TL;DR
Google’s dominance as the world’s go-to search engine is slipping—especially in markets like Malaysia. As AI-powered engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and TikTok search become more prevalent, brands must rethink their content and SEO strategies. Enter Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO)—your new weapon to stay discoverable and credible in a post-search world.
The Cracks in the Google Wall
In Malaysia, Google still commands over 80% market share in desktop and mobile search. But the behaviour behind that number is shifting.
- Gen Z and Millennials are increasingly starting searches on TikTok, Reddit, YouTube, and AI tools like ChatGPT.
- A survey by Marketing Magazine Malaysia found that up to 40% of Malaysian youths now treat TikTok as a search engine—particularly for lifestyle, food, and entertainment-related queries.
Globally, 60% of people say they use non-traditional search engines like ChatGPT, Bing AI, and voice search at least once a week (source: Marketing Dive, 2024).
This isn’t just a trend. It’s a paradigm shift.
AI Isn’t Disrupting Search. It's Replacing It.
According to the Coverage to Capital report by Hard Numbers, AI-generated content now accounts for an increasing share of what users read and trust.
Here’s what’s alarming:
“LLMs such as ChatGPT treat company websites and news coverage as factual, often without applying critical analysis,”
— Coverage to Capital, 2024
AI prefers well-structured, well-optimised, and authoritative content—regardless of whether it was independently fact-checked.
This presents both:
- A risk (if you don’t control your narrative online)
- An opportunity (if you’re AEO-ready)
Enter AEO: Answer Engine Optimisation
Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) is the next evolution of SEO—designed to help your brand surface on AI-powered engines like:
- ChatGPT
- Perplexity
- Google SGE
- Microsoft Copilot
- TikTok Search
- YouTube Search
Instead of optimising for “10 blue links”, AEO focuses on:
- Structuring your content to be understood by AI
- Giving concise, direct, and citation-backed answers
- Using schema markup, FAQs, and semantic HTML
- Building topic authority, not keyword density
- Optimising for conversational queries (“What’s the best anti-aging treatment for over 40s in Malaysia?”)
“Brands with well-optimised onsite content saw reputational benefits on LLMs—especially around innovation.”
— Hard Numbers, 2024
So, What Should You Do?
Here’s your action plan to prepare your brand for the rise of AEO:
Audit your current content for AEO-readiness
Ensure you answer real questions clearly and credibly
Create pillar + cluster content around your niche
Build depth so AI trusts your topical authority
Use structured data & semantic HTML
Helps machines “understand” your content
Turn blogs into FAQs, lists, and guides
AI prefers clear formatting, headers, and logic
Secure media coverage and third-party citations
LLMs trust editorial media 60% more than brand talk
Real Talk: This Is Not Just About Search
This is about:
- Visibility in an AI-powered future
- Reputation shaped by bots more than humans
- Trust being manufactured by structured, well-placed digital assets
As Charlotte West of Lenovo puts it:
“We now treat LLMs as stakeholders, like journalists or political audiences.”
So should you.
Final Word
AI won’t wait for your brand to catch up. If you want to stay visible, credible, and competitive, Answer Engine Optimisation must become part of your strategy now—not later.
Want to get AEO-ready? Let’s audit your content and optimise your brand for tomorrow’s search.