AEO explained: how to be the answer when customers ask AI
Key takeaways
- AEO (answer engine optimisation) shapes your content so AI assistants and voice search can lift it as a direct answer.
- Question-style headings followed by a short, clear answer are the format answer engines prefer.
- FAQ pages, how-to guides and comparison pages are the most useful places to apply AEO first.
Search is turning into a conversation. People ask full questions, and tools like Google's AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Siri and Alexa reply with a single answer. Answer engine optimisation (AEO) is about making your content the source of that answer.
Write for the question, not the keyword
Old-school SEO chased short keywords like "plumber London". AEO starts with the full question a customer would ask, such as "How much does it cost to fix a leaking pipe in London?", and answers it directly in the first one or two sentences. Extra detail can follow underneath.
Make your answers easy to lift
- Use the customer's question as a heading.
- Give a short, complete answer straight after it.
- Use lists and steps for processes, and tables for comparisons.
- Add structured data (schema markup) so machines understand what each page is about.
Good AEO also makes your website better for humans. Visitors find answers faster, trust you more, and are more likely to get in touch.
