Google VP of Product Robby Stein discusses whether Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) differ from traditional SEO best practices.
“There's these best practices that I think still do largely apply because it's gonna ultimately come down to an AI is doing research and finding information. And a lot of the core signals, is this a good piece of information for the question? They're still valid. They're still extremely valid and extremely useful. And that will produce a response where you're more likely to show up in those experiences.”
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More from Robby Stein
AssertionNot checkable as stated
Stein: AI expands overall search queries without hurting core Google Search
“And what we're finding is that AI is expansionary. And so there's actually just more and more questions being asked and curiosity that can be fulfilled now with AI. And so that's where you get the growth. And so all like the core Google search isn't really cha…”
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“There's kind of this cult of lean, scrappy, fast, throw away your product quickly, keep moving. And I think at some level it's true for internal conviction, but to build a product that works for a lot of people that is based on a techno technological breakthro…”
Robby SteinOct 10, 2025▶ 1:03:19Inside Google's AI turnaround: AI Mode, AI Overviews, and vision for AI-powered search | Robby Stein
AssertionNot checkable as stated
Stein: The biggest shift in Search is users asking long, complex questions
“That's the biggest shift we're seeing people asking real long, hard, complex questions.”
Robby SteinOct 10, 2025▶ 14:44Inside Google's AI turnaround: AI Mode, AI Overviews, and vision for AI-powered search | Robby Stein
Insight
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“I think it's gonna open up a lot of this democratization of accessing these models and building incredible things. Cause you don't even need to do a lot to get the most sophisticated outcomes. Increasingly. I don't think you need to do a lot of this heavy duty…”
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Insight
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“Whenever you try to mix a core product, that's very cemented in someone's mind and physically looks a specific way. And you're trying to make contort it to do something new. It's usually a bad recipe.”
Robby SteinOct 10, 2025▶ 32:20Inside Google's AI turnaround: AI Mode, AI Overviews, and vision for AI-powered search | Robby Stein
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