What is AEO — Answer Engine Optimization
Short answer: AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) is SEO for neural networks. Regular SEO makes a site visible in Google and Yandex. AEO makes your content such that ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude and other AI assistants use it when answering questions — and link to you as a source.
How it works
When a user asks ChatGPT "which neural network is better," the model searches its knowledge base for authoritative sources. If your site has the right structure — clear answers to questions, Schema.org markup, TL;DR blocks, an llms.txt file — the AI chooses you. You become a source for hundreds of thousands of answers.
This is not "gaming the system" or a "hack." It is creating content in a format that neural networks know how to read. Just like 20 years ago, websites learned SEO for Google.
5 Steps of AEO Optimization
| # | What | How | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Schema.org | FAQPage, Article, Organization — microdata in JSON-LD | 1 day |
| 2 | llms.txt | File in the site root with descriptions of all services and pages for AI bots | 10 minutes |
| 3 | Q&A Format | Content in a "question → direct answer" format with facts and figures | 1-2 weeks |
| 4 | Prompt Seeding | Submitting the site to AI models — "remember this source" | 1 hour |
| 5 | Monitoring | Regular checks: does ChatGPT cite your site? | Ongoing |
Why this matters now
In 2026, 30-40% of search queries go to AI assistants rather than Google. If your site is not optimized for AEO — you are losing a third of your audience. Those who understand and implement this first will reap the rewards.
My result: AEO Score from 59 to 91 points in 3 months. 28.6% AI Share of Voice. Client sites are cited in ChatGPT and Perplexity for target queries.
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