Just when you were starting to feel comfortable with SEO, here comes AEO—Answer Engine Optimization. If you’ve heard that people are getting found through ChatGPT and started wondering if this is yet another marketing trend you need to master, take a deep breath. In this episode, I’m breaking down exactly what AEO is, how it connects to what you’re already doing with SEO, and why it’s not as overwhelming as it sounds.

You’ll learn how therapists are already getting discovered through AI tools (even without doing anything “fancy”), why specificity in your copy matters more than ever, and what small updates you can make to your website to stay ahead. The good news? If you’ve been following the guidance I’ve shared on this podcast or inside my programs, you’re likely already in great shape.

Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:

1️⃣ Why AEO isn’t a brand-new marketing mountain to climb—and how it builds on your existing SEO efforts

2️⃣ The kind of therapist website copy AI tools are actually looking for (and why general, vague content just won’t cut it)

3️⃣ Five simple, no-overwhelm steps to make your site more findable on tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity

Resources & Links Mentioned:

• Confident Copy: walkerstrategyco.com/confident-copy
• The Walker Strategy Co website: walkerstrategyco.com

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Explore more marketing support for therapists: The Walker Strategy Co website

About Marketing Therapy

Marketing Therapy is the podcast where therapists learn how to market their private practices without burnout, self-doubt, or sleazy tactics. Hosted by marketing coach, strategist, and founder of Walker Strategy Co, each episode brings you clear, grounded advice to help you attract the right-fit, full-fee clients and grow a practice you feel proud of.

Hey there.

2

Welcome back to Marketing Therapy.

3

Just when you thought you were finally

wrapping your head around this whole

4

marketing thing around SEO and websites,

here comes AEO Answer engine optimization.

5

You're hearing people are getting

found on Chat GPT, and all of

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a sudden you're like, awesome.

7

Another marketing acronym.

8

I have to learn another thing on

my plate that I didn't really sign

9

up for, but now have to deal with.

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Here's what I want you to know,

and here's what we're gonna

11

dive into in this episode.

12

AEO is not some brand new

big thing you have to master.

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You don't have to go out

and get a certification.

14

You don't have to learn a

whole separate skillset.

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Okay?

16

Interestingly enough, AEO answer

engine optimization is really just a

17

natural extension of SEO search engine

optimization, the thing you have

18

probably already heard about for years.

19

Clinicians have been talking about

getting found on Google since I

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began serving therapists six years

ago, and certainly far before that.

21

This is something that has

been on therapist radar for

22

years and years and years.

23

I think of AEO answer engine optimization

has SEO's kind of conversational

24

cousin or maybe an older brother

who's just a little more talkative,

25

not an entirely different family.

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Okay.

27

This is good news for you.

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It means that you don't need to go

throwing out everything you've learned

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or totally overhaul your strategy

to your website or your marketing.

30

You simply have to keep building

on what we already know works.

31

So in this episode, I wanna kind of pull

back the curtain and show you what AEO

32

actually is, how it relates to SEO, how

it's different, what you can be doing too.

33

Ultimately rank, not just on Google,

but on Chat GPT, Gemini, perplexity,

34

all of those AI tools as well.

35

We've actually seen signs that Chat

GPT might pull from Google results.

36

Okay?

37

That tells us that SEO still matters.

38

And if your copy was already written

with clarity and specificity and client

39

friendliness in mind, then you are

probably further ahead than you think.

40

Okay, so I hope if nothing

else, this episode is actually

41

rather encouraging for you.

42

So today we're gonna talk about what

AEO actually is, how it works when

43

people are using AI tools to ultimately

find a therapist and some simple

44

steps you can be taking to make sure

your website is optimized for this

45

new kind, this new era of search.

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Like I said, my hope is that by

the end of this episode, you feel

47

encouraged because this shift

does not have to be intimidating.

48

It can actually open up even

more opportunities for the

49

right clients to find you.

50

So what exactly is AEO?

