AEO Score Guide

1) What is AEO (Answer Engine Optimization)?

AEO is an optimization strategy for AI search engines. While traditional SEO aims to rank pages high in search results (click-through rate focused), AEO aims to make content cited as an answer source (citation rate focused).

• AI Search Engines: Perplexity, ChatGPT Search, Google SGE (Search Generative Experience), Bing Chat, Claude Web Search.
• AEO Focus: Structured data (schema.org), clear answer formats (Q&A, lists, tables), high E-E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness, Experience).
• SEO vs AEO: SEO optimizes for rankings, AEO optimizes for citations. They complement each other, but AEO emphasizes content quality and structure more.

2) What Do AI Search Engines Look For?

AI search engines (e.g., Perplexity, ChatGPT Search) prioritize these factors when selecting citation sources:

• Structured Data: Pages with schema.org markup (FAQPage, HowTo, Article) are easier to parse and cite.
• Clear Answer Formats: Q&A pairs, step-by-step lists, comparison tables, definition paragraphs (not lengthy prose).
• E-E-A-T Signals: Author information (byline, author schema), source citations, last updated date, topical authority markers.
• Semantic Clarity: Clear answers in opening paragraphs, not beating around the bush (AI prioritizes first few paragraphs).

<!-- Good AEO content example -->
<article itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/Article">
  <h1 itemprop="headline">What is SSR?</h1>
  <p itemprop="author" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/Person">
    Author: <span itemprop="name">John Doe</span>
  </p>
  <time itemprop="datePublished" datetime="2025-01-15">2025-01-15</time>

  <!-- Clear answer (answered in first paragraph) -->
  <p>SSR (Server-Side Rendering) is a rendering approach that generates complete HTML on the server, making it SEO-friendly with fast initial page loads.</p>

  <!-- Structured Q&A -->
  <div itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/FAQPage">
    <div itemprop="mainEntity" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/Question">
      <h3 itemprop="name">What's the difference between SSR and CSR?</h3>
      <div itemprop="acceptedAnswer" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/Answer">
        <p itemprop="text">SSR generates HTML on the server, while CSR renders content in the browser after JS execution.</p>
      </div>
    </div>
  </div>
</article>

3) How to Use the AEO Score Tool

1. Open the AEO Score tool and enter the URL to analyze.
2. The tool checks:
   • Structured data (schema.org types: FAQPage, HowTo, Article, Organization, Person)
   • Content formats (Q&A sections, lists, tables, steps)
   • E-E-A-T signals (author info, source citations, update dates)
   • Semantic clarity (clear answers in opening paragraphs)
3. Results show:
   • AEO Score (0-100)
   • Test results for each factor (passed/failed)
   • Improvement suggestions (e.g., "Missing FAQ schema", "Add author information")
4. Implement suggestions and retest to verify score improvement.

4) Common AEO Optimization Strategies

• Add FAQ schema: Organize common questions into FAQPage schema, which AI prioritizes for extraction.
• Use lists and tables: Use <ol> for steps, <table> for comparisons, <ul> for key points (not just paragraphs).
• Front-load answers: Don't bury the lead. Provide clear answers in the first paragraph (inverted pyramid writing style).
• Mark authors and sources: Add author schema, bylines, citation links to boost credibility.
• Keep content updated: Regularly update content and mark dateModified. AI prioritizes more recent sources.

// FAQPage schema example (JSON-LD)
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "FAQPage",
  "mainEntity": [
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "What is AEO?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) is an optimization strategy for AI search engines, aiming to make content cited as answer sources."
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "What's the difference between AEO and SEO?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "SEO optimizes for rankings, AEO optimizes for citations. AEO emphasizes structured data, clear answers, and E-E-A-T."
      }
    }
  ]
}

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