Mike Andes explains how AI search engines like Gemini and ChatGPT are replacing traditional SEO. Home service businesses now need Answer Engine Optimization: putting direct answers to customer questions like "What does lawn mowing cost?" in their FAQ sections instead of writing keyword-stuffed blog posts.
AI is changing which home service businesses are going to be seen on Google and on AI platforms like Gemini and ChatGPT. No longer is SEO search engine optimization going to be using keywords and the things that we've always been using in the past, tags, etc. Instead it's going to be AEO, which is answer Engine Optimization and really trying to answer the question of customers. Because that's how you talk to ChatGPT and that's how you talk to AI is you ask it a question. You ask what is the price of lawn mowing in my area? What is the availability of an estimator in my area? These are the questions that if you answer in the FAQ section of your website, you'll rank better on AI. And for everyone that's trying to do keyword hacking and a whole bunch of negative keywords and all this other stuff, what rather is going to dominate in AI is going to be answering the questions that your customers have. And it's going to do way better than a 3,000 word blog where you try to mention your keyword and your city name 500 times.
