Why I am Shifting from SEO to → UXO and AEO? | Ilias Sami

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 (AI). 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’s fast, intuitive, and engaging for users while being accessible to AI crawlers. It encompasses:

• Technical SEO: Ensuring the site is crawler-friendly, fast-loading, and mobile-optimized.
• Site Architecture: Using clear internal linking and a logical structure to guide users and AI.
• Visual Design: Providing a clean, appealing look that enhances readability and engagement.
• User Behavior: AI monitors metrics like bounce rate and time on page, making UX a 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 to extract. Key elements include:

• Direct Answers: Providing clear, concise responses to user queries.
• Structured Data: Using schema markup to make content machine-readable.
• Brand Authority: Building citations and mentions on trusted platforms to signal credibility.

Why the Shift Matters

AI is reshaping search. According to recent data, 60% of Google searches end without clicks, as users get answers from AI overviews (Xponent21). This reduces traditional organic traffic by 15–25%. To stay visible:

• 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 with these trends, positioning you to thrive in this new landscape.

Embedding my LinkedIn Post:

Why I am shifting from SEO to → UXO and AEO?

What I wrote:

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 the 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 the readers and potential customers find our contents 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 their to make sure content is Super Helpful which will help us to Rank on several Ask Engines and Generative Search Experience.

I will hack/crack the Algorithms behind the LLM / Ask Engines / Answer Engines / Generative Search Engines or anything which is somehow connected with the Broader term AI search.

I believe, putting all the 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 Hardwork to make it happen.

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

*please check the pinned comment for your own good 🙂

Strategies for UXO

1. Technical Optimization

• Crawlability: Ensure AI crawlers can access your site. Use clean HTML (avoid heavy JavaScript, as only Google’s Gemini and AppleBot render JS well) and provide an XML sitemap (Search Engine Land).
• Speed: Optimize for load times under 1 second. Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights (PageSpeed Insights) to identify issues.
• Mobile-Friendliness: Ensure your site is responsive across devices, as mobile searches dominate.
• Crawl Budget: Prioritize high-value pages with internal links and structured data to guide AI crawlers.

2. User-Centric Design

• Navigation: Use intuitive menus and contextual internal links to guide users. Tools like Yoast (Yoast) can automate internal linking for general terms.
• Visual Appeal: Use clear typography, white space, and engaging visuals to enhance readability.
• Accessibility: Implement ARIA labels and other web accessibility features to make your site inclusive.
• Single-Page Content: Avoid “Read more” buttons or multi-page articles, as AI prefers single-page content for easy extraction.

3. Monitor User Behavior

• Use Google Analytics (Google Analytics) to track bounce rates, time on page, and click-through rates.
• Use heatmaps (e.g., Hotjar (Hotjar)) to see how users interact with your site and optimize pain points.
• Place key information high on the page to reduce bounce rates, as AI monitors user engagement.

4. Programmatic Access

• Provide APIs or RSS feeds for faster AI access.
• Use an llms.txt file to indicate AI crawler permissions (Search Engine Land).

Strategies for AEO

1. Content Creation

• Answer-First Approach: Start content with a clear, concise answer (40–50 words) to target featured snippets and AI citations. For example, for “How to optimize for AI search,” begin with: “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 tools like AnswerThePublic (AnswerThePublic) to find common questions. For example, “The Ultimate Guide to AEO for E-commerce” could cover tools, strategies, and case studies.
• Unique Content: Focus on original research, case studies, or personal insights. For instance, “How I Boosted AI Search Visibility by 50% with Schema Markup” adds unique value AI can’t replicate.
• Community Insights: Repurpose discussions from Reddit or Quora, adding your perspective. For example, compile Reddit threads on “SEO challenges” into a guide with your analysis.

2. Structured Data

• Use schema markup (e.g., FAQPage, HowTo, Product) to make content machine-readable (New Target).
• Ensure metadata (titles, descriptions) is clear and descriptive, ideally 50–60 characters for titles and ~155 for descriptions.

3. Build Brand Authority

• Citations: Get mentioned in industry reports, news articles, or Wikipedia. Outreach to relevant publications or contribute to Wikidata.
• Backlinks: Earn links from authoritative sites through guest posts or partnerships. Avoid spammy tactics, as AI detects quality.
• User-Generated Content (UGC): Encourage reviews on Google Business Profile, Trustpilot, or industry platforms. Showcase testimonials on your site.
• Social Media: Use platforms like X to build brand mentions and drive traffic (X).

4. Voice Search Optimization

• Write in a conversational tone for long-tail, natural-language queries (e.g., “What’s the best SEO tool for beginners?”).
• Test content with voice assistants like Siri or Google Assistant to ensure compatibility.

5. Monitor AEO Performance

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

Combining UXO and AEO

• Content as the Core: High-quality, well-researched content is essential for both UXO and AEO. It must be structured for AI extraction and engaging for users.
• User Experience as a Ranking Factor: AI monitors user behavior, so a site with poor UX (e.g., high bounce rates) may not rank well, even with AEO-optimized content.
• Brand Authority: Citations and mentions boost AEO while enhancing user trust, which improves UXO metrics like time on page.

