How to optimize for AEO (or GEO) in 2027

2026 was a very dynamic year, with huge changes in how AI chatbots recommend brands and twice as many Google updates as in 2025.

In this article, I’ll share my perspective on what will work in 2027 and where you should invest to increase your brand’s visibility in AI search.

My top 5 predictions for 2027

My first prediction is that getting your brand mentioned in articles that already get traffic will remain a major factor for appearing in Google AI Overviews.

According to an Ahrefs study, 38% of AI citations come from pages that rank in Google’s top 10 results.

I think this will remain important for getting mentioned in AI Overviews. The ratio might change, but it will still be very significant.

So, simply put, if you want to get more customers from Google AI Overviews, you will still need to rank in Google first, using traditional SEO.

The second one is that self-promotional listicles published on your own website will stop working. 

Publishing an article targeting bottom-of-the-funnel keywords like “best CRM for small businesses” and putting your own brand at number one worked well in 2025.

It started losing power in 2026, and I think it will stop working in 2027.

In fact, it may even help your competitors win in AI search.

Your article can be used as a source, while your brand gets skipped and your competitors get recommended instead.

Lily Ray first found this in June 2026, and I think AI systems will get even better at identifying self-promotional listicles.

So, simply put, don’t make self-promotional listicles the center of your website’s content strategy.

However, there are a few tactics that work right now and will work even better in 2027.

I’ll be sharing them in upcoming videos, so make sure to subscribe to this channel so you don’t miss them.

The third one is that Reddit and YouTube will become the most cited sources on ChatGPT again and continue to play a massive role across Google’s products.

With Google, the situation is pretty simple. They own YouTube and have a partnership agreement with Reddit.

Both platforms also fit perfectly with Google’s strategy of using diverse sources, with video and user-generated content playing a key role.

ChatGPT reduced citations from both Reddit and YouTube in August 2026, but I think this will reverse in 2027 for two reasons:

First, we have seen this before. Citations from both platforms dropped in January 2026 and then skyrocketed again in May.

Second, few platforms provide information as useful as Reddit and YouTube. Other social platforms either don’t offer the same quality of information or don’t provide full access to it.

Simply put, keep growing your subreddit and YouTube channel, and increase the number of brand mentions aligned with your positioning on both platforms.

The fourth one is that review platforms will become increasingly important sources for AI chatbots.

 Platforms like Trustpilot, Google Business Profile and Yelp are full of real user reviews. That is unique information AI platforms need, and people love reading it.

There are also niche review platforms, like G2 for business software or HomeAdvisor for local home services.

Not every review platform has enough data for AI companies to strike a deal with them. But some of the big ones will likely partner with OpenAI, and Google will start using more information from Google Business Profiles reviews.

Simply put: get as many reviews from your customers as you can and encourage them to mention your competitive advantages, so AI platforms highlight them when they describe your company.

Last but not least is that content freshness and proper structure will remain extremely important for AI visibility.

Fresher and frequently updated pages tend to perform better on AI platforms in 2026, and I don’t see that changing in 2027.

Updating your numbers and facts, adding or changing quotes, and refreshing or adding images at least once every quarter is usually enough to keep content up to date.

As for structure, the same elements will still matter for AI visibility.

First, each paragraph should make sense on its own, while still connecting logically to the rest of the article.

Second, put your main answer near the top. The beginning of each section and the conclusion tend to carry more weight. So include the direct answer in your introduction, your conclusion, and the first sentence of each paragraph.

Third, keep each section around 150 words. This makes it easier for AI systems to understand and extract information. It doesn’t mean every section needs to be short. You can also use tables and bullet points to break up longer sections.

And finally, add FAQs.

Add FAQs to every page where they make sense. AI platforms often pull information straight from the FAQ section, and I think they will continue doing it in 2027.