What is AEO?

AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) is the practice of optimizing your content so that search engines and AI assistants use it as the direct answer to a question. AEO focuses on winning featured snippets, knowledge panels and positions in AI Overviews.

AEO versus SEO versus GEO

SEO optimizes for ranking positions in the organic SERP. AEO optimizes for the direct answer shown one position above the organic results. GEO optimizes specifically for citations in the answers of large language models (LLMs). The three overlap heavily, but each has its own focus.

How do you optimize for AEO?

Answer questions directly and concisely in the first paragraph of your content. Use clear question-and-answer structures with FAQ sections. Implement structured data (schema markup for FAQ, HowTo and Article). And build strong E-E-A-T signals that give Google confidence in your content.

AEO and voice search

Voice assistants such as Siri and Google Assistant draw their answers largely from AEO-optimized content. With the rise of conversational search, AEO is becoming increasingly relevant for any website that answers informational questions.

Can any type of content be optimized for AEO?

Informational, question-based content is the most suitable. Product pages are less suited to direct answers.

How do I know if my content has won a featured snippet?

Through Google Search Console or tools such as Ahrefs. You can read more in the Google Search documentation.