AEO, or Answer Engine Optimization, is the set of techniques that make a brand eligible to appear inside the direct answer produced by a conversational engine such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or Perplexity.

How does AEO differ from SEO?

SEO aims to rank a page in a list of results; AEO aims to get the brand *selected* as a source inside the answer the model writes.

What are the three levers of AEO?

Cited sources, structured schemas (Article, FAQPage, Organization, Product), and named entities — three levers the models use to bind a brand to its content.

How long does it take to see results?

Expect several weeks for direct effects (model citations), with cumulative gains over three to six months as your sources, schemas, and entities gain authority.

Does AEO replace SEO?

No: AEO complements SEO by targeting a distinct visibility channel (model answers) that adds to organic traffic rather than replacing it.

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July 26, 2026

What is AEO? (Answer Engine Optimization)

How to surface inside the direct answers produced by ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity — and why AEO complements SEO rather than replacing it.

How AEO differs from SEO

SEO aims to rank a page in a list of results. AEO aims to place your brand *inside* the answer. Where a classic search engine returns ten blue links, an answer engine (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity) returns only three or four — and often no links at all. Optimizing for this format demands a different approach: you no longer climb a SERP, you get *selected* as a source by the model.

The three levers

Cited sources — recognized press articles, industry dossiers, independent comparisons that establish your brand's presence.
Structured schemas — Article, FAQPage, Organization, Product: JSON-LD that helps the model bind your entity to your content.
Named entities — a name, a Wikipedia page, a consistent LinkedIn profile: what models use to disambiguate two same-named brands.

A structured-data block, ready to paste

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "FAQPage",
  "mainEntity": [
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "What is AEO?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "AEO, or Answer Engine Optimization, is the set of techniques that make a brand eligible to appear inside the direct answer formulated by a conversational engine."
      }
    }
  ]
}

The diagram

AEO diagram: three levers converge toward the model's answer box

Three inputs, one output: the answer box the model writes. If any one of these three inputs is weak, your brand falls out of contention — even if the others are excellent.

What Plavra measures for you

Every week, Plavra checks whether your three levers are paying off: who cites your brand, which structured schemas are valid on your domain, and what place your entity holds in the models' memory. You walk away with a precise action list — not a generic report.