Winning in AI Visibility: A Marketer’s Playbook for Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) in 2025

Search is one of the most important technologies in the world today. It dictates the exchange of information, powers the flow of capital, and is now, in many ways, humanity's primary source of truth.

It's where we go for anything and everything.

And as marketers are concerned, it's most importantly how people decide what to buy, where to buy it, and what to buy next.

But for the first time since Google brought their blue links to the masses, search is facing major change, and in place of search engines, we now have answer engines.

Welcome to the Age of Answer Engines

For nearly 20 years, Google and similar search engines have dominated the way people get answers. Just type a phrase or question, and in return comes a list of webpages with paid links at the top.

Now, though, generative AI is revolutionizing that experience.

No longer are questions met with ranked lists of webpages for people to scroll, click, and hope to use in their quest for answers. Instead, AI answer engines on platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google's AI Overviews are matching custom questions with custom answers, each and every time.

And people are taking notice.

ChatGPT has over 300 million weekly users, and Perplexity is serving over 100 million queries per week. In other words, the generative future is here. And while search isn't disappearing, answer engines are absorbing top and middle funnel queries more quickly than most people realize. Much, much more quickly.

Goodbye Old Rules, Hello AI Optimization

To date, brands have used SEO and SEM strategies to make sure they're included in traditional search results. Tactics like backlinks and keywords have been the focus of entire teams and budgets, because the higher you rank, the more you make.

But now, with the increasing dominance of answer engines, AI Visibility—i.e. your brand's rate of reference in AI-generated answers—is on its way to becoming the new search ranking. And Generative AI SEO, the method for increasing AI Visibility, is a completely different game.

A Simple Playbook for AI Visibility

Fortunately, we at Profound have a first-of-its-kind playbook for building a system that continuously improves your brand's visibility in AI-generated responses. It's the process of Answer Engine Optimization (AEO), it works for brands of all types and sizes, and it looks something like this:

Step 1: Analyze

Objective: Identify the landscape of AI citations in your industry to learn exactly where, how, and why certain brands are appearing in AI answers.

What to Do:

• Define Your Industry & Topics: Start broad (e.g., "B2B SaaS," "Specialty Coffee Retail," "Home Fitness Equipment") and then pinpoint the most critical topics and queries. Think about what customers might ask an AI assistant when exploring your category, from top-of-funnel questions ("What's the best CRM software for a small business?") to mid-funnel queries ("How does CRM X compare to CRM Y?").
• Identify Key Influencers, Sources & Competitors: Use AI visibility tools like Profound to run dozens—or even hundreds—of queries and see which publishers and brands appear most often in AI answers. You may find unexpected outlets (e.g., a niche blog or industry newsletter) ranking higher in AI citations than established media giants.
• Map Content Formats That Win: Determine what type of content AI models love to cite. Are they referencing "Top 10" listicles, expert Q&As, product comparison tables, or in-depth how-to guides? Understanding the winning formats will guide your content strategy.
• Track Your Findings & Discover Patterns: Use the Google Sheet linked here to track your findings. Include the query you tested and the Answer Engine you used, and then make note of the primary citations/sources, competitors, and content formats that arise. From there, start looking for patterns. Are there unexpected sources, competitors, or content formats dominating your space? Are there specific queries you want to be sure you're dominating? A simple spreadsheet is all you need to start answering these questions. Tools like Profound are how you take it to the next level.

Key Output: A clear overview of which sources dominate the AI answers in your industry, the content types they produce, and the patterns that lead to higher citation rates—all of which form the basis for your brand's Generative Engine Optimization.

Real World Example: A major CPG brand used Profound's competitive intelligence to reveal a rival using custom press pages to lead their industry's AI search responses.

Step 2: Create

Objective: Use your content findings from Step 1 to produce content optimized for retrieval by AI answer engines. This content should be structured, authoritative, and easy for AI models to digest and synthesize.

What to Do:

• Focus on Structure & Clarity: Use clear headings, bullet points, comparison tables, and FAQ sections. AI models thrive on well-organized information. For example, a "Pros & Cons" table for competing products or a "Step-by-Step Guide" to using your solution can be a goldmine for AI references and AI optimization.
• Build Comparative Content: AI answers often respond to queries like "Which product is best?" or "How does A compare to B?" Give them that comparative structure. If you're in a travel space, create "Ultimate Comparison: 5 Family-Friendly Resorts vs. City Hotels." If you're in B2B SaaS, produce "CRM Feature Comparison: A Side-by-Side Look at the Top 5 Tools."
• Include Expert Commentary & Distinctive Insights: Generative AI will value unique perspectives. If your company has subject-matter experts, feature their commentary prominently. Highlight brand values, insider tips, proprietary research, and distinct attributes that help the model understand why your brand stands out.
• Use Precise, Descriptive Language: Avoid jargon for jargon's sake. Focus on terms the AI can easily match to user intent. If you're describing a product's key feature, spell it out in simple terms and include context (e.g., "Our coffee beans are single-origin Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, known for their floral aroma and blueberry undertones.")

