Everyone is asking whether ChatGPT traffic will leapfrog Google by 2028. I don’t buy the panic, but I do buy the shift. What matters is not which channel “wins,” but how we win across answer engines. After watching HubSpot Marketing’s Field Notes, I’m convinced that Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) is a strategy problem, not a tactics checklist. Treat it like “new SEO,” and you will miss the moment.
Why AEO Demands Real Strategy
Mike King put it cleanly:
“AEO is the art and science of getting visibility in AI surfaces like ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity.” — Mike King
That shift forces a mindset change. These models don’t “crawl” the same way search engines do. They stitch together facts and citations from clear, repeatable signals. If our message isn’t simple, visible, and consistent across the web, we get ignored.
Kyle Denhoff pushed teams to focus where it counts:
“Marketing teams need to optimize for the overlap.” — Kyle Denhoff
That overlap is where your audience spends time and where LLMs source their answers. As a CMO and agency founder, I see this every week. Spread thin is dead; concentrated effort wins.
The Core Shift: Content Built for Lazy Readers
LLMs do not reward dense prose. They reward clarity. Aja Frost and King both flagged how structure now decides visibility. King’s line should be taped to every content brief:
“LLMs are very lazy readers.” — Mike King
HubSpot learned that the hard way with pricing. Their pricing page relied on JavaScript. Google could read it; ChatGPT could not. So they published simple pricing posts with the same details. Accuracy shot up across AI services. Basic? Yes. Effective? Very.
King also flipped an old SEO habit on its head. In classic search, skipping a meta description can boost clicks as engines pull the best snippet. In AI answers, that backfires. You want the meta description to “spoil” the answer:
“They actually really value the meta description.” — Mike King
That’s a small move with big impact. It forces us to put the answer first, in plain text, near the top.
Off-Site: Where Signals Start
Off-site is not optional. It is where consensus forms. King was blunt about what’s working:
“Reddit is what’s working like gang busters.” — Mike King
But it only works with real participation. Aja Frost noted that when HubSpot invests in its own subreddit, positive mentions rise across Reddit. That’s the network effect you want. Authentic voice beats brand chest-thumping every time.
Link building also shifts. Volume is noise. Relevance is the signal. King urges teams to pitch data and messages across many credible surfaces. Repetition creates the “raffle tickets” LLMs pick up:
“We’re trying to create consensus across the web… one idea in multiple places.” — Mike King
What Works Now
Here’s how I’d translate their approach into a simple action plan for your team.
- Measure first. Use an AEO grader to spot gaps by topic and brand terms.
- Fix access. Remove JavaScript gates from key facts like pricing.
- Structure tight. Single-topic paragraphs, clear headings, scannable bullets.
- Answer up top. Write meta descriptions that give the answer right away.
- Seed the web. Pitch one stat or message across media, communities, and PR.
- Invest in Reddit. Contribute, don’t sell. Build community before you link.
- Chase relevance, not volume. Five great links beat 500 weak ones.
These steps work best when guided by a single message map. One message. Many placements. Repeated often.
Stop Declaring Channels Dead
Aja Frost hit a nerve for me:
“We need to stop saying ‘this channel is dead’ about any channel.” — Aja Frost
She’s right. Email is proof. It still prints money when the content is great and the audience fit is tight. The same will be true for search, social, and AI answers. Nothing is dead; lazy strategy is.
My Take: This Isn’t “Just SEO”
King’s warning should be stapled to every board deck:
“It is a profound mistake to say that optimizing for generative AI is just SEO.” — Mike King
I agree. This is cross‑functional. It touches product, comms, PR, community, analytics, and content. It needs executive air cover and shared goals. Treat it as a channel play and you will stall.
The Move I Recommend
Start with one audience problem and one proof point. Build a page that answers it cleanly. Publish a plain‑text summary. Write a meta description that gives the answer. Pitch the same stat to press. Join two Reddit threads and add value. Repeat for 90 days.
Pick the overlap. Plant the signal. Prove the lift.
Here’s my call to action: stop debating Google vs. ChatGPT traffic. Align your teams on one message map and measure the win across both. Your future customers won’t care where they found the answer. They’ll remember who gave it to them first and clear.
