The eCom Mafia WhatsApp community recently lit up with a deep discussion on Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) - a rising topic among digital marketers. The debate opened with Raed Abdul Majid asking, “How important is AEO compared to SEO for clients?”

What followed was a masterclass from Kerala’s leading SEO minds - Abhinav Krishna (The SEO Central), Prasad Karthik (Organic Growth Mastery), Hashim Pakara (LinkedIn), and Bincy MB (Data Roots Tech).

AEO Is Built on the Foundation of Good SEO

Abhinav Krishna explained that AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) isn’t separate from SEO - it’s built on top of it. “The base of AEO and GEO or any new term is just good SEO,” he said.

However, as Prasad Karthik pointed out, AI-driven search engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini don’t work the same way as Google’s traditional index-based model. AI uses statistical models to predict answers rather than retrieve them from an index - meaning semantic SEO and entity-based optimization are key for future-proof strategies.

Entity SEO and the Rise of AI Search

Prasad elaborated that Entity SEO - optimizing content around clearly defined entities (brands, people, places, and concepts) - is the foundation of AEO. Since AI models rely on co-occurrence and context, brands must establish strong digital identities.

As he humorously explained in Malayalam, “If an AI sees someone frequently at the Secretariat, it assumes he works there.” Likewise, if your brand keeps appearing in the same context online, AI will confidently categorize it - right or wrong.

That’s why, he said, clarity and consistency are vital: “Create an ‘entity home’ for your brand - your website or LinkedIn page that clearly defines who you are and what you do.”

Brand Citations and Co-Occurrences Matter

Hashim Pakara emphasized the value of citations and directory listings:

“Be it by accident or confidence, we must make our brand get cited and ranked for our target services or products.”

This ties into AEO’s emphasis on brand presence across platforms - social media, directories, and niche communities all contribute to entity recognition and authority.

AI Hallucinations and the Importance of Verification

Adding to the discussion, Bincy MB from Data Roots Tech warned about AI hallucination - when large language models confidently generate false information. She cited examples of AI fabricating offices or team details for non-existent companies.

Prasad shared a similar experience: “They even created a website that never existed and gave me an SEO audit report for it!”

This highlights the importance of monitoring and verifying your brand presence online, especially as AI systems increasingly shape how people discover businesses.

The Future: Beyond Keywords

As Prasad summarized, “If AI search wins, it will be the end of the keyword era.”
Instead of keyword stuffing, businesses will need context-rich, semantically clear, and entity-driven content to rank on AI search and answer engines like Google’s SGE, ChatGPT, and Perplexity.ai.

Key Takeaways for Marketers

• AEO builds on SEO, not replaces it.

• Entity clarity and semantic context drive visibility in AI-powered search.

• Consistent citations across web directories and social platforms boost authority.

• Verify your brand presence to avoid misinformation from AI systems.

• The keyword era is fading - the future belongs to contextual, structured content.

This post is supported by FixMyStore.com - experts in optimizing Shopify stores for speed, conversion, and performance.

Contributors:

• Prasad Karthik - Founder, Organic Growth Mastery

• Abhinav Krishna - Founder, The SEO Central

• Bincy MB - Co-Founder, Data Roots Tech

• Hashim Pakara - Freelance SEO Writer