What AEO and GEO really mean for your website
And how you can make it work for you
Following on from last week’s article exploring the actual differences between AEO, GEO and SEO, I wanted to take a look this week at what this actually means for your website, and more specifically your website content. It’s a bit longer this week than usual, but I’ve been thinking about this piece for a while!
For years, our focus has been separately on driving the click, and then on informing the reader who does click, and hopefully driving them to action.
The water is muddier now - our focus is more on supplying the information that machines deliver in response to their query, and then what happens next largely depends on your business and service. We have to prepare for the idea that the user might not even see your website.
Your pages now have 2 jobs;
Convince humans
Make sense, and be compelling to, machines
In the era of AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation) and GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation, but you already knew that from last week), the best landing pages don’t just convert well.
They explain clearly, structure cleanly, and earn the right to be used as the answer.
So, the big question; what do you need to do differently?
Starting at the beginning: What stays the same
Let’s be clear - AEO and GEO don’t kill good landing page fundamentals. The main tentpoles of SEO still apply.
You still need:
A clear, benefit-driven headline
A strong value proposition
Visible, confident CTAs
Authentic social proof and credibility
Minimal friction and good UX
Message match with the traffic source (i.e. keywords or phrases that match those that you’re bidding against)
A page still has to persuade. It still has to build confidence. It still has to guide an action.
The real shift: from “convince” to “explain”
Traditional landing pages are performance driven. AEO/GEO-era landing pages also need to be knowledge driven.
They’re no longer just destinations - they’re sources. They’re going to be cited by LLMs or search engines. Not just sales pages, but structured answers to key questions your customers are asking.
So the exam question now becomes - how do we make this page persuasive for people and legible for AI?
How the modern landing page evolves
1. Headline & hero
Old: Big promise, marketing-first language
New: Still persuasive, but closer to natural, answer-friendly phrasing
Instead of: Transform your growth strategy
Go with: Why most B2B marketing spend underperforms - and how to fix it
The headline must now work as:
A hook for humans
A clear statement of purpose for machines
2. Proposition
Old: Vague positioning which uses big keywords without saying what you do
New: Specific, measurable clarity
A favourite of the comms industry is Get [who] To [outcome] By [method]. This applies 100% here. Specificity benefits both AI understanding and also helps to build human trust.
3. Body content
Old: Long marketing blocks and feature storytelling
New: Modular, structured “answer blocks”. Think of a Q&A.
Sections become clearer and more functional:
How does it work?
Who is this for?
What do results look like?
What happens if it doesn’t work?
What does implementation involve?
Each section should make sense on its own. If an AI tool lifted it out, would it still be clear? These don’t need to be questions necessarily - just statements which work in the context of your page (How it works, Who it’s for, etc.).
4. Proof & case studies
Still essential - but structure matters even more. Instead of purely emotive storytelling, lean into clarity:
The challenge
What we did
What changed
If you’re writing good case studies, you’re already doing this. If not, then it’s time to implement a structure which works for humans and is easier for AI to parse and summarise convincingly.
5. FAQs (now strategic, not filler)
This is where AEO really comes alive. As we’ve already explored above, FAQs are no longer a nice-to-have. They are one of your most powerful optimisation tools.
They should:
Use real client language
Mirror real search behaviour
Be fully written as questions
Instead of: Pricing
Go with: How much does this typically cost for a mid-sized business?
This section often becomes the most “quotable” part of the page.
6. CTA & conversion
This is obviously still critical and still focused. We want humans visiting this page to take the desired action. But they need to be more contextual, build confidence, and more consultative in tone.
Think:
“See what this could look like for your team”
“Get a tailored recommendation”
Instead of “Contact us” or “Talk to us today”. Again, if you’ve been looking at best practicee pages, this won’t surprise you.
Smaller CTAs (view example, download overview, explore a case study) can also support longer journeys fed by AI discovery.
The biggest change: landing page vs website page is dead
The old distinction was simple:
Website pages inform
Landing pages convert
In an AEO/GEO world, every commercial page must now do both.
The question isn’t “Is this a landing page?” - instead, you should be asking “Is this page clear enough to be used as an answer?”
Three things you can do right now
If you don’t rebuild anything else, start here:
Rewrite your key headlines to be clearer, more specific, more answer-like
Add a proper FAQ section using real questions and objections
Replace vague claims with measurable outcomes wherever possible
That’s it! I’m working on a 2026 Trends piece at the moment which should be in your inbox in the next week or two. Otherwise, if you found this interesting, I would hugely appreciate it if you shared with your friends and colleagues.
If you’re feeling particularly generous and enjoyed this edition, I won’t stop you from buying me a coffee. Otherwise, I’ll see you next time 🫶