AEO Stats Round-up
Visitor behaviour is changing as AI discovery is quickly going mainstream. Here are some takeaways and stats to consider over the summer holidays and as you start planning for the autumn and beyond.
AI, AI, AI. Sometimes it feels like that's all we ever talk about. And as I reflect on a busy few months of client help, feature planning and conferences, I thought it would be a good time to highlight some of the main stats we've found in terms of AI search and how it is starting to affect attractions, leisure, heritage and tourism destinations.
What is AEO?
AEO stands for Answer Engine Optimisation. You might hear other terms too such as AIO (AI Optimisation) or GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation). These are typically used interchangeably.
To succeed in AEO is similar to SEO - you need to create high value, accurate and relevant content. Think about the types of questions you are answering and how your website can be the most trusted, accurate and relevant source of information.
How guests search is changing
- 50% of Google Searches have AI summaries
(and when they do, clicks to the top organic result drop over 34%) - 60% of Google Searches are 'Zero Click Searches'
Meaning that guests stay on Google, or Google owned websites like Youtube - 9.5% drop in Google's share of search queries
- 500 million more weekly active users on ChatGPT than this time last year
How will AEO affect attractions, leisure and heritage destinations
- Organic search traffic is likely to start to decrease
(although our SEO clients are bucking this trend) - Guests will find more information about your attraction from AI, so less traffic will reach your website, but the traffic that does should be higher quality
- Your website needs to be the best place for guests (and AI bots) to find out about your attraction.
If you're not sure if your website is AI optimised, or how it's performing with AEO then get in touch. We can carry out critical audits and regular checks to maximise your website performance.
