What is AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation)?
AEO, or Answer Engine Optimisation, is the process of improving how clearly AI search tools can find, understand and use information about your business. It combines strong SEO foundations with clear website structure, expert-led content, relevant schema, AI-crawler accessibility and direct answers to the questions your buyers ask. The aim is to increase the likelihood that your business is mentioned, recommended or cited in answers from tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity.
How is AEO different from SEO?
SEO helps pages rank in traditional search results, while AEO improves how suitable your website is for AI-generated answers, recommendations and citations. They share the same foundations, including technical accessibility, useful content, authority and clear site structure. AEO adds greater focus on entity clarity, buyer questions, answer-led content, supporting evidence and the prompts people use in AI search.
How can I get my business cited by ChatGPT and other AI tools?
AI citations cannot be guaranteed. The strongest foundations are a crawlable and indexable website, clear information about your services and expertise, expert-led content that directly answers buyer questions, relevant structured data, verifiable evidence and consistent authority signals across your website and trusted third-party sources. I assess which prompts matter, who is currently being cited and which gaps are most likely to improve your visibility.
Why do competitors appear in AI answers when my business does not?
AI systems may have clearer, more accessible or better-supported information about those competitors. Common causes include weak entity signals, limited coverage of buyer questions, inaccessible pages, vague service copy, insufficient evidence, poor internal linking or stronger third-party mentions for competing brands. An AI visibility audit identifies which of these gaps apply.
Does schema markup help a website appear in AI search?
Schema markup can help search engines interpret the entities, services and relationships described on a page, but schema alone does not create rankings or guarantee AI citations. It works best when it accurately reflects clear, visible content and is combined with crawlability, useful expert content, evidence and authority.
Can an existing website be optimised for AI search without a redesign?
Usually, yes. Many improvements can be made within the existing design by refining headings and copy, improving technical accessibility, strengthening internal links, adding useful question-led content, clarifying entities and services, and implementing accurate structured data. A redesign is only necessary when the current platform or user experience prevents meaningful improvement.
What does the free SEO and AI visibility scorecard include?
A human-reviewed assessment of your search visibility, AI visibility and on-site conversion signals, with prioritised practical recommendations. It reviews whether AI assistants can access and understand your website, how your business appears for relevant buyer prompts and where your pages may be losing enquiries. It is delivered within 48 hours, completely free, with no obligation.
