If you work in SEO, you’ve likely noticed a major transformation in the space. Marketers aren’t just optimizing for Google’s classic blue-link results anymore — we’re now optimizing for AI-driven experiences. This emerging focus is called Answer Engine Optimization, or AEO. Some professionals also call it AI engine optimization, and you’ll see both terms used to describe the same concept.
So what does it actually mean to optimize your content for AI engines? Let’s break it down.
Table of Contents
What is answer engine optimization?
AEO versus SEO
AEO versus GEO
Which Answer Engines Should You Optimize For?
How to Build an AEO Plan That Works
How to Measure and Report on AEO Success
Frequently Asked Questions
What is answer engine optimization?
AEO is the process of tailoring your content so that AI systems select it as a cited source and surface it directly in their answers. With AEO, your content can appear in ChatGPT outputs, Google’s AI Overviews, voice assistant responses, and essentially any experience where an AI delivers information instead of a list of links.
That doesn’t mean AEO replaces your SEO strategy. Think of AEO and SEO as complementary partners. Traditional SEO is about ranking prominently in search engine results pages. AEO is about becoming the response that AI tools extract, trust, and attribute. The objective moves from “get users to click through to our site” to “be the authoritative resource AI systems rely on and reference.”
Where does AEO actually show up? Practically anywhere an AI is answering user questions, including LLM chat interfaces and more…