The 5 Lessons We Can Learn From HubSpot’s State of AEO In 2026 Report

To grow your membership, mastering Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) is now critical, as traditional SEO is insufficient (HubSpot State of AEO 2026). Committees must create a targeted content strategy for generative search. By analysing AI search trends and ChatGPT vs Gemini citation rates, clubs can identify preferred content formats. Structured "What Is" explainers, "How To" guides, and comparisons effectively build topical authority, leading to AI recommendations for prospective members.

I recently went camping with some friends. On the first night, my friend announced that he wasn’t going to bother putting a tarp over his sleeping bag because it wasn’t going to rain. I pointed out that, rain or not, it was going to be cold enough that the dew would cover everything, and if he didn’t put his tarp up, he was going to wake up soaking wet.

He didn’t believe me. Instead, he decided to ask ChatGPT whether he should put up his tarp. I politely informed him that that was stupid; he didn't need to ask a robot, I was literally standing right there telling him he needed to do it.

Nonetheless, about an hour later, he finally got reception on his phone. He looked up and declared to the group, “ChatGPT says I should put my tarp up, otherwise I’ll get dew in my bed.”

I would love to tell you that I just rolled my eyes and very demurely said, “You don’t say.” In reality, I spun around on the spot and shouted, “REALLY?!” at him.

My point is, people really trust what AI tells them, to a sometimes pretty crazy degree. They are no longer just using search engines to find websites; they are using AI as a personal advisor to make decisions for them. If someone is looking for a new club or association to join, there’s a pretty good chance they are going to turn to AI for their answers, and if your organisation wants to be the answer the AI gives them, you need to understand AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation).

The world of AEO is all uncharted territory. Unlike traditional SEO, where people generally know how to get Google to show them in results, everyone is kind of learning on the job here, just trying to keep up with the rapid changes. Things in the AI space are moving stupid fast, and everyone is still learning exactly what they need to do to get cited or mentioned by these Answer Engines. 

Thankfully, HubSpot has just released its State of AEO in 2026 Report. Let’s take a look at the biggest lessons we can learn from it, and what the next steps are for your club to stay ahead of the curve. 

What We Will Cover In This Article

• The rapid rise of AI search: Why a quarter of the planet is now using AI as a daily, practical tool.
• Why AI traffic converts better: How the built-in trust of an AI recommendation doubles the chance of someone joining your club or association.
• The shift in business strategy: Why relying solely on traditional SEO tactics will eventually leave you behind the curve.
• The exact content AI engines want: A breakdown of the specific formats Google, ChatGPT, and Gemini actually prefer to cite.
• Your AEO homework: The exact types of articles you need to start writing today to attract highly engaged new members.

1. People Are Adopting AI Searches Rapidly 

AI is no longer a fringe fad; there are about two billion active monthly users of AI engines, which means a quarter of all people on this little blue rock are actively using AI. 

If we were to look at the classic diagram of an innovation adoption curve that shows how groups of people adopt new technologies, we are at the “Early Majority” stage with AI. 

This means that we have officially crossed "The Chasm." We are no longer just dealing with the Innovators, tech enthusiasts and Early Adopters who jump on every new shiny trend. AI has officially gone mainstream. 

As the graph shows, the Early Majority are pragmatists. They adopt things deliberately, only after seeing the actual benefits. They aren't using AI because it's a fun novelty; they are using it because it is genuinely making their lives easier (like telling them to put a tarp over their sleeping bag).

For your club, this means the people asking AI for recommendations aren't just tech nerds anymore. They are everyday, practical people, the exact kind of people you want joining your organisation. If you aren't optimising your content for these AI engines to find, you are becoming invisible to a massive, highly practical chunk of the population.

Beyond the fact that 25% of the planet uses AI every month, there is another crucial factor, how they are using it. The people who use AI for searching are actually doing so more frequently than they used traditional search engines like Google. They aren't just replacing their old Google searches with AI; they are actively searching for more information, more often. That leaves us with 2 billion incredibly active users constantly asking questions, and your organisation needs to be the answer. 

2. Customers From AI Are More Serious

The next very important thing, the HubSpot report shows us, is that customers who arrive on websites via AI are more serious buyers. In fact, the conversion rate from AI is double that of traditional search engines. This massive jump in conversions happens because the average person assumes that the answers AI gives them have already been vetted.

When someone jumps on Google and searches “the best netball club near me,” they know they are just getting a massive, uncurated list of links. They expect to do the legwork themselves and click through five different websites to figure out which club is actually good.

However, when they ask an AI that exact same question, it feels like they are getting a cultivated, personalised recommendation from an expert. They will still check out your website for themselves, but they arrive already primed to trust you. They view your club as highly reputable simply because the AI handed your name to them on a silver platter. That built-in, pre-established trust is exactly why visitors arriving from an AI prompt are twice as likely to actually hit that sign-up button. 

3. Businesses Are Evolving To Meet Changing Search

This is a short point, but an important one nonetheless. Over half of the businesses surveyed by HubSpot are already actively optimising their websites for AI searches.

This means AEO is no longer a futuristic concept that you can put off dealing with until next year. Businesses are already leading the way in focusing on it, and membership organisations should definitely start looking at it.