51

Let's start there.

52

AEO stands for answer engine optimization.

53

It's the idea of being findable

when someone goes to an AI tool

54

like Chat, GPT, or Gemini or

perplexity, and asks a question.

55

Now, before we get too far here, let

me clear up one really important thing.

56

AEO is not a formalized system, okay?

57

Unlike SEO, it doesn't have decades

of history or well-documented

58

ranking factors like SEO does.

59

We know a lot about SEO, not

all of it, but a lot of it.

60

AEO, on the other hand, is still emerging.

61

So when people are saying optimize

for AEO, what they're really talking

62

about is how do we make it more likely

that an AI tool will pull from our

63

website when it's generating answers?

64

That's what we're ultimately looking for.

65

Here.

66

I,

67

this is an important distinction

because these tools, Gemini, perplexity,

68

whatever your favorite AI tool is.

69

They aren't inventing

everything from scratch, okay?

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They are pulling heavily from

sources that already exist, okay?

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Google, Bing.

72

Professional directories.

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Webpages that are already indexed, which

means SEO is still the foundation here,

74

because if your site doesn't show up

well in Google or in Bing, it's not going

75

to be very visible to AI tools either.

76

So let's step back a little bit and

also talk about SEO because it's

77

really where AEO starts to connect.

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So, SEO, the traditional getting

found on Google search engine

79

optimization has two primary sides.

80

On one side, it's technical, the

kind of behind the scenes stuff that

81

makes your website function well.

82

Things like, is your website fast enough?

83

Does it load quickly?

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Does it look and load properly on a phone?

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Can Google's bots crawl

it and understand it?

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Is your content tagged correctly so

it knows what each page is about?

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Okay.

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Those are the technical elements,

and all of those things matter

89

because without them, your site might

not even show up in search at all.

90

Google cares that those pieces

are in place because at the end

91

of the day, Google wants to give

its users results that are not

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just accurate, but functional.

93

The website loads, it loads

properly, it loads quickly,

94

all of those kinds of things.

95

But on the other side, we've got content.

96

SEO.

97

This is where your actual words come in.

98

It's about whether your copy is clear

and specific and credible and helpful.

99

You may have heard of Google's

EEAT framework, which is incredibly

100

important, especially for therapists

who are providing a health service.

101

EEAT stands for experience, expertise,

authority, and trustworthiness.

102

So Google is actually reading your

site and deciding, are you experienced?

103

Do you have expertise?

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Do you have authority?

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Can we trust you?

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It's what helps a search engine ultimately

decide, is this a site we should put in

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front of someone who's searching for help?

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Now, here's where AEO

enters the conversation.

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Answer engines like Chat GPT lean much

more heavily on that content side.

110

They care less about your site

speed or your schema markup, or

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any of those technical things.

112

And a lot more about, is the

language here conversational?

113

Does it match the way people

ask questions in real life?

114

Is it specific enough that the model, the

AI tool, can confidently quote from it?

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Does it sound authoritative

and trustworthy?

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Are there signals proving that

authorit and trustworthiness?

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Now this doesn't mean that the technical

stuff doesn't matter because again,

118

these tools are still pulling from

search engines, but it does mean that

119

your copy, the words on the page, carry

even more weight in this new landscape.

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So if we boil it down, SEO is

both technical and content.

121

AEO is primarily content driven and the

two are connected because AEO depends

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on the visibility that SEO provides.

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Is this making sense?

124

So, like I said, if your website is

already clear and specific and written

125

in that natural client friendly

language, you are probably already

126

further ahead than you think you are.

127

That's why so many of our students in

Confident Copy and clients who have gone

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through our Done For You program are

already being found on Chat GPT, even

129

though they didn't explicitly do anything

for ai, they haven't done anything

130

special, but their copy is specific.

131

It is conversational, and that's

what these tools are looking for.

132

So now that we've defined what

AEO is, let's talk about why it

133

matters and also again, why you

don't need to feel intimidated here.

