Quick Answer: Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) is the practice of structuring your website content so AI search engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and Google AI Overviews can read, understand, and cite it as an authoritative answer.
Why AEO is Different from SEO
Traditional SEO is about ranking on a results page. AEO is about being cited inside an AI-generated answer. The user never sees a list of blue links — they see one synthesized response. If your content is not structured for AI parsing, you are invisible.
The Core AEO Signals
- llms.txt and AGENTS.md files at the root of your site
- FAQPage JSON-LD schema with conversational questions
- Question-based H2 and H3 headings
- Answer-first paragraphs (the answer in the first 1-2 sentences)
- Explicit AI crawler permissions in robots.txt (GPTBot, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot, Google-Extended)
How to Get Started
Run a free AskEO audit on your homepage. The report will show you exactly which AEO signals you are missing and how to fix each one.