AEO · answer engine optimization
Be the answer AI gives.
More people now ask Google's AI Mode, ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity instead of scrolling through results. Those answers name a few businesses. ARIQ checks whether yours can be one of them, and writes the fixes.
Checks what these answer engines can read
ChatGPT
Gemini
Perplexity
Google AI Mode
Copilot (Bing)The short answer
What is AEO?
Also called GEO (generative engine optimization) or AI search optimization. Different names, the same idea.
AEO means making your website easy for AI answers to find, trust and quote.
For Google, AEO is SEO. AI Overviews and AI Mode are built on Google Search's own index and ranking systems. The basics that help you rank are the same ones that get you into its AI answers.
Other assistants need a few extra checks. ChatGPT, Perplexity and others run their own searches and crawlers, and cite different sources. Their crawlers have to be able to reach your site, and your pages need clear answers they can use.
How it works
How AI answers pick a source
Find
The AI searches the web, often several related searches for one question (Google calls this query fan-out). If your page isn't indexed, or its crawler is blocked, you're out before it starts.
Judge
It favours pages that are helpful, trustworthy and specific: real prices, real photos, first-hand experience, accurate details. Pages that repeat what everyone else says rarely stand out.
Quote
It takes the clearest answer to the question and links the source. A short, accurate answer near the top of your page is easy to quote.
What actually helps
Eight things that get you into the answer
No tricks. These are the same things search engines have always rewarded, made sharper for AI answers.
Be findable
Pages indexed and in your sitemap, not blocked by robots.txt or noindex, and readable without waiting for heavy JavaScript.
Say what only you can
Your own prices, photos, cases, data and know-how. The biggest lever: AI answers prefer sources that add something new.
Answer the question first
A short, accurate answer near the top, then the detail. FAQs built from questions customers really ask.
Keep your details consistent
Name, address, phone, hours and services match on your site, your Google Business Profile and directories.
Use structured data honestly
LocalBusiness, Product or FAQ schema helps search engines understand you. It must match the page. There's no special AI markup.
Make pages easy to use
Fast on mobile, main content easy to find, no pop-ups in the way. Good for people and for the systems that rank pages.
Earn real mentions
Genuine reviews (and replies), local press, partners and useful resources that link to you. Never bought or faked.
Let AI tools in, if you want them
Make sure robots.txt doesn't block GPTBot, PerplexityBot or Google-Extended by accident. Allowing them is your call.
What to skip
AEO myths we won't sell you
An llms.txt file gets you into Google's AI answers.
Google doesn't use it. It's harmless for other tools, but it isn't an SEO win.
You need special AI schema.
There isn't any. Normal, valid structured data that matches the page is enough.
Chop your content into tiny chunks for AI.
Write clear, well-organised pages for people. AI reads them fine.
Rewrite everything in an AI style.
Same pages, written well, for humans. Don't chase every wording of a question.
Buy reviews or mentions to look popular.
Fake signals break platform rules and destroy trust. Earn them instead.
A tool can guarantee AI citations.
Nobody can. Good tools show what to fix and track what changes.
Measuring it
How to tell it's working
ARIQ connects Search Console and Google Analytics, so these numbers sit in one report next to the audit, and ARIQ AI tells you what changed.
Search Console
How your pages perform in Google Search, including its AI features: the questions, the pages, clicks and positions.
Google Analytics 4
Visits and leads that come from AI assistants (for example chatgpt.com or perplexity.ai), and the pages they land on.
A monthly answer check
Ask your 10–20 most important questions in each AI tool. Note who is cited, and what their pages do better.
Give it time
Changes take weeks to months to show. Judge the trend, not one day.
Free AEO audit
Can AI recommend your business?
170+ live checks across Google and AI search. Results on screen in about a minute and in your inbox, with what to fix first. Free, no card.
- AI crawler access (GPTBot, PerplexityBot, Google-Extended and more)
- Citation readiness: direct answers, FAQs, clear headings
- Entity details: name, address, phone and business info
- Content quality and first-hand detail
- Crawlability, indexing, sitemap and robots.txt
- Duplicate pages and canonicals
- Speed and Core Web Vitals on mobile
- Titles, meta descriptions, images and internal links
Get your free AEO audit
Your site, checked the way answer engines see it.
Questions
AEO, answered
What's the difference between SEO and AEO?+
SEO helps your pages rank in search results. AEO helps AI answers find, trust and quote them. For Google they're the same work: AI Overviews and AI Mode use Google Search's own index and ranking systems. Other assistants such as ChatGPT and Perplexity add a few checks of their own, like whether their crawler can reach your site.
Can you guarantee my business shows up in ChatGPT or Google's AI answers?+
No, and you should be wary of anyone who does. Each AI tool decides what to cite on its own. What we can do is find what's holding you back, write the fixes, and track whether you're being found and cited over time.
How long does AEO take to work?+
Usually weeks to months. Search engines and AI tools need to recrawl your pages, and some changes (like earning real reviews and mentions) build up gradually. Judge the trend over a few months, not a single day.
Do I need an llms.txt file?+
Not for Google: it doesn't use llms.txt. Some other tools may read it, so it's harmless to have one, but it won't move your Google rankings or its AI answers. Clear pages, accurate details and open crawler access matter far more.
Should I let AI crawlers like GPTBot and PerplexityBot read my site?+
If you want to appear in those assistants' answers, they need to be able to read your pages. Some businesses choose to block them for other reasons, and that's a fair call. The audit shows which ones you currently allow or block, so the choice is deliberate rather than accidental.
What does the free AEO audit check?+
170+ live checks across Google and AI search: AI crawler access, citation readiness (direct answers, FAQs, headings), business details, content quality, indexing, sitemap and robots.txt, duplicate pages, speed and Core Web Vitals, titles, images and internal links. You get a score, the issues in order of importance, and what to fix.
Is the audit really free?+
Yes. No card and no trial to cancel. You see the results on screen in about a minute, and we email you a copy.
What happens after the audit?+
You can fix the issues yourself with the steps in the report. Or connect your site to ARIQ: it tracks Search Console and Analytics, watches for changes every day, and ARIQ AI drafts the fixes for you to approve.
Find out if AI can recommend you.
Free AEO audit. About a minute. The fixes come with it.
Run my free AEO audit