What Does AEO Mean and Why Should Microsoft Dynamics Partners Care?

One of my ERP Software Blog members recently asked me, “What is AEO?”

AEO is new and stands for “Answer Engine Optimization”. After all, Microsoft is not the ONLY one that loves its acronyms.

If you feel like marketers casually toss around AEO, SEO, EEAT, SEM, LLM and expect everyone to just nod along, you are not alone.

Instead of pretending we all know what these mean, let’s unpack the new alphabet soup together, in plain English, with Microsoft Dynamics examples.

What is AEO? Answer Engine Optimization

AEO is the new star of the show. If SEO helped you get found by search engines, AEO helps you get found by AI tools like ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, and Perplexity.

Instead of chasing keywords, AEO focuses on:

• Answering real questions clearly

• Using natural language

• Structuring content so AI tools can easily interpret it

For Microsoft Dynamics partners, this is good news. You don’t need a huge SEO budget. You just need to explain things well. If you publish clear answers like “How Much Does Dynamics 365 BC cost” or “How Do I Do Multi-Entity Management in Dynamics 365?”, you can show up in AI answers, even if you’re a small partner.

You can also just say “AI Search” if you want to make life easier.

What is SEO? Search Engine Optimization

The original, the classic, the reason marketers have been busy for 20 years. SEO helps you rank in Google’s traditional blue link results. It revolves around:

• Keywords

• Title tags

• Meta descriptions

• Backlinks

• Page structure

Just like GP, SEO is not dead!  It still matters, but it no longer gets all the attention. Today, customers may begin their research in Google or Copilot or ChatGPT.

What is SEM? Search Engine Marketing

SEM is simply paid visibility in search engines. Things like:

• Google Ads

• Pay per click campaigns

If SEO is “earn your ranking,” SEM is “rent your ranking with a credit card.”

Is there AI Search Equivalent to SEM?

AI tools do not (yet) sell ads inside answers, so there is no Pay Per Click equivalent. But I bet it won’t be long…

What is EEAT? Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness

Originally from Google’s quality guidelines, EEAT matters in AI search too because LLMs prefer content that looks credible and helpful.

For Dynamics partners, EEAT is reflected in:

• Case studies

• How to posts

• Real examples based on your experience

• Clear author bios and author pages

Is there an AI Equivalent to EEAT?

While there is no official acronym, researchers often reference the qualities LLMs value most as:

AET - Authority, Evidence, Transparency

• Authority: Are you clearly knowledgeable?

• Evidence: Do you explain, illustrate, or demonstrate your points?

• Transparency: Is your content clear, structured, and honest

• Helpful content performs well across all channels, including AI.

If you are wondering, hasn’t this always been true? Yes. Helpful content always wins.

What is LLM? Large Language Model

This is the technology behind ChatGPT, Copilot, and other AI tools.

LLMs learn from reading huge amounts of text, and they prefer:

• Clean, simple language

• Structure (headings, bullets)

• Clear answers

• Consistent terminology

This is exactly why AEO matters: you’re helping LLMs “understand” your content.

What is SERP?

This is the classic Google results page, the one SEO has been chasing for decades.

But with AI Overviews and AI chat tools answering questions directly, SERPs are no longer the only place your prospects look for information.

Is there an AI Equivalent of a SERP?

AI doesn’t use pages of links, so we don’t have a direct match.

But the closest equivalents are:

AEO Result

The answer an AI tool produces that references your content, your product, or your expertise. This is functionally the new “top ranking.”

AI Answer Surface

Where the AI answer appears, such as:

• ChatGPT responses

• Copilot chat windows

• Gemini outputs

• Perplexity answer panels

• Google’s AI Overviews

This is the AI world’s version of being “above the fold.”

What is GEO? Generative Engine Optimization

You might hear this occasionally. A few marketers (especially outside mainstream circles) sometimes use GEO to mean “Generative Engine Optimization.”

But to be clear:

It is NOT a standard acronym. AEO is the accepted, widely used term.

So let’s stick with AEO within our Microsoft Dynamics channel and try not to confuse everyone.

Why Does This Matter For Microsoft Dynamics Partners?

You don’t need to memorize every acronym or become an AI expert overnight. What really matters is understanding the shift: your future customers aren’t just searching anymore, they’re asking. And whether they ask Google, Copilot, ChatGPT, or Perplexity, the partners who consistently publish clear, helpful content will be the ones who get recommended.

This is exactly why publishing your content on the ERP Software Blog and CRM Software Blog is more important than ever.

When you publish on a high authority site with tens of thousands of monthly visitors, strong backlink profiles, and years of trusted Dynamics content, you give both search engines and AI tools more opportunities to find you.

Your articles help:

• Build your authority across EEAT and AET signals

• Strengthen your SEO through high quality backlinks (yes, that still matters)

• Improve your AEO visibility because AI tools love credible, established industry-specific sites featuring real experts.

• Expand your reach beyond your own website to a much wider Dynamics audience

In other words, posting on ERP/CRM Software Blog doesn’t just help you show up on Google. It helps you show up in the AI results where your next customer may already be looking.

If you want more visibility in a world shifting rapidly toward AI driven search, publishing your expertise on ERP/CRM Software Blog is one of the simplest and most effective places to start.

It was true in 2009 when we all cared about SEO (and GP), and it is true now when we all care about AEO.

By Anya Ciecierski, ERP/CRM Software Blog Co-Founder