The short version
People are changing how they search for things. Instead of typing “best employment lawyer Boston” into Google and clicking through ten results, they’re asking ChatGPT or Perplexity directly: “Who’s a good employment lawyer in Boston?”
The AI gives them an answer. Sometimes it cites sources. Sometimes it doesn’t. Either way, the person got what they needed without ever visiting a website.
Answer Engine Optimization is about making sure when that AI generates an answer, it’s pulling from your content and (ideally) mentioning you by name.
That’s it. That’s AEO.
Why this matters now
Google still dominates search. That’s not changing tomorrow. But the way people use search is shifting, and it’s shifting fast.
ChatGPT has over 100 million users. Perplexity is growing. Google itself is putting AI-generated answers at the top of search results with their “AI Overviews.” Microsoft’s Bing has Copilot built in.
For certain types of questions, especially “who should I hire” and “what’s the best option for X,” people are increasingly skipping the traditional search results entirely.
If your business depends on people finding you through search, you can’t ignore this.
Here’s what’s actually happening: Someone asks an AI “what law firm handles employment disputes in Boston?” The AI looks at its training data plus whatever it can access in real-time, synthesizes an answer, and often cites sources. If your content is well-structured and authoritative, you get mentioned. If it’s not, your competitor does.
How AEO is different from SEO
SEO is about ranking. You want to be on page one, ideally in the top three results. You optimize for keywords, build backlinks, improve site speed. The goal is to get clicks.
AEO is about being cited. You want the AI to use your content as a source when it generates an answer. You optimize for structured data, clear organization, and direct answers to questions. The goal is to be referenced.
Here’s a practical comparison:
| SEO | AEO |
|---|---|
| Optimize for keywords | Optimize for questions and entities |
| Success = ranking on page one | Success = being cited in AI answers |
| Build backlinks | Build structured data and entity authority |
| Meta descriptions matter a lot | Schema markup matters a lot |
| Write for humans, optimize for crawlers | Write for humans, structure for AI parsing |
The good news: there’s a lot of overlap. If you’re doing SEO well, you’re already partway there. The bad news: there are specific things AI systems need that traditional SEO doesn’t prioritize.
What actually matters for AEO
Let me break this down into stuff that’s genuinely important vs. stuff that’s marketing hype.
Structured data (schema markup)
This is the big one. Structured data is code that tells search engines and AI systems exactly what your content is about. It’s the difference between a search engine guessing that you’re a law firm and explicitly telling it “this is a LegalService provided by this Organization at this Address with these PracticeAreas.”
AI systems rely heavily on structured data to understand and categorize information. If you don’t have it, you’re making them guess. They don’t like guessing.
The most useful types for professional services:
- Organization and LocalBusiness schema. Basic info about who you are, where you’re located, what you do.
- Service schema. What specific services you offer.
- FAQPage schema. Questions and answers that AI systems can pull directly.
- Person schema. For individual professionals, attorneys, doctors, etc.
- Review and AggregateRating schema. Social proof that AI systems can reference.
Direct answers to questions
AI systems are trying to answer questions. If your content directly answers questions in a clear, structured way, you’re more likely to get cited.
This means thinking about what questions your potential clients actually ask and answering them explicitly on your website. Not buried in paragraphs of text. Actually structured as questions and answers.
Weak: “Our firm has extensive experience in employment law matters including wrongful termination, discrimination, and harassment cases.”
Better: “What types of employment cases do you handle? We handle wrongful termination, workplace discrimination, sexual harassment, wage disputes, and retaliation claims. Most of our clients are employees, though we also represent small business owners.”
See the difference? The second version is structured as a question and answer. An AI can easily pull that and use it.
Entity optimization
This one sounds more complicated than it is. “Entities” just means real things. People, places, businesses, concepts. Google and AI systems try to understand not just keywords but the actual entities you’re talking about.
For a law firm, your entities include: your firm name, your attorneys, your practice areas, your office locations, cases you’ve worked on, bar associations you belong to, awards you’ve won.
The more clearly you establish these entities and the connections between them, the more authority you build in AI systems’ understanding of who you are.
Practically, this means:
- Consistent NAP (name, address, phone) across your site and all directories
- Clear “About” pages for your firm and individual professionals
- Schema markup connecting everything together
- References to recognized entities (bar associations, certifications, notable cases)
Content that’s easy to parse
AI systems do better with content that’s well-organized. Headers, subheaders, lists, tables. Clear topic sentences. One idea per paragraph.
This isn’t about dumbing down your content. It’s about making it scannable and structured. The irony is that content optimized for AI tends to be easier for humans to read too.
What doesn’t matter (despite what you’ll read elsewhere)
There’s a lot of noise out there about AEO. Some of it is useful. Some of it is people trying to sell you stuff.
You don’t need to completely rewrite your website. If your content is good and answers real questions, you’re most of the way there. The technical stuff (schema, structure) can be added without starting over.
You don’t need to optimize for every AI tool separately. The fundamentals are the same across ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Google’s AI Overviews. Good structured content works everywhere.
You don’t need to stuff your content with “AI keywords.” That’s not a thing. Write naturally. Answer questions clearly. Structure well. That’s it.
The overlap with SEO
If you’re doing SEO, you’re not starting from zero on AEO. A lot of the fundamentals carry over:
- Quality content that answers real questions
- Good site structure and internal linking
- Fast, mobile-friendly website
- Accurate business information
- Authority and trustworthiness signals
The AEO-specific additions are mostly about structure and markup:
- More comprehensive schema markup
- Content formatted as clear Q&A where appropriate
- Stronger entity definition and connection
- Explicit answers to common questions (not just implying answers)
Who should care about this
Not every business needs to prioritize AEO right now. But if any of these describe you, it should be on your radar:
Professional services firms. Law, healthcare, consulting, financial services. When people are looking for a professional to hire, they’re increasingly asking AI for recommendations.
Businesses where trust matters. If your prospects need to trust you before they buy, being cited as an authoritative source helps.
Competitive local markets. If you’re competing for visibility in a specific geographic area, AI-generated recommendations can be a differentiator.
Anyone whose prospects are researching before contacting. The longer and more complex your sales cycle, the more touchpoints your prospects have with search (traditional and AI).
What to do next
If you’re convinced this matters (or at least curious), here’s where to start:
Audit your structured data. Do you have any schema markup on your site? Is it accurate and comprehensive? Google’s Rich Results Test can show you what you have.
Look at your content through a Q&A lens. What questions do your prospects actually ask? Are those questions answered clearly on your site? Are they structured as actual Q&A, or buried in paragraphs?
Test what AI says about you. Ask ChatGPT or Perplexity questions your prospects might ask. Do you come up? If so, is the information accurate? If not, why not?
Check your entity presence. Is your business information consistent across the web? Do you have clear “About” pages? Is your professional information (for individuals) well-documented?
Want to know where you stand?
We offer a free SEO and AEO assessment. We’ll look at your structured data, your content organization, and how you’re showing up (or not) in AI-generated answers.
The bottom line
AEO isn’t a replacement for SEO. It’s an extension of it. The search landscape is fragmenting across traditional search, AI chat tools, and AI-powered search features. Smart businesses are optimizing for all of it.
The good news is the fundamentals haven’t changed. Quality content, good structure, clear answers to real questions, technical health. AEO just adds some specific technical requirements and a shift in how you think about content organization.
If you’re already doing SEO well, adding AEO isn’t a massive lift. If you’re not doing SEO well, now’s a good time to get both right.