Digital · 6 min read
What Is AEO? Answer Engine Optimisation vs SEO, Explained Simply
Search used to return ten links. Now it often returns one answer. AEO is how your business becomes part of it.
Quick answer
AEO, or answer engine optimisation, is the practice of making a website easy for AI assistants and AI-generated search answers to understand, quote and recommend. SEO aims to rank a page in a list of results; AEO aims to have your business named inside the answer itself. Both depend on clear content, accurate structured data and trustworthy, consistent facts.
What is an answer engine?
An answer engine is any system that replies to a question with a written answer instead of a list of links. That includes AI assistants people chat with and the AI-generated summaries that now appear above ordinary search results.
These systems read many pages, pick out the facts they trust and combine them into one reply. A business that is easy to read and easy to verify is more likely to be included.
How is AEO different from SEO?
The two overlap heavily, but the target is different.
- SEO targets a position in a results list; AEO targets a mention inside the answer
- SEO is organised around keywords; AEO is organised around questions
- SEO rewards a page that covers a topic well; AEO also rewards a short, quotable answer near the top
- Both need a fast site, clean structure and content written for real customers
What does a page need to be quoted by AI?
- A heading phrased as the question a customer would ask
- A direct answer in the first two or three sentences under it
- Specific facts — names, places, quantities, steps — rather than slogans
- Structured data such as FAQPage, Organization and Article markup
- The same business name, address and phone number everywhere it appears online
Where should a small business start with AEO?
List the ten questions customers ask most often before they buy. Give each one a clear answer on your website, on the page where it belongs. Add FAQ structured data, check that your business details match across your website and your Google Business Profile, and keep adding answers as new questions come in.
Frequently asked questions
Does AEO replace SEO?
No. AEO builds on SEO. A site that is slow, thin or hard to crawl will struggle with both, so the foundations are shared.
Is AEO only for large companies?
No. Local and specialist businesses often benefit most, because AI answers favour specific, well-stated facts over broad marketing copy.
What is llms.txt?
llms.txt is a plain-text file at the root of a website that summarises what the site is about and links to its most useful pages, written for AI systems to read.