AEO Survey Results: How Marketers are Adapting to Answer Engine Optimization and AI-Driven Search

A new survey reveals that while half of all marketers are extremely or very familiar with Answer Engine Optimization (AEO), many are still in the early stages of adoption. A significant 69% of respondents believe AEO will have a very significant or significant impact on how their brand is discovered online within the next 1-3 years. While 20% have implemented an AEO strategy and 39% are actively working on one, significant barriers to adoption remain, including budget constraints (45%) and a lack of internal expertise (40%). This push toward AEO is underscored by the 52% of marketers who report a decline in web traffic from search engines. As a result, 93% believe a strong AEO strategy is critical to engaging digital native customers , with 53% stating they are very or completely likely to invest in AEO-focused tools or partners within the next 12 months.