trone aeo pet marketing

How pet care companies are using AEO & GEO in marketing

7 mins
How reviews influence AI search results and generative SEO and GEO

How reviews influence AI search results and generative SEO and GEO

3 mins

Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) & Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) services

Maintaining visibility for brands as search evolves

Search is changing faster than many brands can keep up. Brands that once relied on traditional SEO rankings are now losing visibility as AI-generated answers replace clicks and website visits. No longer is a top ranking enough to ensure your brand is seen.

Today, a multifaceted approach that balances Search Engine Marketing (SEO), Answer Engine Marketing (AEO) and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is necessary to make sure your brand is showing up when people are shopping, searching and asking questions. SEO builds discoverability, AEO helps your content surface in direct answers and GEO improves how AI systems understand, trust and cite your brand.

What is an answer engine and how does it work?

An answer engine is an AI tool designed to display an immediate, concise and relevant answer to a search query. Whereas traditional search engines display a list of sites that may or may not include an answer to a query, an answer engine uses artificial intelligence to scan those sites, pull out relevant information, summarize it and create a condensed personalized answer based on the question or prompt given.

Commonly used answer engines include:

  • ChatGPT
  • Google AI Mode and AI Overviews
  • Perplexity AI
  • Microsoft Copilot
  • Gemini
  • Claude
  • Voice assistants like Alexa and Siri

Answer engines evaluate things like your tone and the specific wording of your question to interpret what you’re really hoping to find and serve up the information that best addresses your needs.

What is AEO / GEO?

Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) are digital marketing services that look for opportunities to enhance your content so it’s more likely to show up in answer engines’ AI-generated responses. Answer engines favor content that is highly structured, organized, authoritative and accurate. AEO and GEO work together to make your content more AI-friendly.

Why brands should care about AEO & GEO

With answer engines providing instant, relevant answers, many searchers no longer see a need to visit and browse brand websites. Zero-click Google searches (those where people leave a search query without clicking on a link) went up from 56% in 2024 to an astounding 69% in 2025.1

Today, AI is the first touchpoint for a brand connection. In fact, more than one-third of consumers say they now begin searches with AI tools rather than traditional search engines.2 The increasing reliance on AI search and AI-generated answers means brands that adjust their digital marketing strategy will have a strong advantage over competitors who stay the course.

Why now is the time to add AEO & GEO to your search strategy

AI-powered search is still evolving, which means brands have a rare opportunity to establish visibility before competitors fully adapt. Much like the early days of SEO and social media marketing, organizations that invest early in AEO and GEO strategies are more likely to build long-term authority and recognition within AI-driven search experiences.

As more consumers turn to tools like ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews and Perplexity for recommendations and answers, brands that fail to optimize their content risk losing visibility during critical moments in the customer journey. The good news is that many companies have not yet adapted their digital strategies. Acting now can help your brand gain an early competitive advantage while answer engines are still shaping how they evaluate, summarize and recommend content.

Brands that begin optimizing today will be better positioned to:

  • Appear in AI-generated answers
  • Increase brand discoverability in conversational search
  • Build authority and trust with AI systems
  • Maintain visibility as zero-click searches continue to rise
  • Stay ahead of competitors that rely solely on traditional SEO

What’s the difference between AEO, GEO & SEO?

 

AEOUsed to gain quick visibility on direct, question-based queries
GEOUsed to increase long-term brand credibility and visibility within in-depth AI summaries
SEOUsed to build sustainable organic search traffic and improve rankings across traditional Google search results

AEO, GEO and SEO all play a role in keeping your brand visible in search. The acronyms can get confusing, but Trone’s experienced digital marketing specialists can help you determine the right balance of services to optimize your content and get more eyes on your brand.

AEO & GEO services

Why partner with Trone for AEO and GEO strategy?

Generating momentum in today’s search environment requires brands to be agile in their marketing strategy and adapt fast. Trone’s dedicated digital marketing team can help your brand start implementing AEO and GEO practices to prioritize AI search, while at the same time maintaining a strong SEO presence—which is required for AEO and GEO to be successful. With our help, your brand can be featured as the answer to more of your audience’s questions.

Find out how your brand shows up in AI today

How healthcare companies are using AEO & GEO in marketing

How healthcare companies are using AEO & GEO in marketing

7 mins

How long-form content contributes to website success

4 mins

Essential features of every HIPAA-compliant healthcare website

3 mins

Improving AI search credibility for brand AEO and GSO success

3 mins
Woman sitting in front of computer showing a watch product page with a pink arrow next to computer point up to show upward sales trend.

Creating high-converting product pages for ecommerce

3 mins

The lasting impact of a brand compass on your company’s future planning

3 mins

Healthcare reputation & review management

Are your patients helping you gain new patients?

One of the most powerful new patient acquisition tools for healthcare organizations is what current and former patients are saying. Do they advocate for you? Do they champion your care? Or are they dissuading others from booking an appointment?

Review management

Embracing reviews to protect your business

Today’s patients look to others for unbiased opinions and real-life experiences. And when it comes to healthcare reviews, every star and positive word counts. Effective review management helps you use customer feedback to address patient concerns, build trust and improve satisfaction.

A proactive approach to improving satisfaction scores

Satisfied patients may not think to leave a review unless you ask them. They don’t have an issue, so it’s just not top of mind. But requesting reviews from loyal, satisfied patients can help boost your scores, instill trust in prospective patients and limit occasional negative feedback from having a strong impact.

Why not handle review management in-house?

Review management is a time-consuming task that is best handled by a healthcare marketing agency that will: 

  • Answer questions and respond consistently in your brand’s tone
  • Avoid letting emotion or bias affect responses
  • Communicate repeated or serious concerns to your team
  • Stay aware of new review platforms to watch

Want to do more to protect your brand’s reputation?

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