Answer Engine Optimization

Get your business named in the AI answer

AEO is making your site readable and quotable enough that ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google's AI name you when a customer asks. It is the same job as GEO, and GeoRoar scores it, then hands you the fixes.

Free. No signup. About 30 seconds.

AI answer

"Who is the best [your service] near me?"

Based on reviews and reputation, a few strong options are:

  1. Your business
  2. A competitor
  3. Another competitor

Illustration. AI names only a few. AEO is the work of being one of them.

What AEO actually means

For twenty years the goal was to rank: climb the list of blue links and earn the click. More of your customers now get their answer straight from an AI, which names only a few businesses. AEO is the work of being one of those named sources.

You will see the same idea written three ways. They describe the same goal, so if you optimize for one, you optimize for all three.

AEOAnswer Engine Optimization
=
GEOGenerative Engine Optimization
=
AIEOAI Engine Optimization

AEO vs SEO

One line each. They share some plumbing, but the scoring is different.

AEO

Optimizes for being quoted inside a single AI answer. Rewards clean, readable, quotable, well-corroborated pages.

vs

SEO

Optimizes for ranking in a list of links. Rewards backlinks, keywords, and competitive rank for a term.

38%
By early 2026, only about 38% of pages cited in Google's AI Overviews also ranked in the top 10 for that query, down from roughly 76% a year earlier. Ranking number one is no longer a reliable ticket into the answer.
2025
76%
2026
38%
23x
And getting named pays off. In Ahrefs' own data, visitors who arrive from an AI answer converted at up to 23 times the rate of Google search visitors, because the person has already done their research inside the chat. Cross-industry averages are lower, but the direction is clear: AI-referred visitors are ready to buy.

Full breakdown: SEO vs AEO, why ranking on Google no longer gets you found. Conversion figure: Ahrefs.

The six things AEO is graded on

GeoRoar scores your site against a fixed 100-point rubric. These six categories decide whether an AI can read, trust, and cite you.

1

Machine Access & Crawlability

Can the AI crawlers (GPTBot, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot, Google-Extended) actually read your pages?

2

Structured Data

Valid schema that tells engines what you are, where you are, and what you offer.

3

Answerability of Content

Clear, self-contained answers to the questions customers actually ask, in text an engine can quote.

4

Entity Clarity & Consistency

A clear, consistent identity so AI knows exactly who you are across the web.

5

Trust & Transparency

Signals that you are a real, credible business worth citing.

6

Off-site Corroboration

Consistent mentions, reviews, and listings elsewhere that back up what your own site says.

How GeoRoar does AEO

Most AI-visibility tools only monitor. GeoRoar does the other half: it finds the problems, then writes the fixes.

Rory, the GeoRoar mascot, reviewing an audit
Step 1

Audit

Enter a URL. GeoRoar fetches and grades your pages against the 100-point rubric in about 30 seconds.

Step 2

Score

See your score and the six category breakdowns, with the biggest fixable gaps called out in plain language.

Step 3

Fix

Get the actual corrections: robots.txt, llms.txt, schema, and copy rewrites, ready to paste in.

83
GEO score / 100
Grade B
Machine Access18/20
Structured Data16/18
Answerability18/22
Off-site Corroboration6/10

A sample GeoRoar scorecard. Yours is free, in about 30 seconds.

We can't promise any AI will recommend you. What we do: make your site readable and clear enough to be in the running, and hand you the exact files to fix it.

AEO questions people ask

What is AEO (Answer Engine Optimization)?

It is the practice of getting your business named and cited inside AI-generated answers on ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Copilot, and Google's AI Overviews. Instead of ranking in a list of links, you are trying to be one of the few sources the answer quotes.

Is AEO the same as GEO?

Yes, in practice. AEO, GEO (Generative Engine Optimization), and AIEO (AI Engine Optimization) describe the same goal. The acronyms differ; the work is the same.

Is AEO the same as SEO?

No. SEO optimizes for ranking in a list of links; AEO optimizes for being quoted inside a single AI answer. The overlap between the two is shrinking fast.

How do I optimize for AEO?

Let the AI crawlers in, add valid structured data, write clear 40 to 60 word answers to real customer questions, state clearly who and where you are, and build consistent mentions off-site. GeoRoar scores all of this and generates the fixes.

Which AI engines does AEO target?

ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google's AI Overviews and Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot. Each pulls sources a little differently, but all reward pages that are crawlable, structured, quotable, and corroborated.

How do I check my AEO score?

Run your site through the free GeoRoar audit. It grades you against a 100-point rubric across six categories and shows what is helping or hurting your chances of being cited. Free, about 30 seconds, no signup.

Is AEO better than SEO?

Neither is better; they do different jobs. SEO wins clicks from Google's list of links. AEO wins mentions inside AI answers. As more people ask AI instead of searching, AEO matters more, but the smart move is to keep the SEO that works and add AEO.

How do you optimise for AEO?

Make your site easy for AI to read and quote: allow the AI crawlers, add valid structured data, answer real customer questions in clear 40 to 60 word chunks, state clearly who and where you are, and earn consistent mentions off-site. GeoRoar scores all of this and generates the fixes.

Is AEO taking over SEO?

Not taking over, but taking share. Nearly 6 in 10 Google searches now end without a click because an AI answer handles them. SEO still drives real traffic, so this is a shift, not a death. Businesses that add AEO now get named in the answers while competitors wait.

Is SEO still worth it in 2026?

Yes. SEO still brings a large share of traffic, and many AEO fundamentals like crawlability, clear content, and structured data help both. The mistake is doing only SEO. Keep what works and add AEO so you show up whether a customer uses Google's links or an AI answer.

Start free, pay only when you want the fixes

No upsell calls.

Free

Audit

$0
  • Full 100-point score
  • Every check, pass or fail
  • Prioritized fix list

Free forever. No sign-up.

Run free audit
One-time

Fix Pack

$99 / site
  • robots.txt + llms.txt for your whole domain
  • Ready-to-paste schema (structured data) for your business
  • Copy rewrites for your homepage and key pages
  • Schema templates for repeating pages (products, listings)
  • Step-by-step README to apply it
  • Emailed as a .zip within minutes

Runs after your free audit.

Get the Fix Pack
Done for you

We implement it

$999 once
  • Everything in the Fix Pack, done for you
  • We apply the fixes to your key pages
  • For owners who'd rather not touch code
  • Done by our team, not a plugin

We reply the same day.

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Subscription

Monitor

$19 / mo
  • Everything in the Fix Pack
  • Automatic re-audits on a schedule
  • Score-trend history over time
  • Alerts the moment your score drops
  • Refreshed fixes as your site and AI standards change
  • Cancel anytime

Begins with your free audit.

Start Monitor

GeoRoar vs. hiring a GEO agency

Both get you into AI answers. They fit different budgets and timelines.

GeoRoar

  • See your score in about 30 seconds, on screen, no signup
  • The exact fixes handed to you: $99 one-time
  • Optional monitoring at $19/mo, cancel anytime
  • You own the changes and stay in control
vs

A GEO agency

  • Fill out a form and wait for someone to send an audit
  • Done-for-you strategy, content, and site work
  • Typically a monthly retainer, often thousands
  • Best if you want to hand the whole thing off

An agency is a real fit if you want to outsource everything long term. GeoRoar is for seeing where you stand today and fixing it without a retainer. Want us to implement it for you? That is the $999 done-for-you plan above.

Rory, the GeoRoar mascot, holding a wrench

See how AI reads your site

Your AEO score in about 30 seconds, plus the biggest things holding you back.

Free. No signup.