What is AEO in SEO (Answer Engine Optimization)?

The way people search for information online is changing, and it’s changing fast. With the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), voice search, and conversational search engines like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity, users expect direct, concise, and accurate answers. This shift has led to the emergence of Answer Engine Optimization (AEO). AEO is a strategy that ensures your content is optimized to provide straightforward answers for use in featured snippets, by voice assistants, and by other AI-powered search results.

According to a 2022 study by NPR and Edison Research, 62% of Americans over the age of 18 use a voice assistant on any device, including smart speakers, smartphones, TVs, in-care systems, desktop devices, tablets, and others. And featured snippets and AI Overviews are becoming ubiquitous in Google’s search engine results–with some tests showing the appearance of these features reduced organic click-through-rate by more than half for informational queries over the last year.

Unlike traditional search engine optimization (SEO), which focuses on ranking for target keywords, AEO prioritizes content that directly answers user queries in a structured and authoritative manner. Whether it’s through Google’s “People Also Ask” (PAA) results, featured snippets, or AI Overviews, businesses, and content creators need to optimize their online presence to remain relevant.

In this blog, I’ll dive into what Answer Engine Optimization is, how it works, and provide some strategies that ensure your content ranks as a trusted answer source in AI-driven search engines.

Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) is the process of optimizing your website content to appear as direct answers in search engines, AI-driven assistants, and voice search results. AEO aims to structure content in a way that search engines can easily extract and present as a definitive answer to a person's query.

SEO vs AEO: How is AEO Different from Traditional SEO?

Traditional SEO focuses on ranking web pages by optimizing for keywords, backlinks, and on-page factors. AEO, on the other hand, ensures that content is concise, authoritative, and structured to be used in featured snippets, People Also Ask (PAA) results, voice search responses, and AI-driven search tools like ChatGPT.

While the two strategies have distinct approaches, I’ve always been a strong advocate for evolving SEO strategies by incorporating AEO and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) tactics. A well-rounded strategy that blends traditional SEO with these emerging techniques strengthens your overall search visibility and positions your content for both traditional search engines and AI-driven platforms.

Why Answer Engine Optimization Matters:

• Increases Visibility: Optimizing for AEO helps your content appear in position zero (featured snippets) and AI-generated responses.

• Drives Credibility and Trust: Being the direct answer provider increases your authority and brand recognition.

• Improves Voice Search Optimization: AEO aligns with natural language queries, making it an important piece for voice search success.

• Drives Organic Traffic: Featured snippets and direct answers can increase click-through rates (CTR) and improve overall website engagement.

Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) works by ensuring that your content is structured in a way that is easily readable and answers questions that people have. AEO prioritizes clarity, structure, and relevance to match user intent.

Important Factors That Drive AEO Success:

• Optimizing for AI Overviews, Featured Snippets, and PAA (People Also Ask) Results
  

  These features dominate position zero in the search results, providing direct answers to users. Content that appears in these sections gets higher visibility and stronger CTRs.

• Conversational and Voice Search Optimization
  

  Voice search queries tend to be longer and more conversational than traditional text-based searches. Since AI assistants prioritize natural language processing (NLP), optimizing for question-based queries improves your brand visibility.

• Content Relevance, Authority, and Readability
  

  Search engines favor content that is aligned with E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) best practices. This means your content should be accurate & well-researched, clear & readable, and updated regularly.
  

  Best Practice: Highlight real-world experience and insights from your authors, and demonstrate their expertise on the topic being written with a full author bio.

To successfully optimize for AEO, you need to focus on structuring content for AI-driven search engines, enhance visibility, and improve content accessibility for voice search and featured snippets. Below are some effective strategies to improve your AEO performance.

1. Conduct Keyword Research for AEO

   
   Understanding what users are searching for is the foundation of any successful search strategy. AEO requires identifying question-based, conversational, and intent-driven queries that align with featured snippets, PAA results, and voice search results.
   
   One of my favorite keyword research tools is Semrush. This tool not only helps you find traditional keywords but also provides related questions based on your target terms. By using this feature, you can find high-impact, question-based queries that are more likely to be featured in the results you’re looking for.
   
