Core concepts
Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)
Answer engine optimization (AEO) is the practice of structuring and writing content so AI answer engines — such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google's AI Overviews — cite it directly in the answers they generate. Unlike traditional SEO, which competes for ranked links a user clicks, AEO competes to be the source a model quotes.
Why it matters for AEO
AEO determines whether your content appears inside AI-generated answers, where a growing share of questions are now resolved. Because answer engines synthesize a single reply rather than listing links, being un-citable means being invisible — even to audiences you would otherwise reach through ranked search. The work builds on solid SEO rather than replacing it.
Related terms
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