Only 22% of SEO Professionals Can Explain LLMO/AIO [Independent Survey]

EC Marketing Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative: Takashi Nakayama), a web consulting company with over 15 years of experience in corporate marketing support, conducted an independent survey targeting 208 SEO professionals.

All survey results are available here.

Survey Overview

Survey Respondents: Employed individuals in their 20s to 60s in Japan (with SEO work experience)
Valid Responses: 208
Survey Period: April 6, 2026 – April 7, 2026
Survey Organization: EC Marketing Co., Ltd. Survey Method: Internet survey

Supplementary Information on Respondent Attributes

The age group is centered on those in their 30s to 50s, characterized by a high proportion of individuals involved in both on-site operations and decision-making. Regarding SEO experience, 'less than 1 to 3 years' was the most common, indicating a relatively new generation of web professionals, while a certain number of mid-career and veteran professionals also exist, resulting in a mix of on-the-ground practical perspectives and mid-to-long-term viewpoints.

Respondent Attributes: Age

Respondent Attributes: Industry

Respondent Attributes: Company Size

Background and Purpose of the Survey

With the proliferation of generative AI, information-seeking behavior through AI agents such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity, in addition to traditional search engine access, is rapidly becoming commonplace.

As a result, in the web marketing domain, not only 'SEO to improve search rankings' but also 'site design to be correctly understood, cited, and recommended by AI' has emerged as a new point of discussion.

On the other hand, the concepts of LLMO and AIO themselves are still in the development stage regarding definitions and best practices, leading to confusion in the field, such as 'not knowing what to do,' 'not being able to organize how it differs from SEO,' and 'not having established methods for measuring effectiveness.'

This survey aims to clarify the extent to which web professionals are currently aware of AI adaptation and how they perceive its relationship with SEO, UI/UX, and content strategy, thereby understanding the direction of future changes in web marketing.

Related Article:

Site Usability and UI/UX Design Chosen by Both Humans and AI — A New Design Philosophy Called AI-UX

Executive Summary of This Survey

Supervisor's Comment

This survey revealed that only 22% of SEO professionals (n=208) answered that they know LLMO/AIO well and can explain it, while 46%, nearly half, answered that they lack knowledge and do not know what steps to take.
This highlights the current situation where trends change daily, and even SEO professionals, who should be in the most information-advantaged position, are failing to keep up with information.

This is something that can happen, especially in times of rapid change, because on-site staff are often too busy with daily operations to follow new trends.
As a countermeasure, it is necessary not to leave it to the field but to secure budgets from top management or the executive level for proactively anticipating the times and catching up on information, and to appropriately select external experts. On the other hand, it is also true that many external experts are not keeping up with accurate information, so when selecting, it is necessary to approach experts who hold a certain number of case studies and are considered to have foresight into trends.
(Hajime Ito, Executive Officer, EC Marketing Co., Ltd.)

Question: Please tell us the total period you have been involved in SEO work.

Total SEO Experience

SEO work experience of 'less than 1 to 3 years' was the most common at 49.7%, followed by 'less than 3 to 5 years' at 25.7%. The respondents are mainly entry-level to mid-career professionals, many of whom are learning on the job.
On the other hand, AI adaptation is difficult to solve with experience alone, so re-learning may be necessary regardless of the length of traditional SEO experience.

Question: To what extent do you know the concepts of LLMO and AIO?

LLMO/AIO Understanding

A total of 63.9% answered that they 'know well and can explain' or 'know to some extent' about LLMO/AIO. However, only about 20% of SEO professionals are at the 'can explain' level, suggesting a market where concept recognition is ahead of deep understanding.

Question: Compared to traditional SEO, how do you feel the difficulty of LLMO/AIO changes?

LLMO/AIO Difficulty

68.7% of respondents felt that LLMO/AIO would be 'much more difficult' or 'somewhat more difficult.' While AI adaptation is recognized as important, it is perceived as a more complex area than traditional SEO in practice.

Question: Do you feel that the boundary between SEO (crawability) and UI/UX (usability) has become blurred due to the spread of AI?

Boundary between SEO and UI/UX

78.8% of respondents felt that the boundary between SEO and UI/UX has become blurred. In addition to search engine optimization, information clarity and ease of use are being recognized as evaluation factors in the AI era.

Question: What are your current challenges in working on LLMO/AIO? (Multiple answers allowed)

LLMO/AIO Challenges

The most common challenge was 'lack of knowledge' at 46.4%, followed by 'lack of budget' at 35.8%, and 'low priority' at 31.3%. While there is interest, there is a lack of understanding, systems, and budget within companies to put it into practice.

Question: To what extent do you think LLMO/AIO will affect corporate web marketing in the next 1 to 3 years?

LLMO/AIO Impact

79.9% of respondents believe that LLMO/AIO will impact web marketing in the next 1 to 3 years. It is perceived not as a short-term fad but as a theme that will affect corporate website operations.

Question: In what direction do you think the role required of SEO professionals will expand in the next 1 to 3 years? (Multiple answers allowed)

Roles Required of SEO Professionals

The top responses for the expansion of the SEO professional's role were 'expanding to UI/UX improvement' at 48.0% and 'expanding to promoting AI utilization' at 46.9%. SEO professionals are expected to act not only in attracting customers but also in experience design and promoting AI adaptation.

Question: What measures are you currently implementing for LLMO/AIO adaptation on your company's website? (Multiple answers allowed)

Implemented Measures

The top implemented measures were 'improving the clarity and specificity of page information' at 46.4% and 'reviewing heading hierarchy and content structure' at 44.7%. The focus is primarily on organizing and clarifying existing content.

Question: Have you ever checked whether AI agents (ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, etc.) recommend or mention your company name, services, or products?

Checking for Company Mentions

44.6% of respondents answered that they regularly check for mentions of their company name or service name across multiple AIs with different questions. Monitoring visibility on AI platforms has begun in some areas.

Question: What kind of support would make it easier to work on LLMO/AIO? (Multiple answers allowed)

Support Needed for Implementation

The most needed support was 'practical guidelines' at 54.2%. There is a greater need for practical procedures that organize what and how to proceed, rather than success stories or KPI design.