Q: What is AEO and how do I optimise for it?
AEO = Answer Engine Optimisation.
It’s the evolution of SEO for a world where people don’t just search — they ask.
Instead of typing fragmented keywords into Google, people now ask full questions to:
Google’s AI Overviews
ChatGPT
Perplexity
Siri / Alexa
In-browser AI assistants
And these systems don’t return lists of links.
They return answers.
So AEO is about one thing:
Making your brand the clearest, most trustworthy answer to a specific question.
If SEO was about being found,
AEO is about being chosen.
Let’s break it down:
Why DOES AEO matter? (the behavioural bit)
Traditional SEO assumed:
People compare multiple options
They click several links
They make a rational decision
Reality now:
The answer engine collapses choice
It pre-selects the “best” answer
Trust, clarity, and authority matter more than search volume
This mirrors what we see in Digital Brand Romance:
Attention is scarce
First impressions happen fast
Confusion kills trust
AEO is essentially First Impression optimisation for AI-mediated journeys.
How does AEO actually work?
Answer engines prioritise content that:
Directly answers a real question
Is written in clear, human language
Shows credibility and experience
Matches user intent, not just keywords
Is easy to extract, summarise, and quote
They don’t want clever tricks or ranking manipulations.
They want helpful.
How to adapt for AEO (PROCESS)
1. Start with real questions, not keywords
Stop asking:
“What keywords should we rank for?”
Start asking:
“What question is someone trying to answer right now?”
Examples:
“How do I choose a CRM?”
“Is X worth it for small teams?”
“What’s the difference between AEO and SEO?”
If you can’t phrase your content as a question, it’s probably not AEO-ready.
2. Answer immediately — then elaborate
The biggest mistake brands make is warming up for five paragraphs.
For AEO:
Answer first
Context second
Detail last
Think:
Clear answer → explanation → proof → next step
This aligns perfectly with Arrival → First Impression in ADORE.
3. Structure content for extraction
Answer engines skim before they read.
Use:
Clear headings
Short paragraphs
Bullet points
Simple definitions
Natural language summaries
Not for Google.
For machines that read like humans in a hurry.
4. Build authority through usefulness, not claims
AI doesn’t trust adjectives.
It trusts patterns.
You build AEO authority by:
Consistently answering the same type of questions
Going deeper than surface-level advice
Showing lived experience, not marketing language
This mirrors the Honeymoon → Reality stages: trust is earned through follow-through, not promises.
5. Optimise for intent, not traffic
AEO isn’t about getting everyone.
It’s about being the right answer for the right moment.
That means:
Fewer pages
Better pages
Clear positioning
Strong opinions where appropriate
If your answer sounds like everyone else’s, the engine has no reason to pick you.
THE 6 MOST IMPACTFUL AEO CHANGES ANY SMALL BUSINESS CAN MAKE
1. WRITE 1 CLEAR ‘WHAT WE DO’ PAGE
Think of it as your brand’s “source of truth.”
This page should clearly explain:
What you do
Who it’s for
Why it matters
How it works
Why you’re different
LLMs (Large Language Models) love these pages because they’re complete, tidy, and predictable.
(RAMMP’s Helper ‘Generate your Messaging Cheat Sheet’ gets this done in under 20 minutes!)
Impact: Massive. It becomes the page AI systems quote from.
2. ADD 10-20 FAQS TO YOUR SITE (ESPECIALLY ON KEY PAGES)
Not a separate FAQ page — add FAQs where they matter.
LLMs feed on question-answer pairs.
Start with:
“What is…?”
“How does… work?”
“Is X better than Y?”
“How long does it take?”
“How much does it cost?”
Impact: Very high. Low effort. Highly machine-friendly.
3. TIGHTEN YOUR OPENING SENTENCES ON EACH KEY PAGE
AI Overviews pull first lines obsessively.
Rewrite each page intro as 1–2 sentences that directly answer the page’s core question.
Not poetic. Not clever. Surgical clarity.
(Customers love using RAMMP’s ‘Copywriting for the ideal web page layout’ Helper to get this done in minutes.)
Impact: Huge. Takes 10 minutes per page.
4. ADD PROOF EVERYWHERE (TINY SNIPPETS, NO CASE STUDY NOVELS
1–2 sentence testimonials
Screenshots
Mini before/after
Stats
Named clients
Social proof reduces the “uncertainty tax” that Harrison’s ADORE research highlights around expectations and satisfaction.
(You can speed this up with RAMMP’s ‘Testimonial and Case Study Wizard 🪄’ Helper.)
Impact: High. It drives both human trust and LLM confidence.
5. MAKE YOUR BRAND ASSETS CONSISTENT, EVERYWHERE
Robots can’t love you, but they can recognise you.
Consistent:
Colours
Name
Tagline
Tone
Logo
Product/service names
Sharp & Binet would give you a gold star here: recognisability creates mental availability, which LLMs mimic.
(How is yours performing? Audit and build in minutes with RAMMP’s ‘Generate an eye-catching brand style guide for your business’ Helper.)
Impact: High. It makes AI more likely to pick you as the answer.
6. CREATE ONE STANDOUT PIECE OF ‘ORIGINAL THINKING’
This is your expert anchor.
Examples:
A framework
A checklist
A comparison table
A buyers guide
A myth-busting article
AEO prioritises brands that teach, not just sell.
(RAMMP’s Helpers ‘Create a high-value lead-magnet’ and ‘Create an SEO rich blog post‘ takes this from hours to minutes.)
Impact: Very high. Positions you as the authority AI chooses.
AEO isn’t a tactic.
It’s a clarity test.
If:
Your positioning is fuzzy
Your thinking is generic
Your value is hard to explain
AI will struggle to explain you too.
Brands that win at AEO are the ones that:
Know exactly who they help
Know exactly how they help
Can explain it simply, calmly, and confidently
Which, conveniently, is also how humans decide who to trust, and is exactly what RAMMP has been designed for.
