AI Search
Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO): Getting Cited in AI Search Answers
Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) is the practice of structuring content so that AI-powered search engines and assistant platforms select it as the source for answers to specific questions. It differs from traditional SEO in that the goal is not to rank in a list of links but to be cited as the definitive answer to a query by a system that synthesises information from multiple sources.
Why answer engine optimisation matters for UK businesses
As a growing proportion of searches are answered by AI systems rather than through lists of links, visibility in those AI answers becomes a commercial priority. A business that is consistently cited as the authoritative source on topics related to its services builds brand recognition in the channel where an increasing number of potential customers are forming their initial impressions and making initial decisions.
AEO and traditional SEO are not competing strategies -- they are complementary. The content signals that make a page rankable in Google (clear structure, authoritative writing, correct schema markup, entity consistency) are the same signals that make it citable in an AI answer. Investment in AEO-focused content builds traditional search rankings and AI search visibility simultaneously.
How Khamare Clarke applies answer engine optimisation
AEO work here covers: structuring content around specific questions with direct, quotable answers in the first sentence; implementing FAQPage schema so AI crawlers can identify question-and-answer pairs; building entity authority through consistent Person and ProfessionalService schema across all pages; and maintaining a llms.txt file that gives AI crawlers a complete, structured overview of the site and the entity it represents.
The glossary pages on this site are a direct AEO implementation: each page provides a plain-English definition in the first two sentences that an AI engine can quote verbatim as the answer to a 'what is X' query, followed by substantive content that builds the site's authority on the topic for retrieval purposes.
What is the difference between AEO and SEO?
SEO targets ranking positions in a list of links on a search results page. AEO targets being selected as the cited source in an AI-generated answer, which may not involve a traditional results page at all. The two share technical foundations (content quality, structured data, entity authority) but differ in how success is measured: SEO success is a ranking position, AEO success is a citation in an AI response.
How do AI search engines decide which sources to cite?
AI search engines use retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) to identify relevant sources for a query and then synthesise those sources into an answer. The selection of sources depends on: the source's established authority on the topic (entity signals), how directly the content answers the specific question, the structure and clarity of the content (well-structured, jargon-free answers are easier to retrieve and quote), and the crawlability of the page for AI-specific crawlers.
Which AI engines does AEO apply to?
AEO is relevant for any AI system that retrieves and cites web content: ChatGPT with browsing enabled, Perplexity AI, Google Gemini, Google AI Overviews, Microsoft Copilot, and Claude. Each has its own crawl behaviour and retrieval mechanism, but the content and entity signals that make a page citable are consistent across all of them. A page that is well-structured, clearly authoritative, and correctly marked up with schema is well-positioned across all these systems.
Apply Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) to your business
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