The Shift in Online Search
Over the past two decades, e-commerce has largely been shaped by how consumers search for keywords on engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo. During this time, businesses and brands have worked hard to master Google’s search engine results pages (SERPs). They refined their landing pages, optimized keywords, and competed to reach the top of organic search results. As a result, the fight for consumer attention centered around the “ten blue links” — Google’s classic search layout — where more than half of all web traffic flowed to the top-ranking organic links.
However, today things are changing quickly. The steady decline in organic traffic from Google search results shows that consumers are no longer relying solely on traditional search engines. Instead, they are turning to faster, more direct ways to make purchase decisions — often through AI-generated answers and recommendations that provide instant clarity without extra clicks.
Figure 1. Digital traffic from organic searches are decreasing monthly, underscoring the shift from SEO to GEO.
However, the rise of artificial intelligence (AI)-driven tools and generative search engines, such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE), and Amazon’s AI Shopping Guides, is changing consumer behavior. People are shifting from browsing through multiple search results to asking complete questions to these answer engines for fast and immediate results. The conversational format facilitates natural dialogue. As a result, e-commerce consumers are increasingly engaging with this chat-based method of consuming information, using personalized answer engines that aggregate, interpret, and recommend products in real time.
Figure 2. ChatGPT’s weekly active users till April, 2025.
This shift in how consumers make purchase decisions is widespread and backed by growing data and industry insights. One clear sign is the sharp decline in organic clicks from search engines. According to recent studies, “zero-click answers” , when Google or other engines provide direct answers, product recommendations, or snapshots at the top of results, now make up most searches. As a result, users now get what they need without clicking through to any website. In fact, the Search Engine Journal reports that more than half of all searches no longer result in a traditional click because AI-generated summaries and recommendations display the answers directly in search results.
At the same time, more people are turning to AI for help. Recent studies show that nearly 60% of shoppers now use AI tools to guide their buying decisions, often relying on chat-based platforms like Amazon’s AI Guides or Perplexity’s product suggestions (Darden News). These tools don’t just offer quick recommendations — they’re actively reshaping how e-commerce brands market their products. That’s where Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) comes in. Instead of chasing keywords like traditional SEO, AEO focuses on making sure your products appear in the AI-generated answers, summaries, and suggestions that shoppers see instantly.
This shift creates both challenges and opportunities. On one hand, brands must move beyond traditional SEO and actively embrace strategies built for answer and recommendation engines to stay visible in AI-driven results. On the other hand, consumers now enjoy a faster and more personalized search experience, powered by intelligent algorithms instead of static ranked links. As a result, the entire search ecosystem is becoming more dynamic, interactive, and driven by real-time relevance.
AEO vs. SEO – What’s Changing?
So from SEO to AEO, what is really changing and how can e-commerce businesses adapt this shift? How can these changes demand a mindset change of optimization priorities?
The below chart is a comparison between SEO and AEO strategies:
| SEO | AEO | |
| Goal | Rank high in SERPs, attract clicks | Be cited in AI-generated answers/results |
| Optimization Focus | Keywords, backlinks, technical SEO | Structured data, content for direct answers |
| Content Strategy | Long-form, keyword-rich pages | Concise, answer-oriented, up-to-date data, persistent |
| Discovery Point | SERP listings | Answer engine results, chatbot module |
| Tactics | Meta tags, on-page SEO, link-building | Product landing page, FAQs, schema, APIs |
| Measurement | Ranks, organic traffic, click volume | Inclusion rates in AI answers, engagement |
| User Journey | Visitor lands on your site | User may never visit your site; visibility achieved via direct citation |
SEO’s logic is simple: “get seen, get clicked.”
AEO changes that to “get cited, get trusted.”
As AI-generated answers and smart search tools reshape how people find information, e-commerce brands need to think differently. They must structure their data, answer questions clearly, and make their content the go-to source for AI engines. Brands that fail to do this will lose visibility as AI systems take over product discovery and decision-making.
Strategic Implications for E-Commerce
There’s a big upside here. When AI tools regularly mention or cite your brand, you gain instant credibility.
To build that kind of trust, e-commerce brands should:
- Structure the data clearly. Structure AI accessible domain source, use rich schema, product feeds, and connected knowledge sources so AI can easily read and quote your information.
- Create useful content. Write clear guides, FAQs, and expert tips that AI tools can pull from when giving answers.
- Earn mentions from others. Get reviews, press features, or influencer publish— these are the sources AI often references.
- Keep your product info fresh. Make sure prices, details, and stock data stay accurate and updated.