Key Output: An inventory of structured, citation-friendly content ready for distribution. Think of it as AI-ready building blocks that can easily be picked up by generative models.

Real World Example: An up-and-coming remote staffing company leveraged Profound to generate a single piece of AI-optimized content that brought their AI Visibility from 0% to 11% in a matter of hours.

Step 3: Distribute

Objective: Get your new, AI-optimized content cited by the outlets and sources you know AI models already trust.

What to Do:

• Approach "Hidden Influencers": Based on your analysis from step 1, you might find that niche industry publications, research firms, or community-driven platforms like Reddit or local trade blogs have disproportionate AI citation power. Pitch your content to these sources. Offer them exclusive data, guest posts, or interviews that integrate your brand's narrative.
• Leverage PR & Earned Media Strategies: Traditional PR still matters. By securing placements or mentions in highly-cited outlets, you ensure your brand is part of the corpus AI models pull from. Consider partnerships, sponsored content, or editorial collaborations that highlight your structured, comparison-driven insights.
• Optimize Your Owned Channels: Don't rely solely on third-party publishers. Ensure your company blog, resource center, or newsroom is well-structured, easy to crawl, and updated regularly. The AI might directly reference your site if it's authoritative and well-structured.

Key Output: A distribution plan that ensures your AI-ready content appears in places the AI models prioritize. By strategically placing content in frequently-cited sources, you improve your chances of being referenced in answers.

Real World Example: Profound discovered that the relatively unknown source "eatthis.com" ranked far above powerhouses like Forbes in the fast-food sector, offering a previously undiscovered path to fast-food search dominance.

Step 4: Measure

Objective: Continuously track your brand's AI visibility to understand what's working and guide future decisions.

What to Do:

• Use AI Visibility Tracking Tools: Tools like Profound will let you know how often and in what context your brand appears in AI answers. Monitor key metrics:
  • Visibility Score: A measure of your overall presence across a range of queries.
  • Brand Mentions: How many times your brand (or product) surfaces in AI responses.
  • Citation Sources: Which outlets are referencing you and for which topics.
• Compare Performance Over Time: Check your visibility before and after distributing new content. Did the new comparison piece spike references? Did an expert Q&A earn more citations than a long-form whitepaper?
• Identify Gaps: If certain queries still don't mention you, analyze what kind of content appears in those answers and consider creating something similar (but better).

Key Output: A dashboard or report that quantifies your AI visibility. These insights guide your next moves, ensuring you're not flying blind but reacting to real data on how generative engines treat your content.

Real World Example: A top PR firm uses Profound to provide unmatched insights and drive their clients into a new generation of market control.

Step 5: Iterate

Objective: Stay agile. The AI-driven ecosystem evolves quickly, and your strategy must evolve with it.

What to Do:

• Double Down on What Works: Use tools like Profound to see what works. If product comparison tables boosted your visibility, produce more of them across different product lines or categories. If a certain expert's commentary always gets cited, highlight them more frequently.
• Pivot from Underperformers: If lengthy think-pieces never get cited, consider experimenting with a more structured format. If certain outlets never pick up your content, shift attention to those that do.
• Keep Watching the Landscape: New AI models and platforms emerge regularly. Some might specialize in certain niches (e.g., finance-focused LLMs, healthcare-oriented answer engines). Regularly expand your analysis to track these new players and adjust accordingly. LLM optimization is growing by the day.
• Stay Ahead of Evolving Preferences: AI models are continually updated. What works today may need tweaking tomorrow. Treat AI visibility optimization as a living process—regular check-ins, brainstorming sessions, and content updates keep you ahead of the curve.

Key Output: An iterative improvement loop where each cycle of analysis, creation, distribution, and measurement informs the next. Over time, you build a feedback loop that consistently enhances your brand's AI visibility and powers your brand monitoring for AI results.

Real World Example: Brands and agencies already using Profound as the command center for their Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) and AI Search Optimization.

The Time is Now for Answer Engine Optimization

So if it's your job to keep your brand ready for anything, don't wait. AI-trained first movers will be poised to win in the increasingly dominant arena that is AI Visibility, and Profound is already at the heart of countless marketing strategies as we enter this all-new, generative future.

Use our AEO Starter Kit now or sign up for a demo today.