What is AEO?
AEO (answer engine optimization) is about being visible inside the answers of AI assistants like ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini.
Definition
AEO (answer engine optimization) is the practice of optimising content so that AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini use and cite that content in their answers.
Context
Where traditional SEO targets positions in a list of search results, AEO targets the moment an AI model produces a single summarised answer. The question shifts from 'are we on page one?' to 'is our content mentioned in the answer the user actually reads?'.
Key factors for AEO: standalone, directly quotable answers; structure that matches natural question patterns; factual, well-structured content (tables, definitions, lists) instead of marketing language; and technical accessibility for AI crawlers — which starts with server-side rendering, correct metadata and structured data.
In short: SEO optimises for the list of blue links, AEO optimises for the answer that appears on top of them.