Previously, when you do a search on Google, what you get on the search results are links to relevant websites.
Later, featured snippets that give you summarised answers were the first things you encountered.
But now, what you have is the AI overview section. As a business or blog owner, this should concern you. Because one of the mistakes you can make in business is to be far behind a trend.
Competing rightly in the labour market requires quickly plugging into what’s trendy and even having the foresight to see what will be trendy before your competitors.
That said, if using Answer Engine Optimization is not part of your internet marketing strategies, you are doing digital marketing wrong.
But not to worry, you still have a chance by incorporating all I share in this article to give your website a fighting chance to feature in search engine results as well as other platforms.
I say that because AI optimization is not limited to Google and other search engines; it also gives you visibility with other platforms like Alexa and Siri, Perplexity, and Meta AI among others.
All these platforms surf the net to find answers to questions people ask them everyday.
And as we well know, AI has changed searchers’ behaviour because it provides a curated answer unlike when you had to go through different websites to find your answer.
Therefore, it goes without reason that you need to incorporate AEO in your marketing strategy.
What is Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)?
Answer Engine Optimization is the process of improving your website content to feature in the search results as one of the direct answers to a query on search engines and other AI generators.
Now, remember I mentioned earlier that searchers’ behaviour has changed due to being trained to get direct answers from AI generators.
Therefore, it is very likely that most people will no longer go beyond the AI Overview section on search engines because they’ve already gotten a direct answer to what they need.
And if they need clarification, they can conveniently click on the sources’ website by the side instead of scrolling down.
See image below: the direct answer is on the left while the sources for the answer are on the right, making it very convenient for searchers.
So, your job as a business owner or marketer is to make sure your website is used as one of those sources because you may not get as many searchers scrolling down to find your website if you are placed elsewhere on the search engine.
Does that mean SEO is dead and you shouldn’t do SEO anymore?
Absolutely not! It just means you now need to do extra to combine both SEO and AEO into your marketing efforts.
Also Read: 15 Common Marketing Mistakes to Avoid as a Small Business
How Using Answer Engine Optimization Impacts Your Website
Ultimately, what you want to know is if AEO actually helps you get traffic to your site. I mean, that’s why you are reading this.
The problem is that there is no definite answer to this as it could drive traffic and it may not.
Let me break it down.
When AI features your content to answer someone’s question, it doesn’t show the whole post; it only pulls a small part that it thinks is relevant to the query.
Now, here lies the problem. That snippet might be enough to catch the searcher’s interest and they may click on your website URL to read more.
But if the answer gives them exactly what they need, why bother looking for more?
So, it is basically a two-edged sword.
Now, you may be wondering why I’m recommending this strategy when it is not a guaranteed win for your website traffic.
Well, in the first place, it is good for brand visibility even if it doesn’t always translate to immediate traffic.
While they may not click, your brand name is registered in their brain as an expert and authority in that field.
And there is something to be said about being top of mind of potential clients. When they need you, they will look for you.
For example, the reason why Temu is a popular ecommerce brand today despite the conflicting reviews online about them is because of how much they flooded the internet when they launched.
They were everywhere – in all our faces – and as a result, they became the most-downloaded app in my country.
That shows that brand visibility is not useless; it puts you in front of people who are likely to need what you offer.
Also, AEO strategies – more on that later – are quite similar to the optimizing tactics you need to appear on featured snippets or the People Also Ask section.
So, improving your content for answer engines will also likely earn you a place in this section, which could also boost your traffic.
Although more on that later, you may be wondering if it’s necessary to answer any of these questions as the spot is already taken. Well, like my people say, “overtaking is allowed.”
First of all, sometimes, the answers are not relevant enough as search engines can only provide the best of what’s available.
They are not originally the sources of these answers; they only pull from what’s available on the internet.
So, if you have a better or more relevant answer, why not?
Secondly, even if they do have great answers, who says you can’t provide a more excellent answer? So, don’t be deterred. If those questions appeared in the People Also Ask sections, it means people need as many answers as they can get.
Answer Engine Optimization Strategies to Employ
1. Become an Authority In Your Field
If you want AI to view you as a trustworthy source, you need to establish yourself as an authority in your niche, and that takes consistent visibility across the web.
Let’s look at the different ways to do this.
Publish regularly
One of the simplest ways to start is by posting regularly on your website or blog. Don’t just post for the sake of it though; share insights, tips, tutorials, case studies, or updates that actually help your audience.
Over time, this positions you as a source of useful content that AI and human readers can rely on.
Get backlinks
This often sounds like a sketchy method to webmasters. But as someone who also has an issue with unscrupulous strategies, you have nothing to worry about; I won’t ask you to buy backlinks. I will only ask that you be more strategic about getting some.
The best and easiest way is to share your content on social media platforms that are relevant to your industry.
LinkedIn is a good one for businesses. Not only does it increase your visibility, it also helps you create credible backlinks.
When people engage with your posts or share your links, it sends a positive signal to search engines and AI tools that your content is relevant and valued.
LinkedIn is especially powerful for B2B businesses, so if that’s your space, don’t sleep on it.
Another way to get backlinks is to guest-post on other credible websites or blogs in your industry. This not only builds backlinks to your site (which boosts your domain authority), but also puts you in front of new audiences.
When other reputable platforms trust you enough to publish your work, it communicates to search engines and AI engines that you know what they’re talking about and are worth featuring.
