AI Search

What Is Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO)?

Definition

Optimising content to appear as a direct answer in answer-first search interfaces, including AI assistants, voice search, and featured snippets.

Why It Matters

Search is shifting from ten-blue-links to single-answer interfaces. When a user asks a voice assistant or AI chatbot a question, only one answer gets surfaced. AEO determines whether your content is the one quoted — a step-change in attention capture compared to traditional page-ten rankings.

How It Works

AEO techniques include direct question-and-answer formatting, structured data (FAQPage, HowTo, DefinedTerm), concise answer blocks (40–60 words) near the top of pages, semantic clarity in headings, and explicit factual claims with dates and numbers. Answer engines prefer content that resolves a query directly over content that requires interpretation.

Real-World Example

A Sydney accounting firm adds a 50-word answer block at the top of each blog post explaining exactly what the article will answer. Over six months, their featured snippet appearances increase 4× and they begin appearing in Perplexity and ChatGPT responses for "accounting questions Australian small business".

Quick Facts

AEO is a close cousin of GEO — AEO focuses on being "the answer", GEO on being cited as a source
Voice search relies heavily on AEO — assistants read only one answer aloud
Typical winning answer blocks are 40–60 words, factual, and near the top of the page
FAQPage schema is one of the strongest signals for AEO