Classic SEO optimized for ten blue links. Answer Engine Optimization optimizes for a single cited sentence inside an AI-generated answer. The playbook overlaps with SEO but the emphasis has shifted — structure, specificity, and authority signals now matter more than keyword density.
What LLMs actually cite
Across ChatGPT Search, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews, the pages that get cited share a few traits: clean semantic HTML, one clear answer per heading, and a verifiable source (a company, a named author, a date).
- Lead every section with a direct, one-sentence answer — then expand.
- Use semantic HTML: real h2/h3 hierarchy, lists, tables where appropriate.
- Publish original data, quotes, or benchmarks — LLMs favor primary sources.
- Keep pages crawlable without JS. Client-rendered content is frequently skipped.
Schema still matters — more, not less
Organization, Article, FAQPage, and HowTo schema give engines structured hooks. LLM pipelines lean on them for entity resolution and attribution. Validate every page through Schema.org's validator before shipping.
If a skeptical reader cannot tell who wrote the page, when, and with what evidence, neither can an LLM.
Tracking AEO performance
Traditional rank trackers miss the point. Use tools that log when and how your domain appears inside AI answers — Profound, Peec.ai, and Otterly are the ones we use with clients — and track branded query volume in GSC as a proxy for AI-driven awareness.
Want your site cited by AI engines?
We audit and rebuild content for AEO — structure, schema, authority signals, and tracking. Book a free call.