Key takeaways
- Put the answer in the first few sentences, then explain.
- State facts plainly with a date or a source, so they can be checked.
- Structure is part of the message: clear headings, short paragraphs, real tables and lists.
AI assistants quote pages that answer the question directly, say something specific and are easy to read. No formula guarantees a citation, but these habits make a page easier to use, and a page that is easy to use is more likely to be used.
Answer first
Open with the answer in one to three sentences, in the words a customer would use. Put the explanation, the evidence and the caveats after it. If a visitor, or a machine, reads only the opening, they should still leave with the answer.
Write one question per section
Where it fits, make headings the questions people actually ask, and answer each one under its heading. This also helps search engines match the section to the search.
Make facts checkable
- Name the source or the date for any figure
- Say who the advice is for and where it does not apply
- Prefer specific statements to superlatives
- Update the page and show when it was last reviewed
Structure for reading, not decoration
- Short paragraphs and descriptive headings
- Comparisons as real HTML tables, not images
- Lists for steps and criteria
- Definitions in plain sentences near the top
Do not hide the content
Text that appears only after a click, inside an image or after a script runs may not be seen by every crawler. Keep the important answers in the page's own HTML.
Then measure
Ask the target question to the main assistants several times each week and record whether the page is cited. Treat a week-to-week change inside the normal range as noise, and look for a lasting shift.
This is how we brief pages in our content work, and the AEO guide covers the rest.