AI SEO, explained
"AI SEO" is used in two quite different ways, and it is worth knowing which one someone means. The first, and the one used in this glossary, is search optimization that accounts for AI-generated answers as well as traditional results: in effect a plain-language umbrella for AEO and GEO alongside classic SEO.
The second meaning is SEO done with the help of AI tools, such as using language models to draft content, cluster keywords or analyze sites. That is a matter of method, not of goal, and it carries its own risks: content produced at volume without real expertise rarely earns trust from search engines, AI systems or readers.
In the first sense, AI SEO starts from the same foundations as any SEO program: a crawlable, fast, well-structured site; content written with genuine expertise; and authority earned from credible sources. It then adds the questions AI search raises. Is the business a clearly defined entity? Do third-party sources describe it consistently? Are key passages written so they can be quoted accurately? Is the brand named when clients ask assistants for recommendations? An "AI SEO agency" in this sense should be able to show how it measures the answer to that last question.