The definitive guide to Generative Engine Optimization
Master the frameworks, data structures, and content strategies required to win visibility across AI assistants.
Our guide is structured with accessible typography, consistent spacing, and SEO-friendly markup so it performs across channels.
Understand the new search landscape
Generative engines rely on entity knowledge, structured data, and conversational responses. Our guide explains how to orchestrate all three.
What is AEO?
A discipline that ensures your brand is referenced accurately inside AI-generated answers across text, voice, and visual surfaces.
- Differences between SEO, GEO, and AEO
- How answer engines build conversational snippets
- Factors that influence trust and authority
Why it matters now
AI assistants act as decision-makers, routing purchase intent directly to the businesses they trust.
- Rise of zero-click journeys and agent-mediated commerce
- Impact on local, B2B, and enterprise discovery
- Measurement models for AI-influenced revenue
Blueprint for operationalizing GEO and AEO
Use our step-by-step playbooks to align teams, content, and analytics around AI visibility goals.
Intent research framework
Cluster prompts by job-to-be-done and map them to structured content components.
- Prompt expansion worksheets
- Entity coverage scoring sheets
- Cross-channel editorial calendar template
Technical checklist
Ensure AI can crawl, parse, and trust your data across web, app, and knowledge graph surfaces.
- Schema markup validation routines
- Content freshness automation
- Compliance and accessibility guidelines
Governance model
Assign roles, review cycles, and escalation paths so updates never stall.
- RACI matrices for multi-team collaboration
- Approval workflows inside Zaeo
- Audit trails for regulatory oversight
AEO vs SEO vs GEO—quick answers
Foundational definitions and best practices answer the most searched questions, optimized for answer engines and humans.
What is Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)?
AEO is the practice of earning citations and accurate inclusions inside AI assistants and answer engines, not just ranking blue links.
AEO vs SEO—what’s different?
SEO targets search engine result pages; AEO targets AI-generated answers. Data quality, structure, and authority signals matter most.
AEO vs GEO—how do they relate?
GEO focuses on generative search broadly; AEO is the operational discipline to achieve visibility within those systems.
How to evaluate AEO success?
Track citations, brand mentions, share of voice in AI answers, and assisted conversions alongside organic sessions.
How to publish llms.txt?
Create a root-level file that lists sources, datasets, and quoting rules. Pair with robots directives for AI crawlers.
Which schema types help most?
FAQPage, HowTo, Product, SoftwareApplication, and Dataset are high-impact for answer engines when kept accurate and fresh.