Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)

The short answer

AEO is writing and structuring content so it directly answers a specific question — often used interchangeably with GEO, though AEO leans more on Q&A formatting and featured-snippet-style answers.

Full explanation

In practice, AEO means opening a section with the direct answer in the first sentence or two, phrasing headings as real questions, and using FAQ-style structure. It's one of the most reliable ways to earn both a Google featured snippet and an AI citation, since both surfaces are looking for the same thing: a clean, extractable answer.

Back to all terms

77 terms and growing