AEO: be the answer, not just a result

Search turns into answers

AEO stands for Answer Engine Optimization. It is the work of getting your content served as the direct answer to a question: in Google answer boxes, in featured snippets, in voice search and in the answers of AI systems. People often do not want to click through ten links, they want the answer. Whoever supplies it in the right form gets seen. Whoever only sits in third place on the list is seen less often.

The difference from GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) is a matter of viewpoint. AEO works on the single answer: how must a section be built so that it answers the question completely? GEO asks whether and how an AI system names your business as a source. In practice the two belong together.

How AEO works

Question-and-answer architecture

Answer engines look for clear, self-contained answer blocks. We structure your content around the real questions of your audience. Each question becomes a subheading, and directly below it comes the answer in 40 to 60 words, understandable without the rest of the page. Details, examples and exceptions follow after that.

Structured data

With FAQPage, HowTo and other Schema.org markup we give machines the context they need to classify your content as an answer. It is important that the text in the markup matches the visible text on the page exactly. Differences are an error and can lead to the markup being ignored.

Clarity over marketing language

Answer engines prefer precise, fact-based and dated content. We replace vague promotional phrases with concrete, verifiable statements backed by numbers and examples that you can stand behind yourself.

• Paragraphs prepared for featured snippets and answer boxes
• FAQ sections with correct schema markup
• Comparison tables and definitions that AI likes to cite

Which question needs which answer format

Not every question is answered the same way. The shape of the answer depends on the type of question. This is the core of our research:

Question type and example	Answer format
Definition What is an SEO audit?	One paragraph of 40 to 60 words, definition in the first sentence
How-to How do I set up an llms.txt?	Numbered steps, one sentence each
Comparison What is the difference between SEO and GEO?	Table with the same criteria in every row
List Which mistakes prevent good rankings?	List of short, parallel items
Yes/no Do I need AEO in addition to SEO?	Yes or no in the first sentence, then the reasoning
Local Who advises on AI visibility in Zurich?	Name, service and place in one sentence, plus consistent business details

Typical mistakes that prevent answers

• The answer only appears in the fifth paragraph, after the page has first introduced the company.
• Several questions are mixed in one long section, so no single answer can be lifted out.
• The answer consists of promotional sentences with no claim that could be checked.
• The FAQ markup contains different text from the visible page.
• The answer is hidden in an image, a video or an accordion that only loads through a script.

Most of these points can be fixed without new copy, by reordering and shortening existing content.

Our process

1. Collect questions. We gather the questions your customers actually ask: from enquiries, from client conversations, from Google's suggestions and from the questions AI systems pose or answer on your topic.
2. Assign questions. Each question gets a type and with it an answer format, as in the table above.
3. Review existing pages. We look at which questions your site already answers, and where the answer sits too far down, runs too long or is missing.
4. Write and mark up the answers. Answer blocks, FAQ sections and schema markup, matched to the visible text.
5. Check. We check in Google and in AI systems whether the answers are served, and adjust. How to measure this yourself is described in the article AEO in practice.

What you get

• A list of the most important questions of your audience, sorted by question type
• An assessment of your existing pages: what already works as an answer and what does not
• Fully written answer blocks and FAQ texts, depending on the assignment also built directly into your site
• Schema markup that matches the visible text
• A check after a few weeks with the same questions

We cannot promise a placement as the answer, because Google and the AI providers decide that themselves and do not publish their rules. We make sure your content is in a form that is suited to it.

AEO, GEO and SEO together

AEO shapes the answer. GEO makes AI systems name your brand as the source. The foundation remains solid SEO. Together they cover classic and new, AI-driven search. If you want to know where your website stands for both today, the offer is on the page Google and AI visibility: a free check with a report within two working days.