AEO in one line
Be the cited source inside the AI's answer.
How AEO works
Answer engines retrieve candidate pages and synthesize a response, citing trusted, extractable sources. AEO improves your odds with answer-first writing, schema, fact density, corroboration, and crawler access. See the full AEO guide.
Learn more
Compare it to search in AEO vs GEO vs SEO and see the umbrella practice in the GEO guide.
Key terms related to AEO
Generative engine optimization (GEO): The same practice as AEO — optimizing so AI engines cite and recommend you. The terms are interchangeable; GEO is slightly more common in professional marketing circles.
AI visibility: The umbrella term for how well your brand is represented across AI answer engines. It encompasses mention rate, share of voice, sentiment, and citations.
Citation tracking: Monitoring which specific URLs an AI cites when answering a question about your category. This is the analytical layer beneath AEO — it explains why you are or aren't mentioned.
Share of voice: Your brand's percentage of all AI mentions in a given category. A direct measure of your AEO progress relative to competitors.
For a deeper understanding, read the full AEO guide and explore the relationship to AI brand visibility.
Frequently asked questions
What is answer engine optimization?
AEO is structuring content so AI answer engines cite your brand. It's the same practice as generative engine optimization.
How is AEO different from SEO?
SEO targets search rankings; AEO targets citations in AI answers. They share foundations.
Is AEO worth it?
Yes, as buyers shift research to AI answer engines. Being cited is the new way to be discovered.
How do I do answer engine optimization?
Write answer-first, add schema, raise fact density, and earn trusted citations. Then track whether AI engines mention you.
Which engines does AEO target?
ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, Gemini, and Claude. Any system that answers a question instead of returning only links.