Unlock Hidden Insights: Mastering HubSpot's AEO Grader for E-commerce Success

HubSpot's AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) Grader tool is a powerful resource for understanding your online presence and how well you're answering customer questions across various platforms. For e-commerce businesses leveraging HubSpot's Commerce Hub, including those using an eshop website builder integrated with HubSpot, this tool offers invaluable insights. But like any analytical tool, understanding the 'how' and 'when' behind the data is crucial for accurate interpretation. Recently, a user in the HubSpot Community raised some excellent questions about the AEO Grader, prompting a helpful discussion that sheds light on the tool's inner workings, and how you can leverage it for your online store.

Understanding the AEO Grader's Data Collection

The initial question focused on the timeframe for data collection. Is it the past 30 days? Six months? A year? The answer, as pointed out by a community member, is that the timeframe is actually LLM (Large Language Model) specific. The AEO Grader pulls data from different LLMs, each with its own knowledge cutoff date. This is especially important for e-commerce businesses, as customer opinions and product information can change rapidly.

• OpenAI's GPT-4o: Has a knowledge cutoff date of September 30, 2023 (subject to time zone variations).
• Perplexity: Uniquely, Perplexity doesn't have a knowledge cutoff date because it uses internet search to gather real-time information. This makes it valuable for tracking emerging trends and customer sentiment in real-time.
• Gemini 2.0 Flash Thinking: Knowledge cutoff date of August 2024.

This means the data you see reflects information available up to those respective cutoff dates. A crucial point to remember when analyzing trends! For example, if you launched a new product line in October 2023, its performance wouldn't be fully reflected in the GPT-4o data until a later analysis. The original poster followed up, seeking clarification on when the data was pulled, specifically if the tool tracked queries about their company on ChatGPT, and over what period those queries occurred. Unfortunately, that level of detail isn't currently available. A community member confirmed that the tool doesn't specify recency beyond the LLM cutoff dates; those 600 queries, for example, could have happened anytime between January 1, 2023, and September 30, 2023.

Location and Language Considerations for Global E-commerce

Another interesting question was whether altering the location during the grading process would change the results. The consensus is that it likely would. LLMs factor in location when processing queries, meaning results can vary depending on the specified region. This is particularly relevant for e-commerce businesses with international customers. Understanding how your brand is perceived in different markets is crucial for tailoring your marketing and customer service efforts.

The original poster also noted that some results appeared in Spanish, even though the rest were in English. This could indicate that a portion of your target audience is searching for information about your company in Spanish. This is a valuable insight, suggesting you might benefit from offering multilingual content or customer support.

Leveraging AEO Grader Insights for Your E-commerce Strategy

While the AEO Grader provides a wealth of information, it's important to understand its limitations. Here are some actionable steps you can take to maximize its value for your e-commerce business:

• Monitor Trends Over Time: Regularly run the AEO Grader to track changes in your online presence and identify emerging trends. Pay attention to how customer sentiment evolves in response to your marketing campaigns and product launches.
• Experiment with Different Locations: If you have international customers, run the AEO Grader for different regions to understand how your brand is perceived in each market.
• Identify Language Gaps: If you notice results appearing in languages other than your primary language, consider offering multilingual content or customer support to better serve those customers.
• Combine AEO Grader Data with Other HubSpot Tools: Integrate the insights from the AEO Grader with your HubSpot CRM and marketing automation tools to create more targeted and personalized customer experiences. For example, if the AEO Grader reveals that customers are frequently asking about a specific product feature, you can create a targeted email campaign highlighting that feature.
• Optimize Your Content for LLMs: Use the insights from the AEO Grader to identify the questions customers are asking about your products and services. Then, create content that directly answers those questions, optimizing it for search engines and LLMs.

The Future of AEO and E-commerce

As LLMs continue to evolve, the AEO Grader will likely become even more sophisticated, providing even deeper insights into customer behavior and online trends. By staying informed about the latest developments in AEO and leveraging tools like the AEO Grader, e-commerce businesses can gain a competitive edge and drive sales through informed strategies. Consider how your product descriptions, FAQs, and blog posts can be optimized to directly answer customer questions as understood by these AI models. This proactive approach will ensure your brand remains visible and relevant in the ever-changing digital landscape.

For businesses using HubSpot Commerce Hub, integrating an eshop website builder can further streamline your operations and enhance your customer experience. By combining the power of HubSpot's CRM, marketing automation, and e-commerce tools, you can create a truly unified and personalized shopping experience for your customers.