AEO means optimising content so answer engines use it as a direct answer. It rests on clear questions, short answers up front, structured data and verifiable authority.
What AEO is
Answer Engine Optimization is the set of practices that make content easy for an answer engine to extract and cite: AI assistants, AI Overviews, voice assistants and answer boxes. The goal is to be the sentence the engine uses, not just a result in a list.
The five pillars of AEO
- Explicit questionUse the customer’s question as a heading or subheading.
- Answer firstAnswer in 40 to 60 words right after it.
- Readable structureLists, tables and numbered steps when the content calls for them.
- Structured dataFAQPage, HowTo, Product, LocalBusiness and Organization.
- AuthorityNamed author, sources, dates and external mentions.
Do and avoid
Do
- Write the answer before the explanation
- Update dates and figures regularly
- Use schema that matches the visible content
- Create one page per important question
Avoid
- Hide the answer at the end of the text
- Stuff the page with keywords
- Mark up FAQs that aren’t on the page
- Copy content from other sites
How to measure AEO
Measure answer share on the topics your pages cover, before and after changes. Track which URLs get cited too. If the right page starts appearing as a source, your AEO is working.
- AEO optimises for being cited, not just found.
- Answer first, explain later.
- Schema helps engines read the page, but must reflect visible content.
- Measure by cited sources, not only by traffic.
Frequently asked questions
Are AEO and GEO the same thing?
They’re close. AEO focuses on being the direct answer. GEO covers the whole process by which a generative model chooses and combines sources.
Does AEO work in Google AI Overviews?
Yes. The same practices increase the chance of being a source in an AI Overview.
How long does it take?
Changes to already-indexed pages can take effect within weeks. New external sources take longer.
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