Quick answer: AEO (answer engine optimisation) structures content so a search feature or AI assistant can lift a direct answer and credit your brand. SEO earns rankings, AEO earns the answer. You need both, and they share the same technical and content foundations.
01. What stays the same
Fast, crawlable pages, useful content, strong internal links and real expertise still matter. AEO sits on top of good SEO, it does not replace it.
02. What changes
- Write the answer first, then the explanation. Start sections with a one or two sentence response.
- Use question style headings that match how people actually ask.
- Add FAQ, article and organisation schema so machines can label your content.
- Keep names, services, prices and locations identical everywhere your brand appears.
03. How to measure it
Rankings alone no longer tell the story. Track branded search growth, referral visits from AI assistants, and the enquiries and sales that follow. Revenue is the metric that decides whether AEO is working.
Frequently asked
Do I need to rebuild my website for AEO?
Usually not. Most gains come from rewriting key pages answer-first, adding structured data and fixing technical issues, which can be done on your existing site.