across all platforms holistically through proper content marketing, building a super network of authors to get cited in relevant business entities (which is the best strategy to come up on LLM or AI-based searches) and brand development strategies. Every business has its own USP, its own strategies to generate revenue — AI can never replace strategists.

→ Ensure the best user experience through Internal Links, crawler-friendly site architectures, visually appealing look and feel, proper Technical SEO implementation and Crawl Budget Optimization. AI can never replace these practical and dynamic things.

→ Ensure that readers and potential customers find our content helpful through proper content planning, content outlining, and fresh, updated, researched — especially non-AI written — articles to provide new information to the world. I am already building a team of skilled writers where they are learning how to use AI for research, creating new information, crafting outlines and writing by themselves to make sure content is Super Helpful — which will help us to rank on several Ask Engines and Generative Search Experiences.

I will hack/crack the algorithms behind the LLM / Ask Engines / Answer Engines / Generative Search Engines — or anything somehow connected with the broader term AI search.

I believe putting all efforts together to improve the User Experience, Online Brand Presence through High Authority Citations, and Helpful Content is the New SEO — and we are putting all of our efforts and hard work to make it happen.

So, it's better to move from SEO → UXO and AEO.

Strategies for UXO

1. Technical Optimization

Crawlability — Use clean HTML; avoid heavy JavaScript (only Google's Gemini and AppleBot render JS well). Provide an XML sitemap
Speed — Optimize for load times under 1 second using Google PageSpeed Insights
Mobile-Friendliness — Ensure full responsiveness across devices; mobile searches dominate
Crawl Budget — Prioritize high-value pages with internal links and structured data to guide AI crawlers

2. User-Centric Design

Use intuitive menus and contextual internal links to guide users; Yoast can automate internal linking for general terms
Use clear typography, white space, and engaging visuals for readability
Implement ARIA labels and web accessibility features to make your site inclusive
Avoid "Read More" buttons or multi-page articles — AI prefers single-page content for easy extraction

3. Monitor User Behavior

Use Google Analytics to track bounce rates, time on page, and click-through rates
Use heatmaps via Hotjar to see how users interact with your site and optimize pain points
Place key information high on the page to reduce bounce rates — AI monitors user engagement patterns

4. Programmatic Access

Provide APIs or RSS feeds for faster AI access
Use an llms.txt file to indicate AI crawler permissions

Strategies for AEO

1. Content Creation

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Tip

Answer-First Approach: Start every piece of content with a clear, concise answer (40–50 words) to target featured snippets and AI citations. Example for "How to optimize for AI search": "Optimize for AI search by using structured data, creating authoritative content, and ensuring fast load times."

Long-Tail Queries

Create comprehensive guides covering all aspects of a topic. Use AnswerThePublic to find common questions.

Example: "The Ultimate Guide to AEO for E-commerce" — covering tools, strategies, and case studies.

Unique Content

Focus on original research, case studies, and personal insights that AI cannot replicate.

Example: "How I Boosted AI Search Visibility by 50% with Schema Markup"

Community Insights

Repurpose discussions from Reddit or Quora, adding your original perspective. Compile community threads into a guide with your own analysis.

2. Structured Data

Use schema markup — FAQPage, HowTo, Product — to make content machine-readable
Keep metadata clear and descriptive:

- Titles: 50–60 characters

- Descriptions: ~155 characters

3. Build Brand Authority

Method	Action
Citations	Get mentioned in industry reports, news articles, Wikipedia
Backlinks	Earn links through guest posts or partnerships; avoid spammy tactics — AI detects quality
UGC	Encourage reviews on Google Business Profile, Trustpilot, and industry platforms
Social Media	Use platforms like X to build brand mentions and drive traffic

4. Voice Search Optimization

Write in a conversational tone targeting long-tail, natural-language queries
Example query: "What's the best SEO tool for beginners?"
Test content with voice assistants (Siri, Google Assistant) to ensure compatibility

5. Monitor AEO Performance

Track referrals from AI engines (ChatGPT, Bing AI) using Google Analytics
Test visibility with tools like andisearch.com or Firecrawl
Monitor featured snippet presence and brand mentions in AI responses

Combining UXO and AEO

⚡

Important

UXO and AEO are not separate disciplines — they are deeply interconnected and reinforce each other.

