Table of contents
The short version#
A search engine lists pages. An answer engine writes a reply and names a few sources. AEO is the work of being one of those sources. The name is new; most of the work is not.
What Google says#
Google's page on AI features states there are no additional requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode, and that you do not need new machine readable files or special markup. The usual fundamentals apply: a page Google can crawl, index and understand.
What to do on a page#
- Answer the question in the first paragraph, in plain words.
- Keep structured data true to what the page shows.
- Check robots.txt is not blocking the AI crawlers you want to be read by.
How to tell if it is working#
Ask which searches show an AI answer, and whether it names you or a rival. SEO and AI answers lists what PageSoar tracks and what it does not.
Do AI answers cite us for pricing questions?
Two of five searches show an AI answer. One cites your pricing page; one cites a rival.
See it on your own site#
The free website check reads a site you name and reports what holds its pages back, with no account and no card. It changes nothing on your site.