Search isn’t what it used to be. Generative AI has changed the way people look for help and the way brands get discovered.
At CyberMark, we’ve been preparing for this shift for years. By creating helpful, human-first content and building structured authority across the web, we’ve helped brands get found by people and machines alike. Here’s what you need to know about answer engine optimization and how to prepare your brand for the bots.
What AI Search Engines Trust
Platforms like ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, and Perplexity deliver instant answers, often skipping traditional links altogether. Here’s the challenge: each AI engine trusts different sources. So even if your business ranks well in Google, you might be invisible in AI-driven results.
Two major studies (Profound and Search Engine Land) uncovered how generative AI platforms decide which sources to cite. The findings? Eye-opening:
- ChatGPT relies heavily on authoritative sources like Wikipedia (27% of citations) and Bing-powered results, while avoiding user-generated product pages.
- Perplexity blends expert sites (Investopedia, NerdWallet) with niche blogs, making it favorable for specialized brands with strong content.
- Google Gemini & AI Overviews pull from the widest pool, including YouTube, Reddit, LinkedIn articles, and long-form blogs.
In other words: your AI visibility depends on showing up where that specific engine looks for answers.
From SEO to AEO: What Really Works
The transition from SEO to AEO isn’t about chasing hacks, it’s about leaning into strategies that have always worked:
- Authority-first content: Guides, comparisons, and explainers hosted on trusted sites.
- Structured information: Content formatted in a way that’s easy for AI to scan and cite.
- Third-party validation: Reviews and mentions on platforms like Google Business Profile, Social Media, G2, TripAdvisor, or Yelp.
- Community signals: Participation in spaces like Reddit, Quora, and LinkedIn that influence consumer trust.
Generative AI rewards quality, consistency, and credibility, which coincidentally are the same ingredients that powered SEO success. The formula is simple: help people → earn trust → AI follows.
The Risk of Ignoring AEO
Studies show that a handful of sources dominate AI citations:
- ChatGPT pulls nearly 48% of its top citations from Wikipedia alone.
- Perplexity leans on Reddit for almost half of its top 10 sources.
If your brand isn’t leaving footprints across multiple platforms, AI assumes you don’t matter.
How CyberMark Builds AI Visibility
We’ve been helping brands in fitness, beauty, wellness, home services, and franchise industries stay ahead of every search shift. Here’s how we prepare you for AEO:
- Listings + review management – Ensuring your brand is active on Google, Yelp, Bing, and other key platforms AI engines trust.
- Multi-channel SEO – Optimizing not just for Google, but also Bing and other engines that feed AI answers.
- Scalable content strategy – Publishing service-specific blogs, guides, and structured resources that make both humans and AI happy.
We don’t just help you rank. We make you unmissable.
The Bottom Line
You can’t game AI search. But you can train it to find you.
Generative AI looks for signals of expertise, authority, and trust across hundreds of touchpoints. The more places your business shows up with helpful, credible content, the more likely AI will point straight to you.
That’s not tricking the system. That’s building a brand built to last: in search, in AI, and beyond.
👉 Ready to grow smarter? Let’s talk about what that looks like for your brand. Schedule a free consultation.