If your club or association is still relying entirely on traditional SEO strategies, that is actually not a terrible thing. According to the report, good SEO practices do not automatically guarantee good AEO, but they definitely give you a solid head start. However, if you rely solely on standard SEO, you will inevitably fall behind the curve. When a highly motivated potential member asks ChatGPT to recommend a local club, the AI will suggest organisations that have actively taken the time to optimise their content for it. You want to make sure your club is the one the robot chooses.

The good news is that adapting to this shift is not as terrifying or complicated as it sounds. If you want to learn exactly how to get your organisation up to speed and ensure AI engines are recommending you, read our full breakdown on Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) for Clubs.

4. The Best Content For AEO

The whole point of AEO is to get AI to cite you when it answers users' questions. It doesn’t matter whether it is ChatGPT, Gemini, or Google’s AI Overview. When a potential member asks a question, you want the AI to use you as a source.

The idea is that if someone asks an AI about the most important equipment needed to start playing tennis, the engine will hunt for an answer. It will find a website that has that information and regurgitate it for the user. The AI measures something called topical authority. The more the AI finds useful information on your website, the more it registers your site as an absolute expert on the subject of tennis. Then, when someone eventually asks for a good local tennis club to join, the AI will automatically pull from the sources it already recognises as authorities and recommend your organisation.

Thankfully, the HubSpot report also breaks down exactly what sort of content each different AI prefers. If you know what type of content these engines are actively looking for, you can tailor your website to give them exactly what they want.

The graphic below provides a simplified breakdown of which types of content are currently performing best overall across several major AI engines.

As you can see, there is unfortunately no consensus here, with each AI preferring different content. However, there are a few things that work well across several engines. If we order them based on how they perform overall, we have: 

1. How To’s 
2. What Is…
3. Comparisons 
4. Best Lists
5. Numbered Lists  
6. Guides
7. Reviews

Beyond that, the report provides a deeper look at the specific citation rates achieved by different content types in each engine. You can see these percentages detailed in the table below. 

I realise that this is all getting kind of complicated, but bear with me. What you should do is pick two, maybe three, different AIs and start targeting your content to each of them. To help with this, I’ve compiled a list of the number of active monthly users for different AI search tools. 

As you can see, ChatGPT and Gemini are by far the biggest, having 900 million and 750 million active monthly users, respectively. Copilot is a distant third with just over 200 million users. 

Now that you have that context for standard AI tools, you must be aware that Google's AI Overview is the undisputed king of this market. While not technically a traditional AI engine, Google's automated summary now appears on 50% of all Google searches and dominates nearly half of the available screen space. This effectively means that roughly 2.5 billion active monthly users are interacting with this specific type of AI content summary. 

Making the above graph look like this if it’s included. 

5. What Content To Create To Improve Your AEO

What all this means is actually fairly simple. You need to start writing content on your website that appeals directly to Google’s AI Overview, ChatGPT, and Gemini. This means focusing on the following formats.

• What Is… articles: Basically, explain what something is. Pick topics that are relevant to your club or association and write explainer articles breaking down those subjects. These could be titles like "What is the best paddle to buy to start kayaking", "What are the benefits of joining a medical association", or "What is the best way to install an aftermarket exhaust". Both Google’s AI Overview and Gemini will love these.
• Comparison articles: Pick two relevant things and compare them. Think along the lines of "Historic vehicle registration versus standard registration for your classic car" or "Carbon fibre versus graphite tennis rackets, everything you need to know". ChatGPT and Gemini will eat these up.
• Best Lists: Write up a quick list of the top shoes, snowboards, mouthguards, or whatever gear is relevant to your members. These are quick and easy to produce, and both Google and Gemini will heavily reward you for them.
• Reviews: Take the time to review equipment, tools, or venues that your current and future members will genuinely be interested in. Detailed reviews are incredibly valuable for establishing authority in your niche.
• Guides: Write comprehensive guides on how members can achieve certain things. Great examples include "The ultimate guide to joining a chamber of commerce", "The beginner's guide to starting lawn bowls", or "The complete guide to becoming a certified massage therapist".

That is your homework. Fire up the probably disused blog section of your website and start writing. Get AI to help you draft things if you need to, but just start putting content out there. By doing so, you will actively attract the attention of AI engines, which in turn will help lead highly qualified new members right to your front door. 

The Short Version

AI search is no longer a futuristic concept. It is happening right now, and billions of people are actively using it to make real-world decisions. If you want these AI engines to recommend your club or association to potential new members, you need to start writing specific, high-quality content, such as explainer articles, product comparisons, and comprehensive guides. Treat AI as your most valuable referral partner and start giving it the exact information it needs to send people straight to your digital front door. 

Tips To Start Writing Great AEO Content For Your Membership Organisation

If you are ready to dive into writing new website content but have no idea where to start, here are a few links to help kick things off. 

To get some tips on how to write well, check out Write Like a Pro: Essential Writing Tips.

For a guide on how to get AI to help you write content for your website (please use it to help only; no one, not even AI, wants to read AI writing), have a peep at How To Use AI To Generate Content For Your Club’s Website.