AEO (Answer Engine Optimization)

What is AEO?

AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) describes the optimization of content so that it is displayed visibly and correctly in answers from AI systems.
These systems — so-called Large Language Models (LLMs) — do not search the web in real time, but rely on pre-trained or indexed data.
AEO ensures that content from companies textured, understandable and Machine-readable are — so that they are included in generated answers.

How does AEO differ from classic SEO?

While SEO aims at organic rankings in search engines, AEO focuses on the response quality of AI systems. Instead of placements on Google, it's about Presence in generated texts — i.e. whether and how a brand appears in the answers from chatbots or AI assistants.
Important factors include:

structured data

Structured data such as Schema.org-Markup helps AI systems to interpret content clearly — e.g. to correctly extract prices, reviews or instructions. They are machine-readable awards that clearly categorize content.
→ Read more in the glossary: structured data

Comprehensible, fact-based content

AI systems prefer content that provides direct answers to specific questions. Instead of marketing phrases, texts should contain precise facts:

• Specific statements instead of advertising: “Webflow enables responsive design without code knowledge” works better than “Webflow is the best no-code solution”
• Question-answer structure: Formulate paragraphs as if they were responding to a specific question (“How does X work?” , “How much does Y cost?”)
• Short sentences, clear definitions: LLMs process simple sentence structures better — box sets make correct reproduction difficult
• instance: Instead of “Our innovative solution is revolutionizing...” better “The tool automates image compression by an average of 60%”

Clear authorship and brand reference

LLMs learn from all over the web — but they are particularly good at remembering which sources relate to which topics. It is therefore important that content can be clearly attributed to a brand or author.

Important signals:

• Author bylines with expertise: “Written by Maria Schmidt, marketing manager since 2019"
• Consistent brand names: Always use the same name (not even “Company XY”, sometimes “XY GmbH”)
• About us pages: Clear description of who is behind the content
• External mentions: The more often other sites mention your brand in the context of a topic, the stronger the association

Why it's important: When an AI has learned that “SaaS tutorials from Company X are always high-quality,” it's more likely to incorporate your content into answers. This works in a similar way to E-A-T (Expertise, Authority, Trust) at Google — except that LLMs pick up these signals during training, not just when ranking.

Timeliness and trustworthiness

AI models are regularly retrained — but with data from the past. Still, they prefer sources that were historically reliable and up to date.

Ensure that everything is up to date:

• Publish and update data: Clearly indicate when an article was published and last updated
• Versioning when changes are made: “As of October 2025" or “Webflow 2025 Update”
• Revise evergreen content regularly: An article from 2022 should be updated in 2025, otherwise it loses relevance

Build trustworthiness:

• Source citations: Link to official documentation, studies, or primary sources
• Fact check: Avoid exaggerations or unsubstantiated claims
• Advertising transparency: Flag sponsored content or affiliate links
• Consistency across platforms: When your website, LinkedIn, and YouTube provide the same information, that boosts credibility

Technical signals:

• HTTPS encryption
• Impressum and data protection
• contact options
• External backlinks from trustworthy sites

important: LLMs “remember” sources that were often cited as reliable in their training data. Long-term quality therefore pays off — even if the effect is not immediately measurable.

Why is AEO important?

With the increasing use of AI search systems such as ChatGPT, Perplexity or Copilot, the search for information is shifting.
Users ask questions — and receive directly formulated answers instead of lists with links. Anyone who is visible here at an early stage benefits from a new form of digital brand presence. AEO helps to build and measure this visibility in a targeted manner.

How can you measure AEO?

Tools such as Promptwatch or Peek.ai Analyze how often and in which context a brand appears in AI responses. This makes it possible to see What content from LLMs cites become and where optimization potential consists — for example by better structuring, clear sources, or precise wording.

TL; DR

AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) optimizes content for AI systems such as ChatGPT or Perplexity.
The aim is for brands to be represented visibly and correctly in generated answers — similar to SEO for search engines, but with a focus on AI response logic.

How visible is your company in ChatGPT & Co.?

If ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Gemini only name two to three providers — will your company show up? This is where it will be decided who will be shortlisted in the future.

With our AEO monitoring Find out how AI systems talk about your brand — and how you can improve your visibility step by step.

Learn more about AEO monitoring

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