AI search is changing how buyers discover businesses online.
For years, marketers focused heavily on traditional SEO strategies: optimizing websites for Google, creating valuable content, improving page speed, and building authority through inbound marketing.
Now, buyers are increasingly using AI tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, Claude, and Perplexity to research solutions and ask complex business questions.
That shift has introduced a new phrase into the marketing world:
AEO - AI Engine Optimization.
And now, HubSpot has released a new tool designed specifically to help businesses monitor and improve their visibility inside AI-powered search experiences.
What Is AEO?
AEO stands for AI Engine Optimization.
The goal is simple:
Instead of optimizing solely for traditional search engines, businesses now also want to optimize for AI-generated recommendations and citations.
For example, instead of someone Googling:
“Best inbound marketing agency for payroll companies”
They may ask ChatGPT:
“What are the best inbound marketing agencies for payroll providers?”
The challenge becomes:
How do you ensure your company is included in that answer?
That’s where AEO comes into play.
Is AEO Replacing SEO?
Not really.
One of the most important takeaways from this discussion is that AEO is not a complete departure from SEO.
In fact, the companies performing well in AI search today are often the same companies that already perform well in traditional search.
Why?
Because AI engines still rely heavily on the same foundational signals:
- High-quality content
- Domain authority
- Website structure
- Clear topical expertise
- Fast page speed
- Organized information architecture
- Consistent publishing
- Trustworthy citations
Think of AEO as another branch growing from the same SEO tree.
The fundamentals still matter.
Inside HubSpot’s New AEO Tool
Inside HubSpot, users can now navigate to:
Marketing → AEO
The setup process walks users through several important strategic inputs:
1. Brand Analysis
HubSpot analyzes:
- Your domain
- Brand name variations
- Existing visibility
- Competitor landscape
This creates a baseline understanding of your current AI search presence.
2. Competitor Identification
The tool automatically identifies potential competitors based on your market category and online footprint.
In the example walkthrough, competitors included other major HubSpot partner agencies such as:
Users can also manually add competitors to improve tracking accuracy.
The Most Interesting Feature: Prompt Analysis
One of the most powerful aspects of HubSpot’s AEO tool is prompt analysis.
Instead of only tracking keywords, HubSpot analyzes actual AI-style prompts users might ask.
For example:
- Why do payroll companies struggle with inbound marketing?
- What are the best inbound marketing agencies for payroll providers?
- What are good inbound marketing strategies for small payroll companies?
This is a major shift in thinking.
Traditional SEO often focused on keyword optimization.
AEO focuses more heavily on:
- Question-based intent
- Conversational phrasing
- Topical authority
- Recommendation positioning
Why Prompt-Based Optimization Matters
AI tools don’t simply return a list of links.
They synthesize answers.
That means businesses now need to optimize for inclusion within those synthesized responses.
HubSpot’s AEO tool helps marketers understand:
- Which prompts currently mention their brand
- Which competitors appear most often
- Which content types receive citations
- Where gaps exist in topical authority
- Which opportunities deserve more content investment
This gives marketers a much clearer roadmap for AI visibility strategy.
AEO Still Depends on Strong SEO Fundamentals
This is the most important strategic point:
If your traditional SEO foundation is weak, your AEO performance will likely suffer as well.
AEO does not magically override:
- Slow websites
- Poor content quality
- Weak authority
- Thin content
- Bad user experience
- Poor organization
If anything, AI engines amplify the importance of strong foundational content.
The businesses most likely to dominate AI search are the ones already building:
- Deep educational content
- Thought leadership
- Consistent publishing systems
- Structured website architecture
- Clear expertise in defined niches
AI Attribution Tracking in HubSpot
Another major update discussed in the video is HubSpot’s expanded attribution tracking.
HubSpot can now identify when contacts originate from AI tools and even track:
- Which AI platform referred them
- How they discovered your business
- Which prompts or discovery pathways contributed
This is a significant development for marketers trying to measure the real business impact of AI visibility.
Final Thoughts
AI search is evolving quickly.
Nobody has every answer; yet.
But one thing is becoming increasingly clear:
Businesses that invest in strong content, topical authority, and user-focused educational resources will continue to perform well — whether discovery happens through Google or through AI assistants.
HubSpot’s new AEO tool provides marketers with a practical way to monitor, analyze, and improve that visibility.
And for organizations already committed to inbound marketing and SEO best practices, AEO becomes less about starting over — and more about leveling up.
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