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One of the biggest areas of focus for marketers in 2025 has been the rise of referral traffic from AI tools to websites. The process of making your website relevant to the platforms has become to be known as Answer Engine Optimization (AEO).

So, What is AEO?

AEO is a content strategy focused on ensuring your business provides clear, direct answers to user questions, especially for AI-driven tools like ChatGPT. Think of AEO as a preventative wellness plan for your digital strategy, ensuring your answers reach clients directly when they ask questions to large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT and Gemini.
 
While traditional and local SEO builds a general foundation of health (like medical), think of AEO as a high value ancillary product that targets the specific queries potential new clients have. To improve your visibility and drive quality referral traffic, focus your efforts on enhancing or creating a presence on these third-party platforms that heavily influence AI prompt results:

• Quora: Provide clear, authoritative answers to questions about insurance policies and coverage.
• Google Business Page: Make sure you claim or create your Google My Business Page to showcase your product offering and associate your business with your local Geo market. Encourage reviews from happy clients to cement your agency as a top option for health insurance in your city.
• Reddit: Engage in relevant subreddits (like r/insurance) to build trust and demonstrate expertise.
• Industry Forums & Blogs: Contribute insightful comments and posts on specialized insurance and financial planning sites.

By establishing your authority on these sites, you directly influence the information AI models use, positioning your brokerage as the definitive source.

 

Why AEO Matters for Insurance Brokers

AI platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Perplexity are reshaping how users find information. Check out these receipts:

• In June 2025 alone, AI platforms generated over 1.13 billion referrals to the top 1,000 websites globally, marking a 357% year-over-year increase.
• ChatGPT currently dominates market share in this space, accounting for over 80% of these referrals.
• However, the focus is shifting from direct clicks to visibility and brand mentions.
• Referral traffic from LLMs grew by 65% year-to-date in 2025.

For insurance brokers, this means prioritizing platforms where LLMs source their data. As mentioned earlier, sites like Quora, Reddit, and insurance industry-specific forums can significantly enhance your agency’s digital presence by sending a new stream of qualified traffic to your website.

AEO vs. SEO: A Strategic Comparison for Insurance Professionals

The chart below provides an analysis of Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) and Search Engine Optimization (SEO), highlighting the strategic distinctions essential for modern digital marketing.
 

Feature	Search Engine Optimization (SEO)	Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)
Primary Goal	To achieve high rankings on search engine results pages (SERPs) for specific keywords	To become the definitive, cited source for answers provided by AI, LLMs, and voice search for your local market
Core Focus	Technical site health, backlinks, keyword density, and domain authority	Providing clear, factual, and context-rich answers to user questions in 3rd party website content
Strategic Approach	Broad content creation and optimization based on keyword research and search volume	Targeted content creation focused on answering specific questions with verifiable data across relevant 3rd party websites
Target Platforms	Google, Bing, and other traditional search engines	LLMs (e.g., ChatGPT), voice assistants (e.g., Alexa), and Q&A platforms (e.g., Quora)
Key Tactics	On-page optimization, link building, creating blog posts, and optimizing search crawlers	Structured data markup, contributing to knowledge graphs, and building authority on third-party sites
Measure of Success	Improved keyword rankings, increased organic traffic, and higher click-through rates	Direct attribution in AI-generated answers, increased referral traffic from answer engines, and increased brand authority
Outcome for Brokers	Directs potential clients from search results to your website and helps brand your business in association with relevant keywords	Positions your agency as the trusted local expert whose advice is directly presented to clients by AI and direct referral traffic to your website

 

Key Takeaways for Brokers

AEO is not a passing trend. It’s a rapidly accelerating shift in how your current and prospective clients find insurance brokers and products. The brokers who act now and embrace these strategies will secure their place as trusted leaders while the industry evolves. By adapting early and devising an AEO outreach strategy, you can position your agency at the forefront of the next wave of user search.

 
About the Author
Kalup Alexander is Digital Marketing Director for The Word & Brown Companies. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in New Media Communications and Marketing from Oregon State University and has been at Word & Brown since 2014.