AEO (Answer Engine Optimization)
Also known as: Answer Engine Optimization
The discipline of making content findable in AI answer engines — Google AI Overviews, Bing Copilot, ChatGPT web search, Perplexity. Distinct from GEO by focus on answer citations rather than generative discovery.
AEO is Answer Engine Optimization — a discipline that emerged in 2023-2024 as AI-powered answer engines (Google AI Overviews, Bing Copilot, ChatGPT web search) began replacing traditional SERPs for information queries. AEO focuses on getting your content cited or extracted in AI answers.
Practical AEO tactics: first-paragraph definitional statements, structured H2 subsections with clear sub-questions, factual claims paired with named sources, Q&A blocks with schema markup, tables and definition lists.
AEO is broader than agentic commerce optimization — it covers informational content (definitions, how-tos, comparisons) in addition to commercial content. But AEO tactics are prerequisites for winning shopping-related AI answers.
See also
GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)
The discipline of making a brand or product surface in AI-generated content — mentioned, cited, or recommended by generative AI models. Broader than AEO by including AI-generated recommendations, not just answer citations.
ChatGPT shopping
OpenAI's commerce surface inside ChatGPT — product cards in the answer carousel + Instant Checkout via ACP.