AEO (Answer Engine Optimization)
Making your content the answer that search features and AI assistants give.
Answer engine optimization (AEO) is the practice of shaping content so it can be lifted directly as the answer to a question: in a featured snippet, a voice assistant's reply, or an AI assistant's response. Where classic SEO aims for a ranked link, AEO aims to be quoted.
In practice that means stating the answer plainly near the top of a page, in 40 to 60 words, using the question as a heading, and backing it with structured data and clear sources. AEO overlaps heavily with GEO, which focuses specifically on generative AI answers.
Key characteristics
- Targets being quoted as the answer, not only ranking as a link.
- Puts a short, direct answer under a heading phrased as the question.
- Uses structured data and clear facts that are easy to extract.
- Shares most of its methods with GEO and good SEO.
Example
A pricing page opens with a two-sentence answer to "How much does a website redesign cost?", stating the price and timeline, so an assistant asked that question can quote it word for word.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between AEO and SEO?
SEO aims to rank a page in the list of results. AEO aims to have your content used as the answer itself, in a snippet, a voice reply or an AI response. Good AEO still depends on good SEO.
Is AEO the same as GEO?
They overlap. AEO is the broader idea of being the answer; GEO is about generative AI engines such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity specifically. Most of the work is the same.