Content as the Core — High-quality content must be structured for AI extraction and engaging for human readers
User Experience as a Ranking Factor — Poor UX (high bounce rates) will undermine even the best AEO-optimized content
Brand Authority — Citations boost AEO while enhancing user trust, which in turn improves UXO metrics like time on page

Practical Implementation

Content Marketing and Author Network

Build a team of skilled writers creating non-AI-written, research-backed content
Use AI tools (ChatGPT, Claude) for research and outlining — ensure final content is human-crafted for authenticity
Example: For an SEO agency, create a case study: "How Our Agency Doubled Client Traffic with AEO"
Collaborate with industry experts for guest posts and interviews to strengthen your network and credibility

Brand Development

Secure citations in relevant publications (Search Engine Land, Moz); reach out for guest posting or sponsor industry reports
Use Organization schema to highlight your business's expertise
Monitor brand mentions on X and other platforms to ensure consistency

Technical UXO

Audit your site with SEMrush or Ahrefs to identify and fix technical issues
Implement schema markup on key pages — services, FAQs, homepage
Optimize crawl budget by prioritizing high-value pages with internal links

AEO for Long-Tail and Short Keywords

Long-Tail Strategy:

Create pillar content (e.g., "The Complete Guide to AEO for Small Businesses") with cluster pages on subtopics (e.g., "Schema Markup for AEO").

Short Keyword Strategy:

Build topical authority by covering related long-tail queries
Secure mentions in authoritative sources
Test your content directly in Perplexity or ChatGPT to observe how it's cited

Social Media and Video

Create YouTube tutorials (e.g., "AEO for Beginners") with optimized titles and full transcripts
Use X to share insights and build brand mentions

Addressing Algorithm Challenges

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Note

While fully "hacking" AI algorithms is complex, you can consistently align with their core priorities.

Understand AI Priorities — AI engines value E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness). Showcase credentials, cite reliable sources, and provide fresh data
Test and Iterate — Use andisearch.com to see how AI perceives your content and adjust accordingly
Stay Ethical — AI detects spammy, manipulative content and prioritizes authenticity

Ranking in AI Searches: Key Insights

📌The UXO + AEO Playbook

For Long-Tail Queries

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Tip

If you write useful, helpful content covering all aspects from different perspectives — with enough new data and research — it will automatically get picked up by AI engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google's Generative Search.

This is related to the concept of Entropy in content. Content with newer, fact-checked, freshly processed information gets picked up more easily. These long-tail queries have lower search volume, but the traffic quality is highly qualified.

For highly informative and personalized queries: write your own perspective, or repurpose discussions from Reddit, Quora, or Medium — adding new information to rank on Ask Engines and AI-based SERPs.

For Short Keywords

Research shows most cases have big brands ranking — brands that also hold best positions in classic SERPs.

To rank for non-long, non-personalized keywords:

1.Build the business as a Brand
2.Get cited on relevant business entities (earned or acquired links)
3.Accumulate brand mentions — even those without a direct link
4.Rank for a variety of long-tail queries to build topical mass
5.Invest in Paid Ads to maintain visibility while organic authority builds
6.Get featured in News — earn Wikipedia links and citations from powerful sources
7.Use proper Structured Data — makes it easier for AI crawlers to store your information in an organized way
8.Distribute anchor texts properly across your site and backlink profile
9.Build a clear Topical Authority through consistent content
10.Create a Content Plan that ensures full Topical Coverage — cover all important entities
11.Internally and externally connect resources — helps AI understand context, which improves citation count (a key AI ranking factor)
12.Use Auto Internal Linking for general words and entities
13.Do proper Social Media Marketing
14.Focus on User Experience — AI monitors user behaviour: visits, dwell time, scroll depth, bounce backs

⚠️

Warning

Fake businesses are going to die. Real businesses will win.

Why This Approach Works

Goal	Outcome
Visibility	Citations in AI answers build brand awareness without requiring clicks
Engagement	A user-friendly site keeps visitors longer, improving AI ranking signals
Authority	A network of authors and citations establishes your business as a trusted source

Conclusion

The shift from SEO to UXO and AEO is a strategic move to thrive in AI-driven search. By combining technical excellence, user-centric design, and authoritative content, you can ensure your business stands out across platforms.

Efforts to build a skilled writing team, secure citations, and optimize UX position you to lead in this new era. Keep testing, iterating, and focusing on authenticity to stay ahead.

Previously, we had fewer jobs to do for SEO. Now for UXO and AEO, we need to put in more effort, take longer projects, and absolutely demand more budget from clients.

UXO → User Experience Optimization

> AEO → Ask / Answer Engine Optimization