Key takeaways
- AEO (answer engine optimisation) helps your business get named when people ask AI assistants for recommendations.
- It builds on SEO. It doesn't replace it.
- The basics are within reach of any business: let AI crawlers in, add structured data, keep your details consistent and answer real questions clearly.
Your customers used to type "plumber near me" into Google and scroll a list of links. More and more of them now ask ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini or Google's AI Overviews instead, and get one answer with a handful of business names in it. If yours isn't one of them, you're invisible to that customer. That's the problem AEO solves.
What AEO means
AEO stands for answer engine optimisation. An "answer engine" is any tool that gives people a direct answer instead of a list of links: AI assistants, Google's AI Overviews, voice assistants and featured snippets. AEO is the work of making your business easy for those tools to find, understand and trust, so you're more likely to be included in the answer.
You might also hear it called GEO (generative engine optimisation) or LLM optimisation. The names differ, but the goal is the same.
How AEO is different from SEO
SEO aims to rank your pages in a list of search results. AEO aims to get your business mentioned inside an answer. The two overlap a lot, because AI tools often draw on pages that already rank well. But AEO puts extra weight on a few things:
- Clear, quotable answers. Sentences that directly answer a question are easier for AI to use than marketing slogans.
- Structured data. Schema markup tells machines exactly what you do, where and for whom.
- Consistency. If your hours, address or services differ across your site, Google profile and directories, AI tools have less reason to trust any of them.
- Mentions elsewhere. Reviews and listings on trusted sites act as evidence that you're a real, reputable business.
Six things to set up
- Let AI crawlers in. Check your robots.txt file and hosting settings. Some sites block AI crawlers without the owner knowing.
- Add schema markup. At a minimum: organisation or local business, services, reviews and FAQs.
- Match your details everywhere. Same business name, address, phone number and hours on your site, Google Business Profile and every directory.
- Answer real questions. Write pages and FAQs around the exact questions customers ask, like "how much does a blocked drain cost to fix?"
- Earn trusted mentions. Reviews, industry directories and local publications all help.
- Track it. Pick a fixed set of questions and check every month whether AI tools mention you.
How to check if AI mentions you today
Open ChatGPT or Perplexity and ask the questions your customers would ask: "Who's the best [your service] in [your city]?" or "Can you recommend a reliable [your service] near [your suburb]?" Note whether you're named, and what's said about you.
Does AEO replace SEO?
No. Good SEO makes AEO easier, and good AEO work (clear answers, structured data, consistent details) usually helps SEO too. Treat them as one job. That's why every SEO package we offer includes AEO.
And remember: being named is only half the battle. When an AI assistant sends someone to your site, the page they land on still needs to convert. That's where a strong landing page earns its keep.