What is AEO?

AEO stands for Answer Engine Optimization. It is the practice of making your brand the one an AI assistant names when someone asks a question it can answer.

Traditional search returns a list of links. An answer engine — ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews — returns an answer, usually naming a handful of brands. Most people never click past that answer. If your brand is not in it, you were never in the running.

How it differs from SEO

SEO asks: how do I rank this page? AEO asks: how do I become the answer? The work overlaps — clear pages, real expertise, good structure — but the goal is different. You are optimizing to be cited and named, not just to be listed tenth on a results page. See the full AEO vs SEO comparison.

What AEO work looks like

Find out where you stand. Ask the exact questions your buyers ask, and record which brands the AI names. That is your baseline.
Fix the gaps. Usually the AI cannot describe what you sell, or it confuses you with someone else. Clear, specific pages fix most of that.
Track it. AI answers change as models update. A one-time check goes stale fast.

Check your own brand. The free audit snapshot runs the key prompts for your niche and shows whether AI names you — and who it names instead.