What is AEO (Answer Engine Optimization)?
AEO is the practice of optimising content so it gets cited by AI answer engines (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Google AI Overviews) — it's the natural successor to SEO in a search-without-clicks world.
AEO blends classical SEO with structured data, conversational Q&A formatting, llms.txt, and direct entity definitions. The goal is to be the source the LLM cites — not just the page that ranks.
The 5 AEO levers: (1) FAQPage + Speakable schema, (2) llms.txt at the root, (3) short, declarative answers (40–60 words) above long-form, (4) clear E-E-A-T signals (author bio, last-updated dates, citations), (5) topical authority on entity hubs.
Indian SMEs that adopted AEO in 2025 are seeing 12–28% of new pipeline come from ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews — channels that didn't exist 18 months ago.