Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) is the practice of optimizing digital content so it can be understood, extracted, and delivered directly as answers by modern AI-powered systems such as Google’s featured snippets, voice assistants (Siri, Alexa, Google Assistant), and generative answer engines like ChatGPT.
Unlike traditional SEO, which focuses on ranking web pages in search engine results, AEO focuses on providing clear, structured, and authoritative answers to specific user questions. This means content must be concise, accurate, and contextually relevant, often supported by schema markup and structured data.
Key elements of AEO include:
- Question-based content: Writing in a Q&A format to match real search queries.
- Structured data (Schema, JSON-LD): Helping machines interpret the meaning of your content.
- Featured snippet targeting: Optimizing for highlighted answers in search results.
- Voice search readiness: Creating conversational, natural language answers.
- Generative engine compatibility: Making content easy for AI to summarize and present.
As the web shifts from search results to direct answers, AEO ensures your content remains discoverable and authoritative in the age of AI-driven search.