09/02/2026
When Google quotes a page inside its AI answer, that page gets clicked 22% more often than the page ranking first on the same search. It also earns 340% more impressions than pages Google leaves out of the answer entirely.
Earning that citation rewards work most teams already know how to do. Answering specific questions directly, sourcing claims credibly, publishing under named authors with verifiable expertise, and structuring content so a machine can lift a clean answer out of it.
What we hear from companies is that the extra work AEO requires keeps getting deprioritized, and the ones doing it are often unsure how to measure whether it is paying off. Strong SEO is what puts a page in contention to be quoted, and a disciplined approach to AEO is what turns that into citations you can measure.