134

Because I know that when new

marketing terms start floating around,

135

it's easy to feel that sense of.

136

Oh no.

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Another thing, another

trend I'm already behind on.

138

I feel that way about reels still.

139

I don't know how to make it reel, but

with AEO, the truth is you aren't behind.

140

If you have been abiding by the

best practices and listening to

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podcasts like this one and guidance

like mine, you probably are already

142

doing a lot of what matters most

because remember, answer engines.

143

Like Chat GPT and Perplexity and Gemini

are not building a whole new internet.

144

They're pulling from the same places

you have already been optimizing for.

145

So if you've invested in your website,

worked on clear copy, been specific

146

about who you help and how you're

probably already ahead of the curve,

147

and here's the even better news.

148

I think a EI is actually a

massive and exciting opportunity

149

for therapists in particular.

150

Why?

151

Because the way people ask

questions in AI tools is so much

152

more specific and human than the

way they usually search on Google.

153

So on Google, someone might type

in therapist near me for anxiety.

154

In Chachi, bt, they might

ask something like, what's a

155

good therapist in Nashville?

156

If I just found out my husband has

been having an emotional affair?

157

Do you feel the difference there?

158

That second question is loaded with

detail and context and emotion,

159

and if your website has content

that speaks directly to situations

160

like that, you are in a much better

position to show up in those answers.

161

It is why I don't want you

to view AEO as a threat.

162

It's actually a chance to be found

more easily by the exact clients

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you love, love, love to work with.

164

We've already seen this

happen with our students.

165

I actually heard just last week that

a former student of ours, a graduate

166

of Confident Copy, Kara, if you're

listening, she mentioned that she's

167

had three clients come to her recently,

all having found her on Chat GPT.

168

Another found for someone

searching for a therapist with

169

a spiritual approach for moms.

170

Pretty specific.

171

Another one for infertility work in

the Bay Area, which is very saturated.

172

Historically, these are not

vague or generic searches, right?

173

Those people, although we don't know

exactly what they typed into Chat

174

GPT, to find those clinicians for, of

course we're likely asking some very

175

specific and very human questions.

176

And because those therapists had clear

niche specific copy, their sites were

177

the ones pulled into chat, gb t's answer.

178

And there's something so

incredibly satisfying about

179

the thought of that, right?

180

That you were just busy writing your

copy, making your website, and then

181

doing your thing and Chat GPT is

realizing, oh my goodness, this is

182

the therapist I should recommend here.

183

So again, the big takeaway here,

AEO is not a replacement of SEO.

184

It's not a brand new

thing you need to learn.

185

It's just an evolution of it.

186

And if you've been focusing on the

clear, specific, trustworthy copy we

187

talk about around here all the time,

this shift is actually in your favor.

188

So let's get really practical here.

189

I gave that example of someone who might

be looking for, support after finding out

190

their husband had an emotional affair.

191

We need to think about what it actually

looks like when a potential client

192

uses an AI tool to find a therapist.

193

Because if you use an ai, you know this,

the way you ask questions in AI is a

194

whole lot different than in Google, right?

195

On Google, you might see

some short clipped searches.

196

Something like therapist near me for

anxiety, like I mentioned, or DBT

197

therapist, Nashville, something like that.

198

But when someone comes to Chat GPT or

Gemini, whatever their favorite tool is,

199

they tend to type in a full sentence,

sometimes even a full paragraph, right?

200

It's more like a conversation.

201

They might say, what's a

good therapist in Nashville?

202

If my kid keeps having emotional outbursts

and I feel like a terrible parent.

203

Or who are the best therapists in Denver

who work with teens with OCD and use ERP?

204

I heard it's really good for OCD,

or I'm looking for a therapist

205

in the Bay Area who can support

me through perimenopause and also

206

understands my cultural background.

207

These are richer, more layered,

more context heavy queries.

