SEO & Marketing
What is answer engine optimization (AEO)?
Quick answer
Answer engine optimization is the practice of structuring content so AI answer engines — like Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, and Perplexity — cite it when they generate direct answers. It focuses on clear, factual, well-structured content that answers specific questions, so your brand appears in AI responses, not just the blue links.
AEO builds on SEO but optimises for being the answer rather than just a ranked link. That means writing clear, factual content, putting a direct answer near the top of the page, structuring pages around real questions, and using schema markup so machines can parse them.
As more people get answers from AI Overviews, ChatGPT, and Perplexity instead of clicking through to sites, being cited in those answers protects your visibility. Accuracy and trustworthiness matter most — answer engines are built to surface sources they can rely on.
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