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AEO
What is answer engine optimization?
Answer engine optimization, or AEO, is the work of being the exact answer, not just a result. When someone asks a question, Google often shows one answer in a box above the results, expands related questions below it, and a voice assistant reads one sentence aloud. That answer is lifted from one page. AEO is writing your page so it is that one.
Where the answers show up
- The featured snippet: the box above the first result.
- People Also Ask: the expandable questions further down.
- Voice replies from Siri and Google Assistant, which read one passage aloud.
- AI Overviews, which cite the same kinds of passages.
How a page wins
Answer the question in the first sentence under a heading worded as the question. Use the shape Google wants: a sentence for a definition, a numbered list for a how-to, a table for a comparison. Make the page rank for the question at all, because the answer is lifted from pages already on the first page or two. Add FAQ structured data so Google can see the question and answer pairs.
Why it matters for a local business
Your customers ask questions before they buy. Does a PT clinic need a referral. How much is a crown. Can a 40-foot motorhome fit. The business whose page is in the box gets the call, and the box sits above every competitor, including the ones with bigger ad budgets.
How it is measured
Search Console shows the questions your pages rank for and the average position. Position one with rising impressions on a question page is the box. We report which questions you hold each month.
Questions people ask
Is AEO just SEO with FAQs?
No. FAQ blocks help, but AEO is about the first sentence under each heading answering outright. Most FAQ sections bury the answer.
Does AEO work for every business?
It works for any business whose customers ask questions before buying, which is nearly all of them. It works fastest where the current answers are national sites that hedge.
How is AEO different from GEO?
AEO wins a box inside Google. GEO wins a mention inside an AI assistant’s paragraph. Same foundation, different scoreboard.
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Want this done for you?
This is the work we do for every client: search, answer engines, and AI assistants, on one plan with one monthly report. Tell us about your business and we will tell you what we would do first.
