Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO)
Answer engine optimisation is writing and structuring a page so an AI answer or a featured snippet can quote it. I write pages this way for Australian businesses, inside my SEO plans. This guide shows the 4 habits behind it, each with a real before and after from this site.
- Pages that answer your customers' questions in the first sentence
- Headings built from the searches people already make
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Page B is the one a reader, a featured snippet or an AI answer can quote.
Quick answer
Answer engine optimisation (AEO) is writing and structuring a page so that a system returning a composed answer, such as Google's AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Perplexity or a featured snippet, can lift a clear answer from it. It rests on 4 writing habits: answer in the first sentence, structure the page around real questions, keep the facts explicit, and be worth quoting. Google's own guide says optimising for generative AI search is still SEO, so Loudachris delivers AEO inside SEO plans from $1,500+GST a month.
AEO vs SEO
AEO and SEO, side by side.
AEO and SEO rest on the same crawling, indexing and ranking. The difference is the output. SEO earns a place in a list of results, and AEO shapes a page so its answer can be quoted inside a composed reply.
Google's guide to its generative AI features says optimising for AI search is still SEO. The table sets each AEO term beside the SEO practice it describes.
| AEO term | The SEO practice it describes | What's different |
|---|---|---|
| Optimise for answer engines | Optimise for search engines, which now show composed answers as well as links | The output format |
| Answer-first content | Leading with the conclusion, the practice behind featured snippets | Same practice |
| Question-shaped headings | Headings mapped to the queries people really type | Same practice |
| Entity clarity | Consistent name, address and services, with correct schema.org markup | Same practice |
| Citation-worthiness | Accuracy, a named author and a page others are happy to reference | Same practice |
| Conversational queries | Long-tail keyword research | Same practice |
| Measuring mentions in AI answers | Rank tracking and reporting | Newer: it needs repeated prompts across platforms |
6 of the 7 rows are work a good SEO plan already covers. Measurement is the newer part, because a rank tracker can't see what an assistant said about you, and it's what my free AI audit measures. Every tactic sold under the AEO label is checked against Google's guidance on what actually works.
How It Works
How an answer engine picks a passage.
Google publishes how its AI Overviews and AI Mode find the pages they link. I read it as 3 steps, and each one starts from the ordinary search index.
1
Retrieve
The system searches its index for pages that match the question. Google says its AI features use its core Search ranking systems to retrieve relevant, up-to-date pages, a technique called retrieval-augmented generation.
2
Fan out
The model can also run related searches on the sub-questions inside the original one, which Google calls query fan-out. A question about a weedy lawn might fan out to herbicides, chemical-free removal and prevention.
3
Select and link
The system reviews the specific information on the pages it found, composes a response, and links the pages that support it. To be eligible as a supporting link, Google says a page must be indexed and eligible to show with a snippet.
A page has to be indexed and eligible for a snippet before any of this can happen. Then it needs a passage that answers the exact question plainly, because that passage is what the system reviews and links. Google's guide says there's no need to break pages into tiny chunks or write in a special style for AI, so the 4 habits below are reader habits that also suit retrieval.
Sources: Google Search Central, AI features and your website (updated 10 December 2025) and Optimizing your website for generative AI features on Google Search (updated 10 July 2026). Both read on 16 October 2026.
Worked Examples
4 writing habits, each with a real before and after.
Every example below is quoted word for word from loudachris.com.au: the version that was live until October 2026, and the version on the page now.
Answer in the first sentence
Put the price, the yes or no, the number or the name directly under the heading. Context and reasoning follow it. A reader on a phone gets what they came for at a glance, and a system looking for a sentence to quote finds one.
Before: the opening sentence of this page's FAQ “How much do AEO services cost in Australia?”
“AEO is usually sold as an addition to an existing SEO retainer, at whatever the provider chooses to charge.”
After: the same FAQ, further down this page
“My SEO plans are $1,500, $2,500 or $4,000+GST a month, and the AEO work on this page sits inside them.”
The question asks for a price. The old answer opened with how other providers sell AEO, and the price arrived 2 sentences later. The new answer opens with all 3 prices.
Structure the page around real questions
Take headings from the words people search with. Search Console shows the queries a page already appears for, and each one that matters deserves a section that answers it under a heading in the searcher's own words.
Before: 2 headings on my window cleaners page
“Three reasons window cleaners struggle with lead flow.”
“Three services that keep window cleaners booked year-round.”
After: the headings that replaced them
“Window cleaning SEO built around your routes.”
“Window cleaning websites that book recurring cleans.”
In the 28 days to 6 October 2026, Search Console showed the page appearing for “window cleaning seo” (28 impressions) and “web design window cleaning” (34 impressions). Neither search had a section of its own. Now each has a heading that uses the searcher's words, and a section that answers it.
Keep the facts explicit
Write out the prices, places, inclusions and conditions in full. A specific fact can be quoted on its own. A general one leaves the reader, and any system summarising the page, to fill the gap.
Before: the price card on my Adelaide AI search page
“SEO from $1,500+GST/month, month to month, no lock-in. No extra line item with AI in the name.”