You can also use forums like Quora or Reddit. A word of caution though: please don’t spam them and or add irrelevant links; that won’t help your cause.
Rather, join discussions naturally, answer questions and provide links as further resources relevant to the discussion.
List your business on online directories
Make sure to appear on credible online directories that are relevant to your industry. Some good options are Google Business Profile, Clutch, Yelp, or even local directories.
These listings help AI understand who you are, where you operate, and what you offer.
Plus, the more signals you send out that confirm your credibility, the higher your chances of being chosen as a source for answers.
Basically, if you want AI to choose you, you have to make it easy by being visible, credible, and showing up where it matters.
2. Give Direct Answers to Questions
You know how we sometimes like to add clever preambles after subheadings to show how great we are as writers; that’s not necessary anymore, just go straight to the point.
For example, if your subheading is “What is Answer Engine Optimization?”, your first sentence should literally say, “Answer Engine Optimization is…” Don’t bury the answer in fluff or clever intros.
AI is looking for direct, clear answers, especially in the first few lines; give them that. Once you have the answer, feel free to add context, examples, or deeper insights subsequently.
But first, answer the question like someone is standing in front of you asking it.
3. Include an FAQ Section
I know, I know! FAQs can feel a bit cliché. But trust me, they’re gold when it comes to AEO.
This is because they give you a chance to answer very specific questions in a clean, scannable way. So, leverage them.
Plus, you don’t have to struggle to find questions. Firstly, you can use questions customers ask you frequently about that particular topic.
You should also use the People Also Ask and People Also Search For sections on search engines to gather the exact questions people are asking.
Remember what I said about them earlier, so go ahead and provide the answer.
It gives you an opportunity to optimize for AI and featured snippets.
4. Write Quality and Conversational Content
No one wants to read robotic-sounding blog posts, nor do AI tools. So, make sure your content is relevant and valuable because it improves your reputation as an authority figure over time.
You should also make sure your writing is in a conversational tone. Write like you are speaking to the reader and leave the overly formal tone for your PHD thesis.
When you are writing web content, imagine you’re explaining the topic to a friend or client; let that guide how you write. It should be clear, warm, and human, not formal or robotic.
This will help you optimize especially for voice assistants like Siri and Alexa as they, especially, mimic natural conversation because that’s how people actually ask questions.
So, if your tone is helpful and easy to follow, you’ve already increased your chances of being featured.
Also Read: 8 Tips to Find the Best Copywriter for Your Business
5. Get Familiar with AI
Don’t be one of those people who are averse to change. AI is a thing now; don’t ignore it. While you may not want to overly depend on it as I don’t believe that’s healthy. Still, don’t completely ignore it or the world will leave you behind.
This is because if you don’t understand how AI thinks, you’ll struggle to get its attention; it is as simple as that.
Using Answer Engine Optimization requires making your content “AI-friendly,” and to do that, you need to understand how these tools operate.
You need to know how they process information, what kind of tone they prefer, and how they choose which answer to show first.
So, start playing around with them to understand them. Use Google’s AI Overview, ChatGPT, Perplexity, or even voice assistants like Siri and Alexa. Ask questions in different ways and observe how they respond.
In particular, notice how they answer questions; the answers are usually short, direct, and well-structured, and the tone is usually clear and helpful.
Well, that’s how you should be writing – with a little more humanity, of course.
FAQs
1. What is an AI answer engine?
An AI answer engine is a system that uses artificial intelligence to scan content from across the web and generate direct, natural-language answers to users’ questions. Think of tools like Google’s AI Overview, ChatGPT, Bing Copilot, or Perplexity. These platforms are designed to go beyond just listing links to websites, they try to actually answer your question in a helpful, human-like way. And if your content is well-optimized, your site could be the one it sources answers from.
2. What is an example of AEO?
An example of AEO is how AI answers you when you ask it a question. Unlike SEO that has to do with your URL being mentioned in search engines, AEO provides curated answers to searchers from sources across the web. Your job is to make sure you are one of those sources. For example, when a user asks a voice assistant, “What is an answer engine?”, AEO tactics ensure that your site is chosen as the source for this answer.
3. What does an AI engine do?
An AI engine processes data, recognizes patterns, and provides intelligent outputs based on the information it’s been trained on. In the context of search, an AI engine analyses a searcher’s query and scans through the web content to find the most relevant, trustworthy, and direct answer.
4. What is the difference between SEO and AEO?
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is about improving your website’s visibility on search engine result pages (SERPs) through keywords, backlinks, and meta tags. AEO (Answer Engine Optimization), on the other hand, focuses on getting your content featured directly in AI-powered answers, like Google’s AI Overview or ChatGPT’s responses. While SEO helps you rank higher on search pages, AEO helps your content get picked as the answer.
5. Is AEO replacing SEO?
AEO isn’t replacing SEO; it is more accurately an aspect of it. SEO is still very much alive and useful, especially for driving long-term traffic through search rankings while AEO is just adapting to how search is evolving with AI. So, if you want the best results, don’t choose one. Instead, use both strategically.
6. Is SEO still relevant?
Absolutely! SEO is still crucial for improving your website’s visibility. While AI-generated answers are modifying searchers’ behaviours, SEO still drives a significant amount of traffic, especially for competitive keywords, blog posts, e-commerce pages, and local search. It’s just that now, you need to be thinking about how your content can work well with both AI engines and search engine algorithms.