In the AEO era, success isn’t about getting the most clicks or running the biggest ads. It’s about becoming a trusted source that AI systems rely on. Brands that make their content clear, credible, and up to date will win visibility and customer trust in this new world — where trust matters more than traffic.
5 Steps to Boost Your AEO performance
Step 1: Run an Industry-Level Audit
You cam start by checking how often AI platforms mention your brand.
Ask real questions about your product category in Answer Engines, like “What are the best affordable skincare brands in the US?” Then see which brands appear in AI answers, and also how they’re described.
Do this:
- Search your category in ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity.
- Note which brands appear most often and why.
- Compare how your content stacks up against theirs.
- Identify gaps and set clear visibility goals.
Goal: Understand where your brand stands and what drives visibility in AI search.
Step 2: Check Accessibility and Domain Health
Make sure AI engines can actually reach your site.
AI crawlers rely on files like LLMs.txt, Robots.txt, and sitemaps to access your data. Missing or blocked files can hide your content completely.
Do this:
- Verify that your Robots.txt and LLMs.txt allow AI access.
- Audit your sitemap and metadata for errors.
- Check that your product pages load cleanly in HTML, not just scripts or images.
- Fix any technical barriers that limit AI indexing.
Goal: Let AI platforms easily read and understand your site’s content.
Step 3: Research Real Customer Questions
Find out what people actually ask before buying.
Most users now type full questions like “What are the best running shoes for flat feet under $150?”, not just short keywords.
Do this:
- Collect real user questions from search tools, forums, and AI platforms.
- Group them by topic — price, quality, size, trust, or performance.
- Rewrite your content to answer these questions directly.
- Add missing topics your competitors already cover.
Goal: Match your content to real user intent and shopping behavior.
Step 4: Measure AI Visibility and Mentions
Track how often AI tools cite or recommend your brand.
Clicks are no longer the main signal — visibility in AI answers is.
Do this:
- Test prompts related to your category each week.
- Record which brands appear and how AI describes them.
- Track your mentions across platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini.
- Compare your performance with competitors and adjust your content.
Goal: Measure success by how often AI cites you, not just by traffic.
Step 5: Create AI-Readable Content
Write content that AI can read, quote, and trust.
AI tools favor structured, factual, and concise information — not long promotional copy.
Do this:
- Add schema markup for products, FAQs, and reviews.
- Write short, clear product descriptions with measurable details.
- Build FAQ pages based on real customer questions and your product details.
- Create product landing pages for marketplace products so AI can cite them directly.
- Keep all product details, like price, stock, features, up to date.
Goal: Make your content easy for AI to process and credible enough to cite.
AEO For Local Business
Answer Engines also answer people’s questions about local stuff, like “best coffee shop near me.” Therefore, more people now get their answers right in the search, without ever clicking on a website.
AEO is different from regular SEO. SEO tries to help your website show up in Google and get clicks, whereas AEO makes sure AI engines can find your business info and recommend you in their answers. So, if your business info isn’t clear and easy for these AI tools to read, like your hours, menu, or customer reviews, you might not show up when it matters most.
Think about a pizza place in your neighborhood. If they use the right tools and answer common questions, like whether they have gluten-free pizza or any special deals, AI can recommend them first when someone asks for pizza nearby in a voice search. Or, if a small electronics shop keeps its info and reviews up-to-date, it might get suggested to someone looking for a “phone charger near me,” even over big stores.
In conclusion, AEO gives local businesses a powerful way to stay visible and competitive in an era where most customers get answers directly from AI tools instead of browsing websites. In other words, AEO helps local businesses meet people where they’re searching, turning quick AI answers into real-world visits, sales, and community recognition.
AEO Is Urgent: The Future of E-Commerce Visibility Starts Now
Leaders in e-commerce are already changing how they work. They see that AI is rapidly reshaping how products are found, recommended, and purchased. As a result, smart brands are moving fast: they’re rewriting product pages, organizing data, and updating content so that AI tools can easily understand, reference, and cite them.
In today’s fast-moving market, AEO isn’t optional anymore — it’s essential for growth and visibility. Therefore, brands must shift from traditional SEO to an AEO-first mindset. This means making content readable for AI, tracking how often AI platforms mention their products, and continuously improving visibility through structured, trustworthy information.
To make this transition smoother, platforms like Frevana can help accelerate the process. They simplify the work by auditing your brand’s AI presence, identifying where you’re missing citations, and helping you build content that answer engines love to feature.
Ultimately, brands that act now will gain an early advantage in AI-driven e-commerce, while those that hesitate will quickly fall behind in visibility and relevance.