Etna Interactive
Building answer engine optimization into a live channel before the category had a name.
Search returns a list you compete on. Answer engines return one synthesis you either appear inside or you don't. That is a different unit of competition, and it needed a different content shape, a different measurement model and a different sell to clients.
Where things stood
Clients were starting to ask why their brand didn't show up when their customers asked ChatGPT or Perplexity, and traditional SEO reporting had no answer. There was no established playbook for measuring or building toward inclusion in an AI-generated answer.
The call
The obvious move was to treat this as an SEO variant and layer it into existing reporting. I didn't do that. Answer engines synthesize a single response instead of ranking a list, which meant the content had to be structured for extraction and citation rather than for ranking, and the measurement had to track presence inside answers rather than position on a page.
What got built
- Defined AEO and GEO as a distinct discipline internally, separate from traditional SEO reporting
- Built a content shape suited to extraction and citation by AI answer engines
- Built a new measurement framework for tracking answer presence rather than page ranking
- Repositioned the offering for client-facing sales conversations
Scope
Chief Marketing Officer. Owned strategy, measurement framework and client-facing positioning. Execution through SEO and content teams.