How Ranking in Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, and Perplexity are Different | 1.2 AEO Course by Ahrefs

In this video, you'll learn how Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, and Perplexity are different and how you can optimize for each AI search engine to improve your visibility. Additional Resources: ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NFei1FbytM ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gReszNnykpg ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsVTqzratPs In this 10 minute lesson from Module 1 of the AEO course, Sam breaks down the real differences between Google’s AI Overviews, Google’s AI Mode, ChatGPT, and Perplexity so you stop treating AI search as one bucket. You will see why the overlap in citations across platforms is tiny, why a one-size-fits-all AEO approach leaves visibility on the table, and how each platform’s preferences shape what gets cited. AI Overviews tend to favor established authorities and surface a lot of YouTube and Reddit. ChatGPT leans into high-DR publishers and licensed media. Perplexity aligns more closely with traditional Google search, which can mean faster wins if you already rank. You will also learn why Google’s AI Mode behaves differently from AI Overviews even when the answers feel similar. Expect a side-by-side comparison of top cited domains and how the citation overlap shakes out. Then we get practical about prioritization. Market share today points to Google’s AI features and ChatGPT carrying most of the volume, while Perplexity is growing. The link between Google rankings and AI Overview citations is weakening, and ChatGPT’s citations barely overlap with Google’s top 10, which means publisher authority and brand mentions can matter more than your own rankings. You will see how to use Ahrefs' Brand Radar to spot which domains cite your brand across platforms so you can focus efforts where they move the needle. If you are optimizing AI search the same way everywhere, you are likely invisible somewhere that matters. Watch now to see where to place your bets before we dive into specific platform tactics in the next modules.