Answer Engine Optimization: Why ChatGPT Beats Twitter

Why Answer Engine Optimization Changes Everything

This is Ethan Smith - Graphite CEO, SEO expert since 2007 - explaining the new frontier of Answer Engine Optimization. ChatGPT is now driving more traffic to Lenny's newsletter than Twitter. That's not a typo.

"6x conversion rate from LLM traffic vs Google search." Webflow data shows people arriving from ChatGPT recommendations convert dramatically better. The hypothesis: multiple follow-up questions build deep intent. When you finally click through, you're highly qualified.

"Getting mentioned most often beats ranking first." This is the key difference from SEO. If Webflow ranks #1 in citations but only appears once, they lose to whoever gets mentioned across multiple sources. The LLM summarizes many citations - winning means showing up everywhere.

Reddit is citation gold - and spam-resistant. The obvious growth hack: create 100 fake accounts, auto-post, like your own comments. It doesn't work. Reddit's community moderation is too good. What works: real people, say who you are, say where you work, give useful information. Even 5 authentic comments can move the needle.

Early-stage companies can win immediately. Traditional SEO requires domain authority (series A/B timing). AEO doesn't. A YC company launches, everyone talks about them, they show up in answers tomorrow. Get mentioned by citations and you rank. The barrier to entry collapsed.

The tail is much longer. Average ChatGPT prompt: 25 words. Average Google search: 6 words. There are questions that have never been searched before - too specific for Google - that are now being asked in chat. The longtail SEO from 2007 is back, just in a different form.

10 Rules for Winning at AI-Powered Search

• 6x conversion rate - LLM traffic vs Google search (Webflow data)
• ChatGPT > Twitter for traffic - Lenny's newsletter real example
• Mention frequency > ranking - Show up in many citations, not just #1
• Reddit is citation gold - Authentic comments from real people; 5 can work
• Spam doesn't work - Reddit moderation catches fake accounts
• Early-stage can win now - No domain authority needed; immediate impact
• 25-word prompts vs 6 - Longtail questions much larger in chat
• YouTube videos work well - Highly cited in LLMs
• Dot Dash Meredith - Most cited publisher; Good Housekeeping, Investopedia
• "Please don't spam my product" - OpenAI's real message behind "just write quality"

What AEO Means for Startup Discovery

ChatGPT now drives more traffic to Lenny's newsletter than Twitter - and converts 6x better. A new discipline is emerging: Answer Engine Optimization. Unlike SEO, domain authority doesn't matter - early-stage startups can rank immediately. The companies that understand this first will capture the discovery layer of AI.