   While Semrush is my preferred keyword research tool, there are plenty of other keyword research tools that can help identify AEO-friendly queries. Some are paid, while others offer free versions to explore.
   
   Other Keyword Research Tools to Consider:
   • Google Search Console - Find actual search queries that drive traffic to your website
   • Google’s People Also Ask (PAA) & Autocomplete - Uncover real user questions directly from Google itself
   • AnswerThePublic - Generate question-based keyword ideas visually
   • Ahrefs - Similar to Semrush, this tool offers advanced keyword and competitor research
   • ChatGPT & AI Assistants - Understand how conversational AI interprets and responds to user queries
   What to Look for in Keyword Research for AEO:
   • Informational intent queries (e.g. “What is Answer Engine Optimization?”)
   • Long-tail, natural language questions optimized for voice search
   • Keywords that trigger featured snippets and PAA results
   
   

2. Write High-Quality Content with E-E-A-T Best Practices

   AEO prioritizes content that is clear, authoritative, and structured for quick answers. Search engines favor content that follows Google’s E-E-A-T guidelines.
   
   Best Practices for AEO-Friendly Content:
   
   • Answer the question concisely within the first 100 words
   • Break content into scannable sections using H2/H3 headers, bullet points, and lists
   • Use an active, conversational tone that aligns with natural language queries
   • Cite authoritative sources and include relevant statistics or expert insights
   • Regularly update content to maintain freshness and relevance
   
   

3. Implement Schema Markup to Improve Search Visibility

   Since structured data helps search engines better understand, categorize, and display your content, Schema Markup is an important part of any AEO strategy.
   
   Best Practices:
   
   • FAQ Schema - Ideal for question-based content to appear in rich results
   • How-To Schema - Helps showcase step-by-step guides in search results
   • Article Schema - Improves credibility for informational and long-form content
   💡 Tip: Use Google’s Rich Results Test or Schema.org to validate your schema implementation. My personal preference is Google’s Rich Results, which is featured below, though both are great options:
   
   
   
   

4. Optimize for Voice Search and Conversational AI

   With the rise of voice assistants and AI-powered search engines, content should be optimized for natural language and voice search.
   
   Best Practices:
   
   • Use conversational, question-based phrases
   • Write short, digestible answers that voice assistants can easily read aloud
   • Target who, what, where, when, why, and how questions
   • Ensure mobile optimization, as most voice searches happen on smartphones
   
   

5. Improve Website UX & Technical SEO and AEO

   A strong user experience (UX) and technical SEO ensure search engines can crawl and extract answers efficiently while improving overall accessibility.
   
   Best Practices:
   
   • Page speed optimization: Faster loading pages rank higher and improve user retention
   • Mobile-friendliness: A responsive, mobile-friendly site is important for voice search
   • Internal linking and site architecture: Helps search engines connect related content for better ranking
   • Alt text and accessibility: Optimizes images and content for visually impaired users
   • Secure and structured URLs: Clean, well-structured URLs improve indexing

6. Leverage Video & Visual Content for AEO

   Search engines and AI-driven search tools increasingly prioritize multimedia content in search results.
   
   Best Practices:
   
   • Optimize video titles and descriptions with keyword-rich explanations
   • Add transcripts and captions to improve accessibility and searchability
   • Use alt text for images to improve discoverability in image search
   • Embed relevant videos within blog content to provide rich, engaging answers

By using these tools and focusing on question-based search queries, you can craft content that is optimized for AI-driven search engines and voice search, improving your chances of securing position zero in search results.

The way people search for information is changing, and we should all change with it as practitioners. With AI-driven search engines, voice assistants, and conversational AI dominating search experiences, websites must adapt their search strategies.

By implementing AEO best practices such as conducting keyword research, writing high-quality content, leveraging schema markup, optimizing for voice search, and improving website UX, you can position your content as a trusted source of answers in the search results.

As AI-powered search engines continue to shape search, the brands that invest in newer strategies will be the ones that maintain visibility, drive engagement, and outperform their competitors. Not sure where to start? Let’s chat. We will be able to provide you with free research to help position you in the market.