Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) — Definition
Answer Engine Optimization is the practice of structuring your content so that AI systems — like ChatGPT, Google's AI Overviews, and Perplexity — pull f...
What it is
Answer Engine Optimization is the practice of structuring your content so that AI systems — like ChatGPT, Google's AI Overviews, and Perplexity — pull from your website when they answer someone's question. Traditional SEO gets you ranked in search results. AEO gets you quoted as the answer. It's a meaningful difference.
Why it matters
When someone asks an AI assistant "Who's the best web design agency in Phoenix?" you want your business to be what comes back. If your content isn't built to be cited by AI, you're invisible in an increasingly AI-first search environment — and you won't even know you're missing those leads.
The mistake most people make
Assuming that if you rank well on Google, you're automatically showing up in AI answers. You're not. AI systems have different criteria for what they trust and cite. Your Google rankings are a starting point, not a guarantee.