After: the same card now
“Website SEO is $1,500+GST a month for a suburb cluster, $2,500+GST metro-wide, or $4,000+GST across more than 1 city, month to month.”
The old card gave a starting price. The new card gives all 3 prices and what each covers, so the question “what would SEO cost for my business?” has its answer in a single sentence.
Be worth quoting
Give each section at least 1 sentence a reader can check: a source, a date, a measured figure or a named example. Google's July 2026 guide asks for content with a unique point of view and first-hand experience, written for people.
Before: the opening paragraph of this page, August 2026
“It is a useful idea with a misleading price tag: everything it asks you to do was already SEO.”
After: the same point, in the comparison section of this page
“Google's guide to its generative AI features says optimising for AI search is still SEO.”
The old line was my opinion in a memorable shape, with nothing to check. The new line makes the same point, names its source and links it, so anyone who repeats it can verify it first.
Want this done across your site?
Start with the free AI audit. It shows which of your pages AI answers name or link today, and I'll point out the passages I'd rewrite first.
“He is very knowledgeable on a number of different areas and has helped us immensely in being able to increase the visibility of our website on google search.”
1 Real Query
Being the clearest source on 1 question.
Here's 1 real question from Search Console, followed from the query to the answer I wrote for it on my Adelaide AI search page.
The query
“how do i get my business recommended by ai tools in adelaide”, 14 impressions in the 28 days to 6 October 2026.
The heading
“How do I get my Adelaide business recommended by AI tools?”, the question in the searcher's own words.
The first sentence
“Give them clear, consistent information to work from.” The answer comes first, in 8 words.
The specifics
The next sentence lists the 4 actions: complete your Google Business Profile, keep genuine reviews coming, make your details match everywhere, and write service pages that name your suburbs.
The checkable line
“The model builders don't publish their weightings, so I measure what the platforms say before and after the work.”
The formatting rules behind it
- Lead with yes, no, the number or the name. Context follows it.
- Use the customer's phrasing in the heading, taken from Search Console where you can.
- Name the actual places, prices, inclusions and conditions.
- Keep 1 idea per paragraph, so each section makes sense on its own.
- Use a table when the question compares options, and a list when it has steps.
- Date anything with a price on it, and name the person accountable for the page.
Each rule is a readability rule. Google's July 2026 guide asks for content written for people and organised with headings that give it a clear structure.
The Scope, Written Down
What an AEO service should contain, and what it costs.
These 7 deliverables make up a complete AEO service. Each one has a long-standing home inside SEO, and I deliver all 7 inside my SEO plans: $1,500+GST a month for a suburb cluster, $2,500+GST metro-wide, or $4,000+GST across more than 1 city.
Question and query research
Keyword researchThe questions your customers ask, in their words, taken from Search Console, your enquiries and the searches around your services.
Heading and page architecture
On-page SEO1 page per intent, with headings that match how each question is asked and the answer placed directly under it.
Answer-first writing
Copy for your websiteThe specific claim, price or condition in the opening sentence, with the reasoning kept underneath it.
Business facts and schema.org markup
Technical SEOName, address, phone, hours, services and prices that agree across your site, marked up with standard schema.org vocabulary that matches the visible text.
Business Profile and review depth
Local SEOA complete Google Business Profile and a steady flow of genuine reviews, the public information local answers draw on.
Named author and dates
On-page SEOA real person accountable for each page, a visible byline and a “last updated” date on anything time-sensitive.
Measurement
Reporting, extendedSearch Console data plus repeated prompts across AI platforms, recording whether your pages are named or linked.
People often ask which AEO tool is best. I'd start with Search Console, which is free. Google's July 2026 guide points site owners to its Generative AI performance report to measure how content performs in AI features, and asks them to check any third-party tool's advice against Google's official guidance.
Comparing providers? My guide to choosing an AEO agency lists the questions to ask and what a good answer sounds like. My published results are SEO and Google Ads outcomes for named clients, reported as exactly that.
Check It Yourself
How to check whether you're the answer today.
Ask the questions your customers ask, in their words, on 2 or 3 AI platforms, and note whether your page is named or linked. Run each question more than once, because answers vary between sessions. My 5-minute method to check any AI claim sets out the steps.
When you'd like it measured properly, the free AI search audit runs 12 agreed prompts, 3 times each, on 4 platforms, and hands you every response I recorded. For the citation side of the same work, read my page on generative engine optimisation.
Questions about answer engine optimisation.
What is answer engine optimisation?
What is the difference between AEO and SEO?
What counts as an answer engine?
How do I do answer engine optimisation?
Will writing answer-first make my pages worse to read?
Does AEO need special schema or an llms.txt file?
Do I need to hire an AEO agency?
How much do AEO services cost in Australia?
About this page
Written by Chris Lourenco, Director, Loudachris Digital Marketing.
Loudachris is based at 21-22 Greenhill Road, Wayville SA 5034, ABN 73 630 143 190. I run SEO and Google Ads for Australian service businesses, and I write the pages on this site using the habits described above. Every claim about Google's position links the document it comes from, with the date I read it.
First published: 9 August 2026. Last updated: 16 October 2026.
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Where to go next
The rest of the AI search visibility hub, written so each page answers a different question.
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