Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)
Make your website the source AI recommends. Check your AEO readiness across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, and more.
What is Answer Engine Optimization?
Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) is the practice of optimizing your website to be cited and recommended by AI-powered answer engines. When someone asks ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Google AI Overviews a question, the AI selects a handful of sources to cite. AEO ensures your website is one of them.
Unlike traditional SEO where you compete for positions in a list of links, AEO is about becoming the trusted source AI quotes directly. Gartner predicts traditional search traffic will drop 25% by end of 2026 as users shift to AI-powered search. Businesses optimizing now are capturing 3.4x more visibility than late adopters.
The Shift From Search to Answers
People are changing how they find information. Instead of browsing search results, they ask AI for direct answers. This shift is already measurable:
900M
weekly active ChatGPT users
61%
of Gen Z use AI instead of Google
25%
predicted drop in search traffic by end of 2026 (Gartner)
3-5
sources cited per AI answer
How to Optimize for Answer Engines
Answer engines select sources based on clarity, structure, and trustworthiness. The key areas to focus on:
Clearly Define Your Entity
State who you are, what you do, and what makes you authoritative. AI needs to understand your identity before it can recommend you.
Add Structured Data
Schema markup helps AI parse your content. FAQPage schema has a 41% citation rate vs 15% without (Relixir study via Frase.io).
Create Citation-Worthy Content
Include specific facts, statistics, and expert insights that AI can quote directly. Original data gets cited most.
Keep Content Fresh
76.4% of most-cited pages were updated within 30 days (Ahrefs, 17M citations). Stale content gets skipped.
Answer Questions Directly
FAQ sections give AI ready-made answers to cite. Structure content around the questions your audience actually asks.
What You Get With Adymus
Enter your URL and in 30 seconds you get a full AEO audit:
AEO Readiness Score
A score out of 100 showing how likely answer engines are to cite your website right now.
12-Category Breakdown
See how you score across every AEO factor, from entity clarity to AI crawler access.
Prioritized Fixes
Recommendations sorted by impact with step-by-step instructions. Quick Wins first.
Track Progress
Re-analyze after making changes to see your AEO score improve over time.
Frequently Asked Questions
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