Over the past two decades, search engine optimization has become a must for businesses of all types. Businesses quickly learned the ins and outs of SEO, along with tips and tricks that could give their sites an extra boost. Unfortunately, search engines like Google and Bing are constantly updating their algorithms — sometimes just to shut down the “tricks” — and new technologies emerge that force companies to rethink and update their SEO planning.
AEO, or answer engine optimization, is one such technology that many businesses are taking advantage of. And as the war between Google and Bing heats up and artificial intelligence becomes central in search, AEO is a content optimization strategy businesses need to embrace.
Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) Defined
AEO optimizes content so that key parts of it will appear in snippets or answer boxes that headline search engine results pages, especially when search queries are phrased as questions. Optimizing content for answers is becoming more essential as people’s search habits change. More and more people are using voice search and chatbots, which operate in a conversational, question-and-answer manner.
What Is AEO?
Simply put, AEO optimizes content so that key parts of it will appear in snippets or answer boxes that headline search engine results pages, especially when search queries are phrased as questions. Optimizing content for answers is becoming more essential as people’s search habits change. More and more people are using virtual assistants like Siri and Alexa, as well as voice search and chatbots. These technologies, like new AI engines such as ChatGPT, operate in a conversational, question-and-answer manner.
Traditional SEO aims to rank content high within search engine results, whereas answer engine optimization works to directly answer users’ queries without their even needing to click through to a website. To accomplish this, content must be clear, concise, and tailored to the questions and target market. Successful AEO bridges the gap between cold algorithms and a humanlike understanding of search questions.
What’s at Stake With SEO Today?
Although SEO is nothing new, the field is still very much on the rise. By 2028, the SEO services market is expected to grow to $170 billion with a compound annual growth rate, or CAGR, of 17.6 percent. That growth will include digital advertising revenues, internet penetration in developing countries, and the increase in social media usage.
A challenge for companies and websites, however, is that SEO algorithms have become more sophisticated. Pages stuffed with keywords and backlinks from low-quality websites no longer do the trick. Today, high-quality, super-relevant content is a must.
AEO offers opportunities here. With content optimized for questions, businesses can directly answer users’ queries. In snippets, the content appears to be a trustworthy source of information on the question, as it provides accurate, relevant, and easily accessible answers, which search engines prioritize and users rely on for credible information.
Additionally, because it appears at the top of search engine results, it catches the user’s eye and makes them believe in its reliability.
A study by Hrefs, a provider of SEO tools and resources, found that snippets ranked in the number one spot receive 8.6 percent of clicks. The page ranked just below it receives, on average, 19.6 percent of clicks. This may seem like more, but it is a relative decline from the 26 percent that it received before or without featured snippets.
Those are impressive numbers in a world where old tricks have lost their luster.
How to Craft Content for AEO Strategies
AEO involves a strategic shift in how sites structure their content. Clarity, concision and relevance become the priority. Although content must still be appealing to human readers, it must also align with AI algorithms. This requires straightforward language that directly answers questions, along with well-structured articles laid out with clear subheadings.
For example, a website offering legal advice might have an article titled “How to File for Divorce" with subheadings like “Understanding Divorce Requirements,” “Filing the Necessary Paperwork,” and “What to Expect During the Process.” Each section would use simple, direct language to answer common questions like “What forms do I need to file for divorce?” and “How long does the divorce process take?” This structure not only helps human readers quickly find the information they need, but also ensures that AI algorithms can easily extract and present the most relevant content in search results, improving the site’s visibility and trustworthiness.
One strategy that directly meets these needs is a question-and-answer format, as is common on FAQ pages. The Q&A format is appealing to readers because it provides clear, direct answers to their specific queries, making information easy to find and digest. It also mirrors the manner of AI-driven searches as algorithms are designed to identify and prioritize content that directly responds to user questions.
And just as SEO begins with keyword research, AEO should begin with understanding the types of questions your target audience is likely to ask. This understanding should then direct the content-creation process to produce authoritative content that directly answers anticipated questions. To achieve this, start with keyword research using tools like Google Keyword Planner or AnswerThePublic to find common queries related to your industry.
