What is AEO Optimization?
Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) is the practice of optimizing your website so AI answer engines (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI, Claude) can extract, understand, and cite your content.
AEO vs SEO vs GEO
| Approach | Focus | Goal |
|---|---|---|
| SEO | Traditional search engines | Rank #1 on Google |
| AEO | AI answer engines | Get cited in AI responses |
| GEO | Generative Engine Optimization | Appear in synthesized AI answers |
Why AEO matters
- 34.5% reduction in CTR for top content after AI Overviews
- 16% of Google desktop searches now show AI Overviews
- ChatGPT has 100M+ weekly active users citing web content
Core AEO strategies
- Technical crawlability — Allow AI bots in robots.txt
- Structured data — FAQ, HowTo, Article schemas
- Content formatting — Direct answers, clear headings, lists
- AI meta directives — Index, follow for AI crawlers
- llms.txt — Guide LLMs through your site
The AEO maturity model
- Level 1 (0-40) — AI crawlers blocked or missing directives
- Level 2 (41-70) — Basic access, but poor extraction
- Level 3 (71-90) — Good structure, some schema
- Level 4 (91-100) — Fully optimised for AI answers
Measure your AEO readiness
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