AEO how-to guides

Tactical, step-by-step playbooks for wiring AEO pipeline attribution into HubSpot — the exact configurations, properties, and workflows that turn AI citations into CFO-defensible pipeline reporting.

Updated 2026-04-20 · 20 guides
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How-to
How to track ChatGPT referrals in HubSpot
ChatGPT sends referral traffic to your site, but HubSpot's default Original Source bucketing dumps it into Direct or Other. Here's the exact setup that captures it as a first-class source and ties it to deals.
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How-to
How to measure AEO ROI in HubSpot
AEO ROI is (AEO-influenced closed-won ARR / total AEO spend). Most teams can't compute the numerator because they never tie AI citations to opportunities. Here's how to do it in HubSpot.
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How-to
How to set up AEO source properties in HubSpot
Three custom properties (ai_source, ai_first_engine, ai_last_engine) plus the workflow logic to populate them. The data model that makes every other AEO report possible.
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How-to
How to attribute AI search to pipeline
End-to-end attribution from AI engine citation → AI-referred session → contact → opportunity → closed-won. The seven-link chain most teams break at link three.
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How-to
How to build an AEO dashboard in HubSpot
Six reports, one dashboard, fifteen minutes of CMO review per week. The exact widgets that turn AI source data into a board-ready monthly view.
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How-to
How to prove AEO budget to your CFO
A five-slide structure, real numbers, and the three CFO objections you need to be ready for. Walk in with a ratio, not a story.
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How-to
How to identify LLM-referred contacts in HubSpot
Three filters, one list, and a quick way to retro-identify LLM-referred contacts from the last 90 days using the data already sitting in HubSpot.
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How-to
How to track Perplexity traffic to your site
Perplexity's referrer behavior differs from ChatGPT — it sends referrer headers more reliably and converts at 1.5–2x the rate. Here's the engine-specific setup.
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How-to
How to compare AEO tools for your stack
Six dimensions, twenty minutes per tool, a defensible decision. The exact evaluation framework that survives a buying-committee review.
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How-to
How to run an AEO audit on your site
A 90-minute audit covering citation share, prompt coverage, technical AEO blockers, and revenue capture. The exact checklist Lantern runs for new accounts.
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How-to
How to calculate AEO CAC payback
AEO CAC payback isolates the cost of acquiring a customer through AI channels and compares it to recovery time. The math is simple, the inputs are tricky.
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How-to
How to benchmark AEO share of voice
Share of voice = (your citations / total citations across competitors) on a defined prompt set. The pitfalls are in the prompt definition and the time window.
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How-to
How to audit prompts for pipeline intent
Not all AI prompts drive pipeline. Score each by buyer-stage proximity, then prioritize the top 30%. Drop the bottom 30%. Re-audit quarterly.
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How-to
How to defend an AEO tool renewal
The renewal review is where 40% of AEO tool contracts die in year one. Here's the four-artifact pack that wins the conversation.
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How-to
How to interview closed-won deals for AEO insights
Five questions, 15 minutes per call, asked of every closed-won customer. The qualitative input that calibrates quantitative AEO attribution.
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How-to
How to tag Direct traffic as likely AEO
Mobile AI engines strip referrer headers, dumping AEO traffic into your Direct bucket. Here's the heuristic that recovers 30–50% of it.
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How-to
How to route AEO leads in HubSpot
AEO-referred leads convert 1.5–6x faster than blended leads. Route them to your fastest reps, on a tighter SLA, with the right context. Here's the workflow.
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How-to
How to forecast AEO pipeline for next quarter
AEO pipeline forecasting needs three inputs: prompt-coverage growth, citation-share trajectory, and historical conversion rates. Here's the model.
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How-to
How to write an AEO content brief
AEO content briefs differ from SEO briefs — they're structured around the prompt, not the keyword. Here's the eight-section template.
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How-to
How to pick prompts for AEO tracking
The prompts you track determine the strategy you can run. Five sources, one filter, a final list of 50–150. Here's the picking process.
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