1 million AI mentions in 2 months – how we achieved it with AEO/GEO work

In an earlier SEO case study we already showed the results we achieved for our client in search engine optimisation. Since then, however, Google Search has changed significantly: more and more users come across AI-generated answers, which in many cases appear even before the traditional list of results.

Accordingly, it is no longer enough to focus solely on classic SEO. It is becoming increasingly important for a website to appear in the answers compiled by Google's artificial intelligence. We call this area AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) and, in a broader sense, GEO (Generative Engine Optimization).

Google Search Console recently gained a new report that measures generative AI appearances separately. When we looked at our client's data, even we were surprised by the result: in just two months the system recorded more than 1 million AI mentions.

What are AI Overview and AI Mode?

Google Search no longer simply lists websites. For more and more searches it tries to answer the user's question itself, using artificial intelligence.

AI Overview

AI Overview is an AI-generated summary that appears at the top of the results. Google gathers information from several credible sources and uses it to put together an easy-to-scan answer. The summary usually includes links to the websites the information comes from.

AI Mode

AI Mode goes even further. In effect, it offers a conversational search experience in which users can ask complex questions, refine them and hold a natural dialogue with the search engine.

In this environment it matters even more that a website appears as a credible source for the artificial intelligence.

Search is therefore changing. The question is no longer only what position we hold in Google's results, but also whether we appear in AI-generated answers at all.

A new Search Console feature: generative AI mentions

For a long time, the impact of AI appearances was hard to measure. We knew that Google AI Overview uses content from various websites, but there was no official tool to track this precisely.

Google has now changed this: the new Search Console report shows data from generative AI results separately. Thanks to this, it has finally become visible how often a website appears in AI-generated answers.

This is a milestone in the world of AEO and GEO, as AI presence has become objectively measurable for the first time.

The result: more than 1 million AI mentions in two months

According to the new Search Console report, our client's website received more than 1 million AI mentions in two months.

This means that Google's artificial intelligence found the website's content relevant enough to use or cite it in its AI-generated answers more than a million times.

This is especially remarkable given that the site had already achieved strong SEO results, which clearly shows that a deliberate AEO/GEO strategy built on classic search engine optimisation also works in the AI era.

What did we do differently?

Many people think websites need to be optimised separately for AI. The reality is far more nuanced.

In our experience, Google's artificial intelligence values the same principles that quality SEO is built on:

• comprehensive, professionally credible content;
• a logically structured information architecture;
• a well-designed internal linking network;
• consistent topical coverage;
• clear entities and conceptual relationships;
• continuous content development;
• a high level of professional credibility (E-E-A-T).

So AEO/GEO optimisation is not about placing “AI keywords” on a page. It is much more about making the content of such quality and so well structured that artificial intelligence can use it as a reliable source.

Why does this matter for businesses?

Users' search habits are changing fast. More and more people get their answer straight from AI Overview, and more and more use conversational AI search.

This means that a business's online visibility no longer depends solely on traditional organic results.

One of the most important questions of the coming years will be:

When your customer asks Google's artificial intelligence, will it recommend your company or your competitor?

That is why AEO and GEO are no longer technologies of the future, but a competitive advantage worth building as soon as possible.

AEO instead of SEO? No – SEO + AEO

The question often comes up whether SEO will lose its importance as AI gains ground.

The answer is clearly no.

A good AEO strategy is still built on well-structured SEO. Technical optimisation, content strategy, internal linking, user experience and credibility remain decisive factors.

AI systems do not choose their sources at random either. They favour pages that already demonstrate high quality in traditional search.

Without AEO it is becoming increasingly hard to stand out, but without SEO there is no stable foundation for AEO to build on.

What did we learn from this case study?

This result confirmed what we have been seeing recently: artificial intelligence does not override the principles of search engine optimisation – it takes them to a new level.

Google's AI systems look for credible, professionally sound and well-structured content. Websites built with a deliberate SEO and AEO strategy can gain a significant advantage in the years ahead.

For us, more than 1 million AI mentions in two months is not just an impressive metric, but confirmation that the right strategy can already deliver outstanding results in the world of AI-powered search today.

If you would like to find out how well prepared your website is for the era of AI search, get in touch with us! In an SEO and AEO audit we will show you the opportunities in your site and how you can increase your visibility not only in Google's traditional results, but also in AI-generated answers.