AEO

AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) is the practice of shaping your content so it shows up — or gets cited — in answers from AI assistants and chat tools, not only in Google’s blue links.

While classic SEO fights for clicks in search results, AEO fights to be the source when someone asks ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, or sees an AI Overview. That means clear answers, readable structure, topical authority, structured data, and content a model can cite with confidence. It pairs with GEO (Generative Engine Optimization), which focuses on influencing how AI generates those answers.

A real-life example of AEO

Success used to mean “rank #1 for best burger Atlanta.” Now it also matters that if someone asks an assistant “where should I get a burger in Atlanta?”, your brand or guide appears in the answer — including via voice search. There’s not always a link; sometimes it’s only a mention. AEO works so that mention is yours. Allowing the right AI crawlers is part of whether those systems can even read you.

For the full AEO + GEO map for businesses, see AEO and GEO: the new SEO.