As answer engine optimisation (AEO) gains momentum, we're hearing a recurring question from travel brands: "Should we shift our budget from SEO to AEO?" The short answer is no. The slightly longer answer? Both disciplines are essential – they serve different purposes, and the smartest travel brands are learning to balance them strategically.
While AEO represents the future of search visibility, SEO still drives the majority of discoverable web traffic today. The key is understanding where each discipline excels, how they complement each other, and how to allocate your resources to maximise both immediate returns and long-term positioning.
Understanding the fundamental differences
The core distinction between SEO and AEO lies in their end goals and how success is measured.
SEO optimises for discovery and clicks. Your goal is to appear in search engine results pages and convince users to click through to your website. Success is measured in rankings, impressions, click-through rates, and ultimately, the traffic that lands on your site. When someone searches "best safari lodges in Tanzania," SEO aims to get your listing on page one so they click through to explore your property.
AEO optimises for inclusion and trust. Your goal is to have AI models cite your brand inside the answers they generate, whether or not users ever click through. Success is measured in how often your brand appears in AI-generated responses, entity recognition strength, and the quality of traffic that does eventually reach you. When someone asks ChatGPT, "Where should I stay in Tanzania for an authentic safari experience?", AEO aims to have your lodge mentioned in the answer.
These fundamental differences mean they require different content approaches, technical implementations, and measurement frameworks. But critically, they're not mutually exclusive.
Where SEO still dominates
Despite the rise of AI search tools, traditional search engines are still a key channel for travel discovery and research. Google processes billions of travel-related searches, and the vast majority of travel bookings still begin with a traditional search query.
SEO excels in several specific areas that remain crucial for travel brands:
High-intent transactional searches
When travellers are ready to book, they often turn to Google with specific queries like "book safari lodge Serengeti December 2026" or "Tanzania luxury lodge availability." These bottom-of-funnel searches drive direct bookings, and SEO is still the primary way to capture this traffic.
Local and map-based searches
Google Maps and local search results are critical for travel businesses, particularly hotels, restaurants, and tour operators. When travellers search "hotels near me" or "things to do in Cape Town”, they're using traditional search infrastructure. Your Google Business Profile and local SEO signals determine whether you appear in these crucial map results.
Visual search and Google Images
Travellers exploring destinations often use Google Images to browse accommodation options, scenic views, and experiences. Image SEO (proper file naming, alt text, and contextual relevance) ensures your property appears in these visual searches.
Long-tail niche searches
For very specific queries where limited content exists, traditional search still delivers the most comprehensive results. Queries like "wheelchair accessible lodges Kruger National Park" or "vegan-friendly safari camps Botswana" often perform better in traditional search than AI answers, which may lack sufficient training data on highly specialised topics.
Where AEO is already winning
AI-powered search is rapidly gaining ground in specific use cases where travellers want synthesised answers rather than link lists.
Scenario-based trip planning
When travellers ask complex, multi-variable questions like "Where should I go in South Africa if I want both safari and beach, have 10 days, and want to avoid crowds?", AI tools excel at synthesising information across multiple sources to provide contextual recommendations. AEO ensures your brand is included in these answers.
Comparative research
Questions like "Is Botswana or Tanzania better for first-time safari-goers?" or "Should I visit Bali in July or September?" are increasingly asked to AI tools. AEO positions your brand as the authority when AI systems compile comparative answers.
Budget and logistics planning
AI assistants are particularly effective at answering questions about costs, timing, and logistics: "What's a realistic budget for a week in Kenya?" or "How much time do I need between landing in Johannesburg and my connecting flight to Kruger?" AEO ensures your content informs these answers.
Natural language FAQs
When travellers ask conversational questions like "Do I need malaria tablets for Tanzania?" or "What should I pack for a winter safari?", AI tools pull from the most authoritative, well-structured content. AEO optimisation makes your content the source that AI systems cite.
Where both disciplines overlap
Many best practices benefit both SEO and AEO simultaneously:
Authority
High-quality, authoritative content that demonstrates expertise, experience, and trustworthiness ranks well in traditional search and gets cited by AI systems.
Technical health
Technical excellence, like fast page speeds, mobile optimisation, clean site architecture, and HTTPS security signals quality to both search engines and AI crawlers.
Structured data
Structured data implementation helps search engines understand your content for rich results while providing AI systems with the machine-readable context they need to confidently cite your brand.
Entity signals
Strong entity signals, including consistent contact information across the web, robust Google Business Profile, and quality backlinks, build authority that benefits both traditional rankings and AI trust.
Content
User-focused content that genuinely answers traveller questions performs well in both search results and AI-generated answers.
This overlap means you're not choosing between two separate strategies. The foundational work you do for one typically strengthens the other.
How to balance your resources
The right balance between SEO and AEO depends on your brand's specific situation: your current visibility, your target audience's search behaviour, your competitive landscape, and your budget constraints.
When deciding how much effort to put into either, you need to consider all your resources: finances, people, and operational capacity.
For established brands with strong existing SEO
You likely have solid traditional search visibility and consistent organic traffic. This is a great time to begin layering in AEO without abandoning what's already working.
Focus the majority (around 70-80%) of your efforts on maintaining and incrementally improving your SEO foundation, while dedicating the rest to building AEO capabilities. Focus your AEO efforts on implementing structured data, strengthening entity signals, and restructuring your best-performing content to answer scenario-based questions.
For newer brands building from scratch
You have the advantage of building correctly from the start. Unlike more established brands, you can more equally split your resources. Consider allocating around 60% to SEO fundamentals. This is because you need traffic now, and traditional search still delivers the most consistent results. Dedicate the rest to AEO infrastructure. This means building structured data into your site from day one, creating content that serves both traditional and AI search, and establishing strong entity signals across platforms simultaneously.
For brands in highly competitive markets
If you're struggling to break into page one for your primary keywords, AEO offers an opportunity to gain visibility through a less saturated channel. Consider a 50-50 split: continue investing in SEO to remain competitive while aggressively pursuing AEO to capture travellers who bypass traditional search entirely. This dual approach increases your total addressable visibility.
For brands with limited resources
Focus on the overlapping best practices first. Invest in high-quality content, technical excellence, structured data, and entity consistency. These foundational elements improve both your SEO and AEO performance simultaneously, giving you the most impact per pound or dollar spent.
Looking forward
The bottom line is that travel brands cannot rely on SEO alone, but AEO without SEO won’t work either. Brands that build comprehensive search strategies encompassing both traditional and AI-powered discovery will find the most success.
The good news is that there are ways to achieve this, no matter how big or small your budget is, or how large your team is. If you're unsure how to allocate your resources between SEO and AEO, or if you want help implementing both effectively, an agency like Boost Brands can build a roadmap that makes sense for your brand's specific situation and goals.
Ready to grow your visibility across both SEO and AI search? Let’s build a strategy that helps your travel brand get found everywhere travellers look. Contact Boost Brands today.
