What is AEO (Answer Engine Optimization)?

AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) is the practice of structuring your website content so AI search engines like Google AI Mode, ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini can extract clear answers and recommend your business. It builds on traditional SEO by adding schema markup, question-format answer pages, FAQ structure, and AI-readable content.

How is AEO different from SEO?

SEO gets your website ranked in a list of blue links. AEO gives AI the structured content it needs to recommend you directly in the AI-generated answer — above those links.

Why does AEO matter for local businesses?

Google AI Mode has crossed 1 billion monthly users. When someone asks "who's a good plumber in Stockton?" — AI gives them an answer directly. 93% of these AI queries end without a click to any website. The businesses that show up in the AI answer get the call. The ones that don't are invisible.

Most local business websites were built for humans browsing, not for AI extracting answers. They have marketing copy ("We pride ourselves on quality service") instead of structured answers ("Drain cleaning in Stockton costs $150-$350. We offer same-day service."). AEO fixes that gap.

What does AEO involve?

• Schema markup — structured data that tells AI your business name, services, service area, pricing, and reviews
• Answer pages — dedicated pages that answer specific questions customers ask AI, with the answer in the first paragraph
• FAQ schema — structured question/answer pairs that AI can extract directly
• Question-format headings — H1s and H2s that match how people ask AI (e.g., "How much does AC repair cost in Stockton?")
• Entity consistency — same business name, phone, address, and services everywhere (site, Google Business Profile, directories)
• AI bot access — making sure AI crawlers (GPTBot, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot) can access your site
• llms.txt — a supplemental file that helps some AI crawlers navigate your site (used by OpenAI and Perplexity; Google does not use it)

How much does AEO cost?

CiteZilla's AI Visibility Package is $199 one-time. It includes a full scan, schema markup, llms.txt, 10-20 answer pages, and a 90-day re-scan. Works on any website platform.