What is AEO? Answer engine optimization, explained.

What does AEO stand for?

AEO stands for answer engine optimization. An "answer engine" is any system that returns a single composed answer instead of a list of links: ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews and AI Mode, Microsoft Copilot, Siri and Alexa. AEO is the work of becoming the source those systems draw the answer from.

The term is sometimes used interchangeably with "AI search optimization" and "LLM SEO". They describe the same goal. GEO (generative engine optimization) is a close sibling with a slightly different emphasis, covered below.

What is an example of AEO?

A physiotherapy clinic has a page titled "Our Services" that describes treatment philosophy in three paragraphs. A customer asks ChatGPT "how much does physio cost in Geelong". The clinic is not mentioned, because nothing on its site answers that question.

After AEO, the clinic has a page with the heading "How much does physio cost in Geelong?" and a first paragraph that says: "An initial physiotherapy consultation in Geelong costs between $95 and $130 in 2026. Follow-ups are $80 to $110. At [Clinic] an initial is $110 and includes..." The page carries FAQPage and LocalBusiness schema, and a dated update line. Now the model has a source it can quote, and it does.

That is the whole idea. Ask the question the customer asks, answer it in the first 40 to 60 words, then elaborate.

What is AEO vs SEO?

• ✓Goal. SEO: a position in a list of links. AEO: being the answer itself, or the source cited under it.
• ✓Unit of content. SEO: the page. AEO: the passage. Models lift a paragraph, not a page, so each section has to stand alone.
• ✓Keywords vs questions. SEO targets "physio Geelong". AEO targets "how much does physio cost in Geelong" and the twenty questions like it.
• ✓Structure. AEO depends far more on question-phrased headings, answer-first paragraphs, FAQ and Service schema, and llms.txt.
• ✓Credibility. Both care about authority, but AI models weigh third-party mentions (YouTube, Reddit, industry sites) and freshness more heavily than Google's classic ranking does.
• ✓Measurement. SEO: rankings and clicks. AEO: citation rate, meaning how often the model names you when asked, sampled repeatedly because answers vary.

AEO does not replace SEO. A site that is slow, blocked, or unindexed cannot be cited by anything. Technical SEO is the floor; AEO is what you build on it.

What is AEO vs GEO?

AEO focuses on being extracted as the answer to a specific question. GEO (generative engine optimization) focuses on being recommended as a brand when the model composes a broader answer, such as "who should I use for X". They overlap almost entirely in the work required. The full AEO vs GEO comparison covers where they differ.

How do I start with AEO?

• ✓List the 10 to 20 questions customers ask before they buy. Your inbox and phone log are the best source.
• ✓Give each question a heading on the most relevant page, phrased exactly as people ask it.
• ✓Write the answer in the first 40 to 60 words under the heading. Numbers, names and dates, not adjectives.
• ✓Add FAQPage schema for the questions and Organization or LocalBusiness schema for the business.
• ✓Publish /llms.txt summarising who you are, what you do, and your key answers.
• ✓Date your updates and refresh the answers every few months.
• ✓Get the same answers mentioned somewhere off your site: a short video, a Reddit reply, a directory listing.
• ✓Measure it. Ask the questions in ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google, several times each, and record whether you are named.

Pemba runs this loop as a monthly service. The free AI visibility check scores your site on the first six points in about 15 seconds.

What is AI search optimization called?

You will see AEO, GEO, LLMO (large language model optimization), AI SEO, LLM SEO and AI search optimization used for roughly the same discipline. AEO and GEO are the terms with the most search demand and the ones most tool vendors use. Pemba uses "AI visibility" for the outcome and AEO and GEO for the methods.