The ultimate guide to AEO: How to get ChatGPT to recommend your product | Ethan Smith (Graphite) · Lenny's Podcast: Product | Career | Growth summary

Key takeaways

AEO is becoming critical as it allows businesses to show up in AI responses and convert leads more effectively than traditional SEO.
Companies can optimize for AEO by focusing on getting cited multiple times in various platforms, rather than just achieving the top search rank.
Content strategies for AEO should include creating helpful articles, engaging in conversations on Reddit, and producing related YouTube videos.
Measuring the success of AEO efforts through answer tracking tools is essential for understanding visibility and optimizing further.
Unassisted AI-generated content is less effective than AI-assisted human content, highlighting the importance of maintaining quality and originality.
Staying adaptable and continuously learning about changes in AI and search will be crucial for success in AEO and SEO.

Summary

Introduction to AEO and Guest Introduction

In this episode, Ethan Smith, the CEO of Graphite and SEO expert, discusses the emerging practice of Answer Engine Optimization (AEO), which is focused on getting products suggested in AI answers from platforms like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini. They explore how this new optimization strategy is particularly crucial because ChatGPT traffic converts six times better than traditional Google search traffic.

Understanding AEO vs. SEO

Ethan explains the differences and similarities between AEO and traditional SEO. Unlike SEO, which often requires significant domain authority and can take time to yield results, AEO allows early-stage companies to gain visibility quickly by securing citations and mentions in various online platforms. The discussion emphasizes the importance of being frequently mentioned rather than just having the highest search ranking.

Importance of Citations and Content Strategy

Ethan shares valuable insights into the types of content and strategies that work for AEO, including the significance of landing pages, engaging in Reddit discussions, and creating YouTube videos. He emphasizes that mentioning a product frequently across citations is essential for appearing in AI-generated answers.

The Role of Help Center Content

The episode discusses the often-overlooked potential of help center content for driving conversions. By addressing specific user questions and integrating useful answers into help articles, businesses can enhance their visibility in answer engines.

Measuring and Optimizing AEO Effectiveness

A significant part of the conversation revolves around tracking AEO effectiveness through answer tracking tools, which help businesses understand how often their content appears in AI responses. Ethan highlights the importance of experimentation and developing strategies to assess which tactics work best.

Insights on AI-Generated Content

Ethan shares findings from various studies indicating that unassisted AI-generated content is largely ineffective, contrasting with AI-assisted human-generated content that tends to work better. He warns of potential pitfalls, such as the risk of AI collating too much derivative content, resulting in a dilution of quality and originality.

The Future of AEO and SEO

Looking ahead, Ethan anticipates the convergence of AEO and SEO, suggesting that both practices will ultimately blend into a unified discipline as AI continues to evolve. He encourages listeners to stay informed and adaptable in this quickly shifting landscape.

Show notes

Ethan Smith is the CEO of Graphite—the leading SEO growth agency—and my go-to expert on SEO. After 18 years of mastering traditional SEO, Ethan has been at the forefront of what is called AEO: answer engine optimization, or, more simply, getting your product to show up in ChatGPT/Claude/Gemini/Perplexity answers. He’s discovered that ChatGPT traffic converts six times better than Google search—and most companies are completely missing this opportunity.

In our conversation, we discuss:

1. His 7-step playbook to rank #1 in ChatGPT

2. Why ChatGPT traffic converts 6x better than Google

3. How early-stage startups can win at AEO immediately (unlike with SEO, which takes years)

4. The three tactics that actually work: landing pages, YouTube videos, and Reddit comments

5. Why help-center content can suddenly be your highest-ROI investment

6. The specific Reddit strategy that works (spoiler: be authentic)

7. Why AI-generated content doesn’t work

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Where to find Ethan Smith:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/ethan_l_s

• LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/ethans-linkedin

• Graphite: https://graphite.io/

• Graphite Research Papers: https://bit.ly/graphite-five-percent

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Where to find Lenny:

• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com

• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/

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In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) Welcome back, Ethan

(04:34) The changing landscape of SEO

(06:19) AEO (answer engine optimization) vs. GEO (generative engine optimization)

(08:13) The impact of AEO

(11:51) How early-stage startups can win at AEO

(14:34) The quality of AEO leads

(15:35) On-site vs. off-site traffic

(16:32) Reddit’s role in AEO and avoiding spam

(20:11) How AI models use citations (RAG)

(21:41) Key principles for winning at AEO

(25:00) Avoiding hyper-SEOed content, and the importance of originality

(28:55) Actionable AEO playbook: steps and experiments

(33:35) Tracking, measuring, and share of voice

(38:34) Adapting AEO for B2B, commerce, and early-stage companies

(41:11) Is letting AI index your content good?

(43:06) Experimentation, control groups, and measuring results

(46:15) The future of AEO, SEO, and search channels

(51:35) AI-generated content: what works and what doesn’t

(55:25) The dangers of infinite AI derivatives

(58:44) The future: convergence of LLMs and search

(01:00:40) Help-center optimization and the long tail

(01:03:18) Lightning round and final thoughts

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Resources and episode mentions: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-ultimate-guide-to-aeo-ethan-smith

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Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email [email protected].

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Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.

To hear more, visit www.lennysnewsletter.com

The ultimate guide to AEO: How to get ChatGPT to recommend your product | Ethan Smith (Graphite)