What is AEO?
Answer Engine Optimization
AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) is a content optimisation method that positions web pages in Featured Snippets, People Also Ask boxes and voice search answers.
The core of AEO is the answer-first writing technique: the first sentence of every paragraph gives the complete answer – in max 40 words, fact-based, understandable without context. AEO-optimised content is 2–3× more likely to appear in Featured Snippet position.
SEO
Position 1–10
AEO
Position 0 + PAA
GEO
AI chatbot citation
AIO
LLM crawler
How to implement AEO? – 6 steps
Answer-first content writing
The first sentence of every FAQ answer must be the complete answer, max 40 words. Avoid introductory text – AI systems do not cite it.
FAQPage JSON-LD schema
Add FAQPage schema to every Q&A pair. Start questions with keywords: What is AEO?, How does AEO work?
PAA question coverage
Collect related PAA questions from Google. Write a 50–100-word answer-first response for each.
DefinedTerm schema
Add DefinedTerm JSON-LD schema to every key concept, max 20-word definition.
Speakable schema
Mark the most important definition sentences with Speakable schema via CSS selector.
Measurement – Search Console
Track Featured Snippet positions. First results expected within 2–8 weeks.