AI is changing how people discover, evaluate, and choose brands. A recent Forrester study found that 95% of B2B buyers plan to use generative AI in their buying process this year. That’s a massive shift in behavior that’s already reshaping how customers search and make decisions.
Instead of typing a few keywords, people now ask full questions and expect full answers. They’re having conversations with AI tools, not just looking at search results. According to SEMrush, AI search is on track to surpass traditional search in the next three years, and Bain & Company has already reported SEO traffic drops of 15–25% across the board.
This evolution means that brands can no longer rely on traditional SEO strategies alone. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) was about ranking for keywords. Answer Engine Optimization (AEO), sometimes called Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) or even AI SEO, is about delivering clear, credible, and structured answers that AI can actually use and trust. It’s also the foundation of long-term AI Visibility, how your brand appears and is interpreted across AI search and assistant platforms.
The problem? Most teams aren’t ready. In a recent Webflow study, 93% of marketing leaders said that AEO will be critical to their company’s success within two years. Yet only 25% of practitioners fully understand what AEO really means. That gap represents both a challenge and a major opportunity.
When AI rephrases your brand’s content to answer questions, it decides what version of your story gets told. If your content isn’t structured for AEO, your brand’s voice can disappear into generic summaries. Years of work spent building a distinct identity risk being flattened or even distorted by algorithms that don’t fully understand your message. Improving your AI Visibility ensures that when large language models summarize your brand, they do it accurately and in your own voice.
Owning your narrative in this new landscape means more than publishing blog posts. It’s about ensuring that AI systems can recognize your authority, trust your information, and accurately reflect your brand in the answers they provide.
The upside is real. Webflow’s own data showed that by simply increasing the frequency of content refreshes, their site saw a 42% jump in traffic and 14% more signups in under two months.
To help companies adapt, Webflow introduced the AEO Maturity Model, a framework that helps brands assess where they stand and what they need to improve. It breaks AEO down into four core categories:
- Content: Building context-rich, factual, and structured content.
- Technical: Ensuring your site’s data and schema make sense to AI systems.
- Authority: Strengthening your brand’s credibility through external validation and consistent presence.
- Measurement: Tracking visibility in AI-generated answers, not just clicks and rankings.
Each category has five levels of maturity, showing the path from traditional SEO to being truly AI-ready. The framework is based on hundreds of conversations with CMOs, research with SEO experts, and Webflow’s aggregated data across thousands of hosted sites.
The takeaway is clear: AI-driven discovery is already here. If your business isn’t optimizing for how AI finds and interprets your brand, you’re leaving your visibility and credibility to chance.
Now’s the time to start building for AEO, (or Generative Engine Optimization, GEO). The brands that act early will own the top answers. The ones that wait will simply be described by others.
At Afluo, we specialize in building websites and apps optimized for AI discovery and LLMs. Our team helps businesses adapt to AEO standards so their brands stay visible, credible, and accurately represented in the age of AI search. If you’re ready to make your business rank better in AI-driven results, get in touch with us.
