What is Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)?
AEO is the practice of structuring a page so AI answer engines can locate a direct answer, understand what entity it belongs to, and extract it into a generated response.
In practice that means pairing clear questions with concise answers, using a logical heading hierarchy, adding FAQ sections and structured data, and stating claims specifically enough that an answer engine is comfortable repeating them. The core unit of AEO is the direct answer: a short, self-contained response placed near the top of the relevant section, before supporting detail.
AEO is about structure and extractability — it's a different concern from Generative Engine Optimization, which is about whether a model has a credible reason to cite a page as its source rather than just being able to parse it.
