AEO, AI Search, and How To Prepare for What Audiences Ask ChatGPT
People are already using ChatGPT as a search engine—far more than many arts marketers realize. In fact, 27% of consumers now use generative AI for at least half their online searches. That shift isn’t slowing down, and it has big implications for how your organization gets discovered.
So we built something to help.
Capacity Interactive’s new (free!) AEO Question Generator gives you a list of the kinds of questions real users might ask ChatGPT about your organization (both branded and non-branded), so you can start to think about how you are answering them on your site.
AI Tools Are Becoming Discovery Tools
ChatGPT answers questions instantly. There’s no scrolling through links, no refining keywords, and no clicking through tabs. That makes things much easier for consumers, but it also means your website needs to contain the kinds of answers these tools look for.
As more people use AI tools to look for information, they’re asking two broad types of questions: branded and non-branded.
Branded questions mention your organization directly
- “What time does [Your Org] open?”
- “What’s on stage at [Your Org] this weekend?”
- “Is there parking at [Your Org]?”
These usually come from people who already know you exist. AI tools try to answer them using whatever information is most current and easiest to understand. If your website doesn’t clearly provide that information (or if outdated details exist on third-party sites), ChatGPT may rely on another source outside your website (and who knows if that site will be accurate).
Non-branded questions are broader and discovery-focused:
- “Theatre in Chicago this weekend”
- “Family-friendly things to do tonight”
- “Best contemporary dance companies near me”
These questions don’t reference your name, but if your content is strong, structured, and trustworthy, answer engines can surface your organization as a recommended option.
Both types matter. Branded questions shape how people perceive your organization, and non-branded questions influence who discovers you in the first place. AEO helps ensure your site can support both kinds of searches so ChatGPT has what it needs to include you in the answers people see.
WHAT STEPS CAN YOU TAKE?
The AEO Question Generator takes your URL (or a few details) and instantly generates a set of likely AI-driven questions users could ask about:
- Your organization
- Your location
- Your events
- Your genre or discipline
Think of it as a window into what your audience might actually type into ChatGPT when deciding what to do, where to go, or whether your organization is the right fit.
You can use these questions in two immediate ways:
1. Strengthen your content
Make sure your website answers the questions the tool generates clearly and directly, on Event Detail pages, Visit Pages, and FAQ resources. If you find questions your site doesn’t address, it’s a clear sign your AEO foundation could be stronger.
2. Check your visibility
Right now, we don’t have analytics dashboards that tell us what AI questions you’re appearing in. But we can check manually to get a rough idea of where the wind is blowing:
- Use Incognito mode to ask ChatGPT branded and non-branded questions in a temporary chat.
- Note what’s missing, outdated, or incorrect.
- Look at the sources that ChatGPT pulls. Are you there? What other sites are?
These quick checks reveal a lot about how your organization appears in AI search: what’s showing up, what isn’t, and what needs attention.
Why This MatterS
Search is evolving rapidly, but one thing hasn’t changed: audiences are still seeking unforgettable arts and cultural experiences. The role of AEO is simply to help AI tools understand that your organization is one of those experiences.
The AEO Question Generator offers:
- New insight into what audiences may be asking AI tools
- A starting point for strengthening your content
- A clearer understanding of how your organization might appear across AI search
These insights help you prepare for a future where discovery and decision-making increasingly run through tools like ChatGPT.
AI-driven search isn’t a distant trend—it’s already shaping how audiences gather information, make plans, and choose what to do. Building a thoughtful AI Strategy today means ensuring your content is clear, structured, and ready for the kinds of questions people already ask ChatGPT.
