Guide · AEO
Answer engine optimization (AEO): how to become the answer AI quotes
Answer engine optimization (AEO) is the practice of structuring your content so that answer engines – ChatGPT, Gemini and Google AI Mode and other AI assistants – can lift it straight into their answers. In practice that means one clear question per page, the answer in the first sentences, concrete facts the AI can quote, and structured data that says what the page is about. AEO is the content side of being named by AI; GEO adds the other sites that mention you.
In short
- AEO is writing and structuring pages so AI assistants can quote them as the answer.
- Answer first: the first paragraph should answer the question on its own.
- Concrete facts – prices, numbers, dates, comparisons – are what gets quoted.
- Measure it: does the AI name you on the prompts the page was written for?
Updated · AIvisible
AEO, GEO and SEO: how they fit together
| Focus | Success looks like | |
|---|---|---|
| SEO | Ranking your pages in search results | Top positions and clicks |
| AEO | Pages built to be the answer to a question | Your page quoted or linked in the answer |
| GEO | Being named across AI answers, also through other sites | A higher share of AI answers that name you |
The terms overlap and are often used interchangeably. A useful split: AEO is about your own pages, GEO about your whole presence on the web, and both rest on SEO.
How to write a page for AEO
Pick one question
Use the prompts your customers actually ask – from your Search Console queries – and give each important one its own page or section.
Answer it in the first paragraph
A short, complete answer the AI can quote on its own, before any background. A good rule of thumb is 40–60 words.
Back it with facts
Prices, range, delivery times, sizes, test results and dates. Specific facts are what answers are built from; vague claims aren't quoted.
Add the follow-ups
A short FAQ with the natural next questions: price, alternatives, how to choose, what to avoid.
Mark it up
Structured data (schema.org: Organization, Product, FAQPage, BreadcrumbList) tells machines what the page is, who it's from and what it offers.
Keep it readable for crawlers
The text should be in the HTML, not only rendered by JavaScript, and robots.txt should let the AI crawlers in.
See how often AI names you
A free AI check for everyone. We open the full measurement one company at a time.
An example: the answer first
Question: “Which running shoes are best for beginners?” A page written for AEO opens like this:
"The best running shoes for beginners have good cushioning, a stable heel and room for your toes. At Fellstride you can try 40 models from £59, get a free gait analysis in store and exchange within 60 days."
The example comes from AIvisible's sample report, with a made-up shop. The answer stands on its own, names the shop and gives facts the AI can repeat: number of models, starting price, gait analysis, exchange period.
How to measure AEO
Track the prompts each page was written for, before the page goes live and in the weeks after. If the AI starts naming you – or linking to the page – it works.
AIvisible lets you mark an action as done and shows before and after on the prompts it's about. Plans from €9 a month; the full action plan, with content briefs for your pages, €35 a month.
Questions and answers
What does AEO stand for?
Answer engine optimization: optimizing content for answer engines – the AI assistants and AI search features that answer a question directly instead of listing links.
Is AEO different from GEO?
They overlap. AEO is mostly used about making your own pages quotable; GEO (generative engine optimization) about being named across AI answers, also through other sites. Most businesses need both.
Does FAQ markup still matter?
Since 2023, Google shows FAQ rich results only for a small set of well-known government and health sites. But FAQPage markup still describes the questions and answers on a page in a machine-readable way.
How long until AEO works?
A page can be used in answers once it has been crawled, so it depends on how often the AIs and Google visit your site. Measure the prompts the page targets to know.