Marketing glossary
What is AEO (Answer Engine Optimization)?
AEO (Answer Engine Optimization): Structuring content so it directly answers questions, making it more likely to appear in featured snippets, voice answers, and AI-generated responses.
AEO is about format as much as content. Pages that lead with a direct answer, use question-based headings, include concise definitions, and add FAQ sections are easier for answer engines to extract and quote.
In practice, AEO and GEO are usually handled together, because the same answer-first structure helps with Google’s featured snippets, AI Overviews, and AI assistants.
Related terms
- Featured SnippetA highlighted answer box Google shows above or near the top of organic results, pulled from a web page that answers the question directly.
- GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)Optimizing your brand and content so AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity, and Copilot mention, cite, and recommend you in their answers.
- Zero-Click SearchA search that ends without the user clicking any result, because the answer appears directly on the results page.