Practical Implementation for Your Role

Based on your responsibilities, here’s how to apply UXO and AEO:

1. Content Marketing and Author Network:
   • Build a team of skilled writers to create non-AI-written, research-backed content. Use AI tools like ChatGPT for research and outlining, but ensure final content is human-crafted for authenticity.
   • Example: For an SEO agency, create a guide like “How Our Agency Doubled Client Traffic with AEO” with case studies and data.
   • Collaborate with industry experts for guest posts or interviews to strengthen your network and credibility.
2. Brand Development:
   • Secure citations in relevant publications (e.g., Search Engine Land, Moz). Reach out for guest posting opportunities or sponsor industry reports.
   • Use Organization schema to highlight your business’s expertise (New Target).
   • Monitor brand mentions on X and other platforms to ensure consistency.
3. Technical UXO:
   • Audit your site with SEMrush (SEMrush) or Ahrefs (Ahrefs) to fix technical issues.
   • Implement schema markup for key pages (e.g., services, FAQs).
   • Optimize crawl budget by prioritizing high-value pages with internal links.
4. User Experience:
   • Conduct user testing to identify navigation issues.
   • Use clear headings, bullet points, and visuals to make content skimmable.
   • Analyze user behavior with Hotjar to optimize engagement.
5. AEO for Long-Tail and Short Keywords:
   • Long-Tail Queries: Create pillar content like “The Complete Guide to AEO for Small Businesses” with cluster pages on subtopics (e.g., “Schema Markup for AEO”).
   • Short Keywords: Build topical authority by covering related long-tail queries and securing mentions in authoritative sources.
   • Test content in Perplexity or ChatGPT to see how it’s cited.
6. Social Media and Video:
   • Create YouTube tutorials like “AEO for Beginners” with optimized titles and transcripts (YouTube).
   • Use X to share insights and build brand mentions (X).

Addressing Algorithm Challenges

While “hacking” AI algorithms is complex, you can align with their priorities:

• Understand AI Priorities: AI engines value EEAT (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness). Showcase your credentials, cite reliable sources, and provide fresh data.
• Test and Iterate: Use tools like andisearch.com to see how AI perceives your content and adjust based on results.
• Stay Ethical: Avoid manipulative tactics, as AI detects spammy content and prioritizes authenticity.

Why This Approach Works

Your focus on UXO and AEO aligns with the future of search. By creating helpful content, building a strong brand, and optimizing user experience, you’re not just adapting to AI—you’re shaping how your business is discovered. This holistic approach ensures:

• Visibility: Citations in AI answers boost brand awareness.
• Engagement: A user-friendly site keeps visitors longer, improving AI rankings.
• 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. Your 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.

My Comments:

UXO → User Experience Optimization

AEO → Ask/Answer Engine Optimization

To Rank in AI Searches, there are 2 major considerations:

1. For Long Tail Queries:

If you can write useful and helpful content, by covering all the aspects from different perspectives, with enough new data and research then it will automatically get picked by AI Engines like ChatGPT and Perplexity or Google New Generative Search Engines.

It is often called, new Discovery and it is related to Entropy, which Abdul Aouwal bhai has clarified in his post. If you have content with something newer than others, but it is more fact checked, new information, new processing then it will be easily picked up, but these kinds of long queries have fewer search demands but the quality of traffic is highly qualified.

And, some cases queries are highly informative and personalized, for that case you can write your own perspective or get answers from discussions and communities like reddit, quora or medium. Re-purpose those and using some new information you can easily rank on Ask Engines or AI based SERPs.

2. For short keywords:

So, for this our research shows that, most of the cases big brands are ranking, which are also having the best positions in classic search result pages like on Google or Bing Searches (while AI is disabled in the bg)

So how to get ranked for Keywords or topics which are not long and not personalized?

1. Build the business as a Brand
2. Get cited on relevant business entities (Buy Links or Get them naturally)
3. Get more and more brand mentions (even if it does not contain a link)
4. Rank for several other long tail queries
5. Invest in Ads
6. Get featured on News and get Wikipedia Links and other powerful sources
7. Use proper Structure Data, it makes the process easier for AI Crawlers and Bots to store your Information in an Organized way
8. Distribute anchor texts properly
9. Create a proper Topical Authority
10. Create a proper Content Plan which helps to gain Topical Coverage, cover all the important entities
11. Internally and Externally connect resources to make the AI understand the Context properly, it helps to improve the number of Citation, which is an important ranking factor for AI search ranking
12. Try to use Auto Internal Linking for General Words and Entities
13. Do proper Social Media Marketing
14. Focus on User Experience, for AI search it is one of the Important Ranking factors, AI crawlers understand User Behaviour. It knows how many people are visiting, how many are staying, for how long and what they are doing. AI can also monitor bounce backs, so make sure the Technical SEO and overall UX is top notch.

And many more! Basically, SEO is not dead, we just need more effort. I think, business owners should be more focused on SEO now for natural growth. Otherwise most owners will be cash burnout if they only rely on Paid Ads.

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

Fake businesses are going to die, real businesses will win!