Glossary
Answer Engine Optimization
Last reviewed: 2026-05-12
Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) is the practice of structuring content so AI systems select it as the cited source in generated responses. Unlike traditional SEO, AEO rewards methodology transparency, original data, and cross-corroboration across independent surfaces.
Frequently asked
- What is Answer Engine Optimization?
- Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) is the practice of structuring web content so that AI-powered answer engines — including ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity — cite it as the primary answer to a user's query rather than ranking it in a list of links.
- How is AEO different from SEO?
- SEO optimises for a ranked list of links; AEO optimises to be the single cited source in an AI-generated answer. AEO signals weight methodology transparency, primary data, schema markup, and cross-corroboration across independent sources.
- Why does AEO matter for European brands?
- AI search responses are increasingly the first interaction European consumers have with information. Brands not cited by default in AI responses lose visibility even when they rank well in traditional search.