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Decoding the Jargon

AEO

Answer Engine Optimisation · Also called answer engine optimization

SEOTerm

Industry term for making your content easy to pick up as a direct answer, in AI tools such as ChatGPT or Google's AI Mode, and in answer boxes on search results. It is a label for practices, not a separate Google system.

Example

Meera adds clear question-and-answer sections to her size guide: 'What size kurta fits a 36-inch bust?' with a direct answer first, then detail.

How you'll hear it

“Our AEO is weak: the answer is buried in paragraph six.”

Don't confuse it with

  • GEO: another label for the same idea, focused on generative AI answers. Neither is a separate discipline from SEO.
  • SEO: Google says the same SEO best practices apply to its AI features.

Related terms

GEOAI OverviewsFeatured snippetZero-click search

Want to use this at work? AI-led SEO Excellence is aFactor's 16-week program for SEO work.

Sources

  1. Answer engine optimization (AEO), Semrush
  2. Answer engine optimization, Ahrefs
  3. AI features and your website, Google Search Central

Checked 1 October 2026. Examples use a fictional business; figures are illustrative.

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