208

And so this is where therapists

who have clear and specific copy

209

have such an advantage because if

your website says something like,

210

I work with women navigating the

hormonal and emotional challenges of

211

perimenopause, or I help teens with

OCD using evidence-based ERP therapy,

212

you've just given an AI tool Exactly.

213

The kind of language it

can match to that question.

214

That is why specificity

matters so much right now.

215

And it's funny, as I was preparing

this episode, I was reflecting on how

216

often specificity has come up as a

theme in what I'm seeing work in the

217

marketplace and so beyond AI specificity

is serving clinicians so well in

218

every area of their marketing, and

here is just another example of that.

219

Now, please know this doesn't mean

you have to predict every single query

220

anyone's ever gonna have word for word.

221

Of course not that would be

unrealistic, but it is making sure

222

that your website mirrors the natural

real world ways people are talking

223

about what they're going through.

224

It's also a reason why having those

niche focused specialty pages is going

225

to be so incredibly powerful for you.

226

Because when someone asks a question

that's layered with detail, location,

227

and life situation, modality,

maybe, or identity, your page can

228

be the one that gets pulled in.

229

If it is the most specific

and the most relevant.

230

It is really cool 'cause

this is something we've been

231

teaching for a long time, right?

232

Right.

233

In the language your clients are

actually using, not in clinical jargon,

234

not in abstract concepts, not in vague

generalities, and now all of a sudden

235

that same skill, the one that helps

you connect with clients directly on

236

your website is also what's helping get

you pulled into AI answers right now.

237

So let's talk about what you can actually

do to make your website more AI friendly.

238

Okay.

239

The first big principle, like I

mentioned earlier, is specificity.

240

The more specific your copy is,

the more likely it is to be pulled

241

into an AI generated answer.

242

It's why I have always emphasized

really laser-focused specialty pages.

243

If your anxiety page, for instance,

there are thousands of anxiety

244

pages in every city right now.

245

If your anxiety page is just a

generic description of symptoms,

246

you are not going to stand out.

247

But if your anxiety page is written for

moms primarily, for example, then you

248

should be talking about how does anxiety

show up when I'm caring for a newborn?

249

Or why do I feel more anxious

now that I've gone back to

250

work after maternity leave?

251

That level of detail is what makes your

copy useful for an AI tool, because the

252

other one, what does anxiety feel like?

253

Something general like that

is a dime a dozen right?

254

Now,

255

here's the second thing,

conversational answers.

256

This is not the place to be

stiff or overly clinical.

257

It never is, but especially

when you're answering questions

258

in places like your FAQ.

259

Write like you would explain it to a real

person sitting in your office right now.

260

For example, instead of perinatal anxiety

is often characterized by intrusive

261

thoughts and heightened arousal states.

262

You might say.

263

Many new moms find themselves lying awake

at night worrying about their baby's

264

safety, despite being exhausted, even when

everything is fine, that constant worry

265

can feel exhausting and overwhelming.

266

See the difference.

267

It's human, right?

268

It sounds like the way your client

would ask and you would want to answer.

269

The third principle here is credibility.

270

AI tools are not going to give just

anyone's website in their answers.

271

They are looking for trustworthy sources.

272

That means it's worth highlighting

your training, your modalities,

273

your professional expertise.

274

But always in plain language, your

clients can actually understand.

275

And when possible, don't just answer the

question, guide the reader to a next step.

276

So if we're keeping this perinatal

example, if you are answering that

277

question on your website, maybe

you end that answer with, if you

278

are noticing these patterns and

want support in breaking out of

279

them, I'd love to talk with you.

280

Schedule a free consult here

and link to your contact page.

281

One other just kind of practical thing.

282

Make sure your site is

well optimized for Bing.

283

Now, who uses Bing?

284

I sure don't, and I don't actually

know anyone that does, but we do know

285

that Chat GPT in particular pulls

directly from Bing search results.

286

So make sure your indexed there.

