Ranking on Google is no longer the only goal. Today, users ask questions directly to ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Perplexity, and Gemini. These platforms don’t simply display links — they generate answers and cite sources.
The real question for modern organizations is no longer:
“Do we rank?”
Nowadays It is:
“Are we the source AI engines choose to reference?”
To explore this shift, we’ll use SitecoreAI and run the AEO/SEO Researcher on a real-world website, the Golden Gate Bridge Site: https://www.goldengate.org
What Is the AEO/SEO Researcher?
The SitecoreAI AEO/SEO Researcher is an advanced audit agent designed to evaluate website performance across both:
- Traditional SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
- Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)
It assesses how well a website performs in:
- Google rankings
- AI-powered search platforms
- Semantic understanding
- Structured data readiness
- E-E-A-T signals (Experience, Expertise, Authority, Trust)
- AI citation likelihood
The output is not just a score, it’s a prioritized roadmap for improving visibility in both traditional search engines and AI-driven answer systems.
Find additional information: Sitecore AEO/SEO agent documentation
How We Ran the AEO/SEO Researcher in Sitecore AI
Running the audit is straightforward and can be completed in just a few steps:
Step 1: Log in to the Sitecore Cloud Portal
Access your Sitecore AI environment using your credentials
Step 2: Select the AEO/SEO Researcher
From the main navigation, go to Agentic > See all Agents > AEO/SEO Researcher
Click “Run agent”
Step 3: Run the Agent
In the URL field, enter the full page URL you want to analyze and click Start
The agent then:
- Crawls and evaluates the page
- Analyzes SEO structure
- Reviews semantic clarity
- Assesses E-E-A-T signals
- Calculates AI citation readiness
- Generates a structured report
When the process completes, the full audit appears in the main panel with detailed scoring and prioritized recommendations.
If you click the expand button, you’ll see detailed information.
Finally you get the recommendations
Furthermore you can download or copy the audit report in json format.
Strategic Conclusion
The audit of goldengate.org reveals something critical:
A well-designed, content-rich website can still underperform in AI visibility if it lacks:
- Structured data
- Clear semantic architecture
- Explicit authorship and expertise signals
- Complete metadata
Search is no longer just about rankings.
It’s about context, authority, and extractability.
Organizations that optimize for both SEO and AEO will not only rank — they will be quoted.
Ready to Evaluate Your Website?
If your organization depends on digital visibility, it’s time to assess your AI readiness as well.
We can help you:
- Run the AEO/SEO Researcher on your key pages
- Interpret results strategically
- Implement technical and content optimizations
- Increase your likelihood of AI citation
Let’s talk about how your website can rise in Google rankings and lead the conversation in the era of AI-powered search.
