A growing share of your future customers will never see a results page. They'll ask ChatGPT, Perplexity or Google's AI Overviews — and act on the answer. Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) are about making sure that answer includes you.
Why classic SEO alone no longer covers you
Traditional SEO earns you a ranking; AEO earns you a citation. AI systems assemble answers from sources they can parse, verify and attribute. Sites that are ambiguous, thin or unstructured simply don't make it into the answer — no matter how well they rank.
The moves that get you cited
Answer real questions explicitly. Publish content that directly and completely answers the questions your customers ask, with the question visible in headings. AI systems match questions to answers, not keywords to pages.
Use structured data. Schema markup (Organization, LocalBusiness, Service, FAQ, Article) gives machines an unambiguous description of who you are, where you operate and what you offer. It's the difference between being guessed at and being known.
Be specific and verifiable. Concrete facts — locations, years, client names, numbers — get cited; vague marketing language gets skipped. Keep your name, address and phone identical everywhere on the web.
Build entity presence. Consistent profiles (Google Business, LinkedIn, industry directories) and genuine reviews teach AI systems that your business is a real, reputable entity worth recommending.
Start now, compound later
AI assistants build their picture of the web over time — businesses that structure their presence early become the default citations in their category. It's the cheapest authority land-grab available right now.
We build AEO/GEO into every site we ship. See our SEO services or ask us about an AI-visibility audit.