Answer Engine Optimization 101: Making Your Organization the Answer in The Age of AI Search

We won’t mince words: AI-powered search changes everything. As more people turn to “answer engines” like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s AI overviews and AI mode, traffic to actual websites is plummeting – and nonprofits are no exception. Suddenly we have a “great divergence” between interest and traffic: even as more people ask Google and AI tools about your organization and issues, fewer of them are landing on your site where you can turn curiosity into action.

This shift is a threat to your digital fundraising and advocacy—but also an opportunity to meet your audiences where they are. Answer Engine Optimization (AEO), growing out of Search Engine Optimization (SEO), is about making sure your organization shows up, gets cited, and earns trust in AI-driven responses – even as organic search transforms month-to-month and week-to-week.

In this session, M+R’s AEO lead and the content strategy team from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center’s Giving team will break down the basics of how nonprofits can: monitor and measure the impact of AI search, track their brand visibility in answer engines, create content that AI can’t ignore, and integrate AI search best practices with their paid search, brand awareness and broader fundraising program.

Participants will learn the latest information about this emerging field, and walk away with clear steps to keep their organizations visible, relevant, and well-positioned to convert interest into support – even as search transforms how donors learn about their organization and their issue.