The complete guide to answer engine optimization

Answer engine optimization, or AEO, is the work of making your business easy for AI assistants to find, understand and recommend. It sits beside SEO and uses many of the same foundations. This guide covers what to measure, what to fix first, how to write pages assistants can use, and the mistakes to avoid.

What AEO is, and what it is not

When someone asks an assistant who to hire, what to buy or how something works, the assistant writes an answer, often from sources it finds on the web. AEO is the work of being part of that answer and being described accurately. It is not a trick: there is no hidden text or special code that makes an assistant recommend you. It is clear pages, consistent facts and trusted mentions, measured honestly.

How assistants decide who to name

• What the model learned during training, which is fixed until it is updated
• What it retrieves when it searches the web for the question
• How consistent the facts about you are across your site and other sources
• Whether trusted third-party sources mention or recommend you
• How clearly your pages answer the question

Step 1: write the questions

List the questions your best customers ask before they buy: comparisons, how-to questions, who-is-best questions and what-should-I-know questions. Twenty good ones is a strong start. Include the brand-neutral versions, since customers rarely type your name.

Step 2: measure properly

Ask each question to the main assistants, more than once, and record whether you are named and which sources are cited. Report the share of answers that name you with a range, and repeat weekly. One answer is not a measurement, because assistants rarely give the same answer twice.

Step 3: fix the facts

• Make your name, description, services and contact details match everywhere
• Correct directories and profiles that describe you wrongly
• Add Organization structured data to your site
• Make sure your key pages can be crawled and are indexed

Step 4: write pages that answer

1. Put the answer in the first few sentences
2. Use headings that match the questions people ask
3. State facts plainly, with dates and sources
4. Use real tables and lists, not images
5. Keep important text in the page itself, not behind scripts or tabs only

Step 5: earn trusted mentions

Assistants lean on independent sources. Roundups, reviews, press, industry directories and expert comments that mention you carry weight that your own site cannot. Earn them with useful research, real expertise and honest outreach, never with networks or undisclosed paid placements.

What to avoid

• Hidden text or instructions aimed at assistants
• Reading one answer as a result
• Buying mentions on low-quality sites
• Promising a position on any question
• Ignoring accuracy: a wrong description is worse than a missing one

How we do it

We sample the main assistants every week, show the share of answers that name you with a range, and tie each change to the work behind it. Book a call and we will show you where you stand today.

Common questions

Do I need a different strategy for each assistant?

Not at the start. The foundations are shared: clear pages, consistent facts and trusted mentions. Measure each assistant separately, because they differ, and adjust where one lags.

How soon will I see a change?

Corrections to facts can show up within weeks once the sources are updated. Being named for new questions usually takes a few months of better pages and more independent mentions.

Can I pay to be included?

You cannot buy a place in an assistant's answer. You can pay for good work: better pages, accurate profiles and honest outreach.