Measuring AEO looks different than measuring SEO

AI is changing how people find your brand — and that means the way you measure visibility needs to evolve too.

In traditional SEO, success has often been measured by keyword rankings: how high a page appears in search results for a given term. But AI answer engines don’t return ranked lists of links. They generate rewritten answers that may cite multiple sources — or sometimes none at all.

In AEO, there is no single “rank.” Instead, visibility is about presence:

• How often your brand is mentioned
• How accurately it’s described
• How people behave once they land on your site

That shift requires a different measurement mindset — one that looks beyond rankings and focuses on representation, influence, and outcomes.

Watch this video to see how to identify AI-driven traffic in Webflow and use those insights to refine your AEO strategy.

As you watch this video, pay attention to two things: How Webflow identifies traffic coming from AI tools, and how conversion data helps you understand the quality of that traffic (not just volume).

Visit our Webflow Analyze product page for more information if you haven't already signed up for Webflow Analyze.

Key takeaways to keep in mind

After watching the video, a few ideas are worth carrying forward:

• AI traffic is a quality signal, not just a volume metric:  AI-sourced visitors often arrive further along in their decision process, which can change how you think about conversion rates and performance.
• Your top AI referrers show you where you’re already understood:  If one model is consistently sending traffic, it’s a strong indicator that it currently interprets and surfaces your brand well.
• Lack of traffic is also a signal: When an AI system isn’t sending visitors, it highlights where clarity, freshness, or authority may be missing.

To act on these insights, step outside Webflow and interact directly with the models that matter most. Ask the same questions your customers ask — then evaluate how your brand appears, how early it shows up, and how accurately it’s described.

That gap between how you want to be represented and how AI currently represents you is your roadmap for improvement.

One thing to consider

As your AEO practice matures, measurement becomes a feedback loop — not a report.

You’re no longer just asking “How did we perform?”  You’re asking “What does this tell us to do next?”

In AEO, success isn’t defined by where you rank.  It’s defined by how you’re represented — and how effectively your content answers both people and AI.

Ready to wrap up?

Let’s wrap up by reviewing additional AEO resources and end with an optional video about the future of search.