287

It's pretty straightforward

and very similar to Google,

288

but just an extra tip for you.

289

Alright, so suggestions on

how to adjust your copy.

290

Get incredibly specific with it.

291

Build out robust FAQ sections

on each of your specialty pages.

292

Really, really niche specific.

293

Keep your answers conversational and

authoritative, and as always, write in the

294

language your clients are actually using.

295

If you do these things, you're gonna

be in a strong position, not just for

296

Google, because these are all SEO best

practices, but also for those AI tools.

297

All right, so if you're listening

to all of this and wondering, okay,

298

Anna, you've given me a lot here.

299

Where do I start?

300

Here's what I recommend.

301

Step one, take a deep breath.

302

You are not behind right now.

303

If you have been following even the basics

of what I teach around Walker Strategy Co.

304

Whether that is the podcast

or free trainings one of our

305

programs, you are already in good

position for both SEO and AEO.

306

Okay?

307

Take a deep breath.

308

You're doing good.

309

Step two, start with your specialty pages.

310

These are the heart of your website when

it comes to how conversion friendly it is.

311

So go back and make sure each

one is crystal clear about

312

who it's for and what specific

struggles you can help with there.

313

Okay?

314

Remember, specificity is the name

of the game, and then step three, I

315

want you to add or refresh your FAQs.

316

We always add FAQs to the

bottom of specialty pages.

317

We've been doing that ever since I started

writing copy for clinicians six years

318

ago, and today it's honestly the lowest

hanging fruit when it comes to AEO.

319

So I want you to think about the actual

questions your clients might type into

320

an AI tool about that specialty, and

then answer those in that conversational

321

authoritative language offering

that next step when appropriate.

322

So if your specialty page is about OCD.

323

Don't just have a general

FAQ, like what is OCD?

324

I want you to go deeper.

325

Why do I feel like I have to check

the locks on my door over and over?

326

Can OCD get worse after having a baby?

327

Okay.

328

Those are the kinds of things AI engines

are going to recognize as useful are.

329

Step four, make sure your site

is technically healthy, okay?

330

Remember that AI tools are still

pulling from Google and Bing,

331

so things like indexing and

site performance still matter.

332

And then step five, keep it simple, okay?

333

Mm-hmm.

334

You don't need to overhaul

your whole site overnight.

335

Start by adding those one or two

specific, really juicy FAQs to

336

each specialty page, and that alone

can serve you really, really well.

337

Deep breath, specialty pages,

FAQs, technical basics, and

338

then keep building from there.

339

You can do this.

340

AEO isn't something to fear.

341

It's not another marketing

burden you have to carry.

342

It is simply an evolution of

the same fundamentals that

343

already matter and always have

clear, specific, credible copy.

344

If your website right now is already

speaking directly to your ideal clients

345

in the language they actually use, then

you are already on the right track.

346

You are already.

347

Answer engine optimized, or

at least on your way there.

348

Again, it's why so many of

our students are already being

349

found in Chat GPT searches.

350

So instead of looking at AEO as one more

thing to learn, or intimidating or bad

351

for you, I want you to see it as a huge

opportunity and also as encouragement.

352

Encouragement to keep writing

in a way that's human.

353

And it is grounded in what your clients

are truly searching for when they

354

go looking for a therapist like you.

355

Of course, if you're ready for support

with that, this is exactly what we do in

356

Confident Copy, which is open year round.

357

You can get all the details,

walkerstrategyco.com/confident-copy.

358

It's that program where

we're gonna take your niche.

359

We're gonna take your expertise, your

vision for your practice, and we're

360

gonna turn it into website copy.

361

That helps you get found and helps you

get on those consult calls where people

362

said, I found you on Chat GPT, and then

I read your website and I know you're

363

the therapist I want to work with.

364

Because your words matter more

than they ever have, and with the

365

right strategy behind them, they

can carry you further than ever.

366

Thanks for being here today.

367

I'll see you in the next episode.