Glossary entry
Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)
Also known as: AEO, Answer Engine Optimisation
The practice of structuring content for answer engines — systems that respond to a query with a single direct answer rather than a list of links. Predates LLM-based search but increasingly used as a synonym for GEO.
Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) describes the practice of structuring content to surface as the answer in systems that respond to a query with a direct answer rather than a SERP of blue links. AEO predates LLM-based search by roughly a decade — the term originated in the voice-assistant era (Alexa, Siri, Google Assistant) where the prize was being the single spoken response.
With the rise of generative search, "AEO" and "GEO" are increasingly used interchangeably. We use GEO on The Cited because it specifically references the generative mechanism — the engine doesn't retrieve a pre-existing answer, it synthesises one. AEO is the broader umbrella that includes featured snippets, voice answers, and AI Overviews.
See: GEO vs AEO vs LLMO vs SGE: An Honest Taxonomy for the full distinction.