AEO (Answer Engine Optimization): Winning in a conversational world

Bottom line: stop optimizing only for pages to be clicked; start optimizing answers to be cited.

• Zero‑click outcomes are now the norm; a majority of Google searches could end without a website click.
• Google’s AI Overviews (AIO) appear for a meaningful share of queries and sit above organic results.
• When AIO appears, the top organic result’s CTR can fall dramatically. Translation: ranking ≠ visibility.

Don’t stop optimizing for clicks — think of it as doing both: build answers to be cited and pages to be clicked.

• Now: Google and AI engines still send traffic to websites. If your site shows up as a citation, some users will click through.
• Future: As AI answers get better, fewer users will click. Clicks won’t disappear — they’ll just shift to higher-intent use cases (like booking, purchase, research).

Stick to SSR and schema — those are proven. Experiment with llms.txt, but don’t bet the farm on it.

• Now:SSR (server-side rendering); Schema (JSON-LD, FAQ, HowTo)llms.txt: A new file format suggested for LLM crawlers. Not universal. Some engines may check it; many ignore it.
• Future:Schema support may broaden — but engines like Perplexity/ChatGPT don’t rely heavily on it today.llms.txt may become like robots.txt (the industry standard for crawler rules), but it’s too early to treat it as guaranteed.

In AEO, freshness has even more weight because AI rotates citations.

• Now: Google and other engines reward fresh timestamps, but they don’t need you to refresh weekly if your content is evergreen (e.g., “What is GST in India?”).
• Future: As AI citations rotate, fresher content will matter more, but the refresh cycle is still query-dependent.

Posting in forums can help, but it must look natural. Over-engineered forum posts risk looking spammy.

• Now: Perplexity and ChatGPT often cite forums, Reddit threads, YouTube transcripts. Google is more conservative — it mostly prefers “authoritative” pages.
• Future: AI answers will keep blending “expert content” with “community content.”

Continue to build backlinks, but also claim Wikidata entries, LinkedIn profiles, GBP listings, etc.

• Now: In SEO, backlinks (other sites linking to you) still matter. In AEO, engines care more about “entity authority” — your brand or person being recognized across Wikipedia, Wikidata, LinkedIn, or high-trust sources.
• Future: These will converge — backlinks will remain signals, but “being an entity” will grow in weight.

• AEO is not deterministic. Doing the right things only increases your chances of being cited — it doesn’t guarantee it.
• No reliable tool that tells you exactly how often your brand is cited inside AI answers. Referral tracking s also messy because AI engines often hide the source.
• YMYL (Your Money, Your Life): For finance, health, legal topics, engines require more than just good writing. Expect this to tighten further, with engines refusing to cite non-credentialed sources.

Caveat: A lot of this is familiar and SEO relevant – but interesting nuances and ensuring hygiene for AEO

• Server‑render (SSR); avoid JS‑only content: LLM crawlers also need SSR.
• JSON‑LD for FAQ/HowTo/Product/Org/Person; sameAs to LinkedIn/Wikipedia/Wikidata. Debate which schema types you emphasize (e.g., Person/Org for AEO vs Product/Review for SEO).
• Semantic headings; lists & HTML tables for comparisons.
• robots.txt: permit GPTBot/PerplexityBot/CCBot (if policy allows).
• Optional/test: llms.txt / llms-full.txt to expose authoritative docs.

• Map question clusters around intents; potentially make each H2 one question with a concise “answer block.” (for example 1-3 sentences)
• Prefer listicles for comparisons (steps, pros/cons, checklists).
• Add numbers, units, and current year where relevant; cite sources.
• Localize context (India pricing, availability, BIS/FSSAI, RBI norms, etc.).

• Digital PR to earn mentions on high‑authority and UGC domains.
• Collect first‑party reviews; strengthen Google Business Profile (GBP).
• YouTube: 6–8‑minute explainers with full transcripts & chapters.
• Participate (ethically) in relevant forums/subreddits; publish expert POV on LinkedIn under named authors. Note: Keep this genuine – Encourage team members to share genuine expertise in relevant forums/communities.

• Track Share-of-Answer (citations, volatility, hallucinations); tools are still experimental.
• Get your team on it: Run periodic AI answer spot-checks across platforms

• Refresh top hubs when facts change or citations decay (cadence will vary by topic); entity hygiene (Wikidata, GBP NAP).
• Clear policy on AI crawlers & firewalls. Maintain an internal tracker of which AI crawlers are allowed/blocked, and revisit quarterly.
• Brand/claims review for YMYL topics.