For example, a skincare website might identify that users frequently search for “How to treat acne naturally,” guiding the creation of content focused on natural remedies. You can also opt for manual research, where you look at similar articles or competitor organizations and analyze what keywords they are ranking for.
Analyzing customer feedback and exploring online forums like Quora can also show you real-world questions your audience is asking, such as common concerns about return policies, leading you to create a detailed FAQ section.
How to Structure Data in AEO
The effective use of structured data is another ingredient in AEO’s success. Structured data tells search engines the exact type of content on a site, such as whether it’s a news article, a how-to guide, or a product listing. An example resource for structured data tags is Schema.org.
Schema.org offers schemas, which provide search engines with information about your pages. It offers schemas for products, people, events, and many other common types of web pages. For example, suppose you run an online store selling books. By using the “Product” schema from Schema.org, you can add structured data to your product pages, specifying details like the book’s title, author, price, availability and even customer reviews. This structured data helps search engines understand that your page is a product listing for a book, which can lead to enhanced search result features, such as displaying the book’s price or star ratings directly in search results. This not only improves your site’s visibility but also makes the information more accessible and appealing to potential customers.
AEO and Improved User Experience
Traditional SEO emphasizes creating content that’s engaging and attractive to human readers. A text whose purpose is just to repeat keywords and pack in links will turn off site visitors instantly. The same holds true for AEO.
Though content should answer questions in a straightforward manner, it must still be informative and valuable to readers. Avoid writing styles that sound like AI and technical jargon. Just as with SEO, AEO content must walk a fine line between optimization and great, engaging copy.
Further strategies include adding alt text for images, transcripts for video content, and efficient keyboard navigability. For example, if you run a blog about cooking, you should add descriptive alt text to your recipe images, like “Freshly baked chocolate chip cookies on a cooling rack.” This helps users with visual impairments understand what the image depicts through screen readers. You can also provide a transcript for any cooking videos you post, so users who are deaf or hard of hearing can follow along with the content. This ensures your content is accessible to all potential users regardless of their understanding and circumstances.
Ongoing Challenges for AEO
Only one thing is certain with Google: Its search engine is in a constant, ongoing state of change. So too are competitors like Bing as they integrate AI in hopes of carving into Google’s vastly dominant market share. As a result, there is no sure way to put content into Google snippets. Today’s magic tricks may result in an algorithm change that makes them worthless tomorrow.
Ongoing changes mean that monitoring your results will be important. AEO will, like SEO before it, require regular monitoring and changes in content planning and strategies to stay aligned with evolving search trends and maintain optimal visibility. Use tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console to track performance metrics. Watch for fluctuations in snippet appearances and rankings, stay updated on search engine algorithm changes, and analyze user feedback and behavior. Also, regularly review competitor activity to adapt your strategies accordingly.
One other possible challenge is answers that are too good. If the snippet fully satisfies the searcher’s question, that user may not click through to the website the snipper comes from. To address this, enhance your snippet with a compelling call-to-action or additional context that encourages users to visit your site for more. For example, include phrases like “Discover expert tips and exclusive content on our full guide” to entice users to click through and explore further.
The Future of AEO
AEO is not a replacement for SEO; it’s more of an enhancement. In the future, the two will be intertwined, with websites needing to optimize content for both strategies.
Virtual assistants and chatbots are becoming more and more popular. Siri and Alexa are constantly gaining new users through devices that come equipped with them, while chatbots are appearing on all types of websites to answer users’ questions. As a result, the use of questions in searches — and the expectation of a direct answer — will continue to grow. For some companies, being able to provide the most direct answer first will be a must.
Although Google still rules the search world with more than 90 percent of the market, according to Statista, AEO, chatbots, virtual assistants, and engines like ChatGPT are creating a new landscape that gives businesses new ways to reach audiences and new opportunities for traffic growth.
And that is the real power of AEO: Creating new opportunities and discovering existing ones for your business and implementing them through expertise to give your target market the answers it needs.
