What the heck is AEO?

What is AEO?

We’ve all heard of SEO by now. I find businesses that need it, my business partner writes it for a living, and I get ads for it everywhere. Whenever I talk to a new client, they’ve heard of SEO. What they haven’t heard of is AEO.

So, what is AEO? It stands for answer engine optimization (opens in a new tab). It helps your business or website appear in answers from tools like ChatGPT and Google’s AI search features (opens in a new tab).

You might also hear related terms like GEO, AI SEO, or LLM SEO when people talk about AI search optimization, because apparently one acronym wasn’t enough.

When I’m looking for a business, the first thing I do as a 28-year-old is pull out my phone and consult my trusted advisor, my north star, my rock: ChatGPT. If you’re older than me, you might be thinking, “Is she serious?” If you’re younger, you understand.

Let’s use my cat as an example. A while ago, he got extremely sick. I won’t get into the details, but it was bad. I’d never had to take my little guy to the vet, so naturally, I called my mom, freaking out.

“How much does a vet cost?!”

“Where do I take him?!”

“What’s wrong with him?!”

Eventually, I realized I was asking someone who didn’t own a cat or live in my city. Time to check elsewhere.

I got off the phone, looked at my cat begging me to help him, and typed his symptoms into ChatGPT: “My cat is sick. What do I do?”

I clicked the first vet it suggested. There was a “Call now” button right in the chat. It wasn’t the closest option, but seeing it first gave me confidence they could help.

I called. They helped my cat.

One ChatGPT answer, one phone call, and that vet has had my business for over a year. My cat got help. They got a loyal customer. My mom got to hang up.

That’s why showing up in AI answers matters. That vet already had a website. I just didn’t find it by scrolling through Google. I found it by asking ChatGPT.

AEO vs SEO: How do they work together?

Which brings us to a fair question: ‘I already pay for SEO. Why do I need another acronym on my invoice?’

SEO for local business helps people find your services in search results. AEO builds on that work to help your business show up in the answers AI gives them.

If you’re already working on local SEO for small business, you’re building foundations that can also support how your business appears in AI answers. Your customers are asking questions in more places, and you want to be there when they do.

How to get your business recommended by ChatGPT

So, how do you give your business a better chance of being the one ChatGPT recommends?

And if you’re not a ChatGPT fan, think of it as another way for customers to find your front door. You don’t have to love it, but if your potential customers are asking it where to go, and you want your business in the conversation.

Think of ChatGPT as a super-fast research assistant. When it uses web search (opens in a new tab), it can pull information from websites to help answer a question. Making your website easy to read and understand (opens in a new tab) gives it clearer information to work with. Here’s how to start with AEO for small businesses.

1. Get to the point

If someone asks how much your service costs, give them the answer before telling them how your grandfather started the business in 1987.

That story has its place. But clear, direct answers (opens in a new tab) make it easier for customers, and AI tools, to find the information they came for. Put the useful stuff first, then get into the details.

2. Create content that helps people choose or do something

Think about what you ask your friends and family when you need something: “Which option is better?” “What should I buy?” “How do I fix this?”

Your website can help answer those questions. Honest comparisons, step-by-step guides, and useful resource pages (opens in a new tab) give AI tools information they can reference. They also help potential customers make a decision. Everyone wins.

3. Use the questions your customers actually ask

You don’t need to get overly creative with every heading. “How much does window cleaning cost?” tells people more than “A Clearer Tomorrow.”

Put the question in your heading, then answer it in the first sentence underneath. Add explanations, examples, or exceptions after that. Think of it like answering a customer on the phone: answer their question before giving them the full backstory.

4. Keep your information current

Still advertising your 2022 prices? We should probably fix that.

Review your main pages once or twice a year, and whenever your prices, services, hours, or policies change. Add a “Last updated (opens in a new tab)” date when you’ve actually reviewed and updated the information.

The goal is to give customers and AI tools accurate information (opens in a new tab) about the business you run today.

5. What other websites say about you matters, too

You can tell everyone your business is great. Having other people say it helps, too.

Relevant industry websites, local publications, and useful resource lists give potential customers, and AI tools, other places to learn about your business. Your website matters, but it shouldn’t be the only place your business exists online.

So, where do you start?

Answer engine optimization starts with the questions customers ask you every week. Pick three, answer them clearly on your website, and check that your business information is current.

You don’t need to tackle everything today. You just want to give the next person asking ChatGPT for help a better chance of finding you. Their mom might appreciate it, too.

The way I explain it to our clients is simple: SEO is built to get humans to click your website link, while AEO is built to get AI assistants to read, trust, and quote your information directly.

Your customers might scroll through Google or ask their trusted advisor, north star, and rock for a recommendation. Either way, you want them to find you.

• Choose three real customer questions and answer them clearly.Read steps ↑
• Check your service information, prices and opening hours.Read steps ↑
• Review how your business appears on relevant websites.Read steps ↑