The New SEO: How to Win in the Age of AEO
"The future of search isn't links. It's mentions." – Ethan Smith, CEO @ Graphite
Most marketers are still playing Google’s game.
But AI isn’t playing by those rules.
Search is becoming answer – and the rules of ranking just changed.
Ethan Smith (Reforge, Graphite) shared the most useful AEO playbook I’ve seen yet. Here's the big idea:
The AEO Framework: How LLMs Pick Winners
There are two paths to winning in LLM search:
Owned AEO – Your URL answers follow-up questions (the tail)
Earned AEO – Your brand is cited across the web (the head)
In Google, you win by ranking.
In AEO, you win by being referenced.
Real-World AEO in Action:
Webflow now drives 8% of its signups from LLMs.
How?
800+ how-to YouTube videos (YouTube = top citation source in Perplexity)
Reddit reps authentically answering questions (and identifying themselves)
Dozens of landing pages targeting integrations, use cases, and features
Smart insight: LLMs favor comprehensiveness.
If your content answers every variation of a question, you rise.
Tools + Prompts to Test Today:
AEO Audit Prompt:
"Act like an AEO strategist. Find missing use-case pages on my site. Prioritize by potential traffic."Earned AEO Prompt:
“List 10 niche YouTube topics our ICP searches for. Suggest video titles that subtly feature our product.”Free Tool: SurferSEO’s AI detector to avoid publishing content that LLMs ignore.
Action Step:
Start with one: Add 3 landing pages targeting use cases you’ve never written about — especially integrations.
(And yes, make the YouTube video version too.)
-Fatmir
PS – In AEO, it’s not about ranking #1.
It’s about being mentioned everywhere except your site.