Content Category
AEO, also called GEO, is the work of making sure AI assistants describe your brand accurately. What it is, how it is measured, and what to be careful about.
Why it matters
If buyers get a shortlist from an assistant, a brand that is missing or described wrongly loses consideration before a visit happens.
A venture round at a $1 billion valuation and a suite acquisition, a few months apart in 2026, show AI-answer visibility becoming a product category.
Why it matters
It shows the category is being built into marketing suites and funded as a stand-alone market at the same time, which affects which tools marketers can buy and how long independents will stay independent.
OpenAI's ad pilot began in February 2026. A beta self-serve Ads Manager is open to US businesses, with CPM and CPC buying.
Why it matters
It opens a new paid channel in front of a large AI audience and gives marketers conversion measurement tools comparable to other ad platforms.
