Sandeep Kushwaha

  For years, businesses have hired an SEO agency to:  climb up Google’s rankings,  build backlinks,  optimise keywords, and  ride that wave of organic traffic. But the landscape in 2026 is going to change. Even today, more users are asking questions directly to applications powered by large language models: “Hey ChatGPT, what shoes should I buy for running in heat?” or “Copilot, how do I fix my kitchen sink leak?” No search result page, no list of tabs running, but a straight answer. This means a new frontier is emerging: SEO AI Optimisation. Clients often ask the digital marketing agency if they’ve ever hired one: “Does normal SEO still work?” “Should we partner with an AI SEO agency?” The answer is: yes, but it’s evolving. Two concepts sit at the heart of this shift: Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) and generative engine optimisation (GEO). 1. Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO): Optimising for the AI Answer Imagine your content being pulled into a chat window o...

  Search is no longer about ten blue links on Google. With AI-powered systems like ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Bing Copilot shaping how answers are delivered, Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) has quickly become a must. Instead of just ranking websites, AI tools aim to provide direct responses. That means if your content isn’t being optimised for this shift, you risk being invisible to the very customers you’re trying to reach.  But how do you prepare for this? Here’s the breakdown.  What Does AEO Look For Beyond Keywords? Most people assume AEO is just about structured data or FAQ sections, but the reality is more layered. Answer engines rely on semantic understanding; they interpret context, intent, and authority before serving an answer. Here’s what often gets overlooked: Entity Mapping: AI doesn’t just scan words; it builds connections between entities (brands, people, places). If your business isn’t clearly associated with relevant entities, you’re harder to surf...