Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) without the buzzwords
AEO is the discipline of being the citation that AI assistants (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude) reach for when answering a query.
AEO vs SEO vs GEO
SEO ranks documents in classic blue-link results. AEO formats passages so they are cite-worthy by AI assistants. GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) optimises specifically for generative answer engines.
All three coexist. AEO is structural — schema, passage shape, citation hooks — and rewards sites whose content is verifiable, dated, and authored.
The five AEO levers
1) Short, declarative paragraphs (40–80 words). 2) Stats with sources, not opinions. 3) Explicit definitions in dedicated blocks. 4) Q&A blocks with full-sentence answers. 5) Schema markup: Article, FAQPage, HowTo, DefinedTerm.
Sites missing any one of these lose citations to sites that have all five. The asymmetry is structural, not a ranking quirk.
Common questions
Do I need llms.txt?
Yes. llms.txt and llms-full.txt are emerging conventions for declaring site purpose to AI crawlers. Ship both, keep them in version control, regenerate on every deploy.
Does AEO replace traditional SEO?
No. Classic SERPs still drive the majority of qualified traffic. AEO captures the citation layer that increasingly sits above them.