What is AEO (answer engine optimisation)?
Answer engine optimisation explained: how it differs from SEO, how answer engines choose sources and how to make your content citable.
The shift behind AEO
People increasingly get answers without clicking: a featured snippet, a voice assistant, an AI Overview or a ChatGPT reply. Answer engines need sources they can quote with confidence.
How it differs from SEO
SEO aims for a ranking. AEO aims to be the source an answer is built from. In practice they overlap heavily, and good SEO is the foundation.
What makes content answer-ready
- A direct answer near the top of the page, in a sentence or two
- Headings phrased like the questions people ask
- Short, factual sections that can stand alone
- FAQs marked up with structured data
- Clear authorship and dates
Beyond your website
Answer engines also look at your Google Business Profile, reviews, directories and mentions on other sites. Consistent facts everywhere make you easier to trust.
Where to start
List the twenty questions customers ask before they hire you. Answer each one clearly on your site.
Frequently asked questions
Is AEO the same as SEO?
They overlap a lot. AEO focuses on being used in direct answers; SEO focuses on rankings and clicks.
Which answer engines matter most?
Google’s AI Overviews and featured snippets, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Copilot and voice assistants.
Do I need a separate AEO strategy?
Usually it’s an extension of good SEO with extra attention to questions, structure and consistency.
