AEO Best Practices
Proven strategies for Answer Engine Optimization based on research and real-world success stories. These best practices will help your content get discovered and cited by AI systems.
Content Strategy
1. Write for Questions
AI search often starts with questions. Structure content to answer them:
✅ Good: "What is Answer Engine Optimization?"
AEO is the practice of optimizing content for AI search engines...
❌ Bad: "Introduction to AEO"
In this article, we'll explore the topic of AEO...
2. Lead with the Answer
Put key information first—AI often extracts from early paragraphs:
✅ Good:
Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) is the practice of optimizing
content for AI-powered search engines. It differs from SEO by
focusing on machine comprehension rather than rankings.
❌ Bad:
In today's digital landscape, search is evolving rapidly.
Traditional approaches may not be sufficient. Let's explore
what this means for your content strategy...
3. Be Specific and Factual
AI systems prefer concrete, verifiable information:
✅ Good:
According to industry research, 45% of knowledge workers now
use AI search tools weekly (Source, 2025). Implementation takes
approximately 2-4 weeks for most websites.
❌ Bad:
Many people are using AI search these days. It doesn't take too
long to implement AEO on your site.
4. Cover Topics Comprehensively
Become the authoritative source on your topics:
- Cover all aspects of a topic
- Link related content together
- Update regularly with new information
- Address common questions and edge cases
Technical Implementation
1. Implement Structured Data Early
Don't wait—add Schema.org markup now:
Priority Order:
- WebSite and Organization schemas (homepage)
- Article/BlogPosting schemas (content pages)
- FAQPage schemas (FAQ content)
- HowTo schemas (tutorials)
- Product/Service schemas (commercial pages)
2. Create Comprehensive llms.txt
Include all relevant fields:
# Essential
site_name: Your Site
site_url: https://yoursite.com
site_description: Clear, comprehensive description
# Permissions (be explicit)
llm_inference: allow
llm_training: allow
# Entry points (guide AI to important content)
primary_entry: https://yoursite.com
documentation: https://yoursite.com/docs
3. Configure AI Crawler Access
Be intentional about AI access:
# robots.txt
User-agent: GPTBot
Allow: /
User-agent: Google-Extended
Allow: /
Disallow: /private/
User-agent: PerplexityBot
Allow: /
User-agent: ClaudeBot
Allow: /
4. Optimize Page Performance
AI crawlers have limited resources:
- Page load under 3 seconds
- Minimal JavaScript for content rendering
- Clean HTML structure
- Mobile-friendly design
Content Structure
1. Use Semantic HTML
✅ Good:
<article>
<header>
<h1>Main Topic</h1>
<p class="lead">Summary paragraph</p>
</header>
<section id="concept-1">
<h2>First Major Point</h2>
<p>Details...</p>
</section>
</article>
❌ Bad:
<div class="article">
<div class="title">Main Topic</div>
<div class="content">
<div class="section">
<div class="heading">First Major Point</div>
2. Maintain Heading Hierarchy
✅ Good:
# Main Topic (H1)
## Section One (H2)
### Subsection (H3)
## Section Two (H2)
❌ Bad:
# Main Topic (H1)
### Subsection (H3) ← Skipped H2
## Section (H2)
#### Details (H4) ← Skipped H3
3. Use Lists for Scannable Content
Key benefits of AEO:
- **Increased visibility** in AI search results
- **Higher citation rates** from language models
- **Better brand recognition** through AI mentions
- **Future-proofed content** strategy
Authority Building
1. Display Author Expertise
<div class="author">
<img src="/authors/jane-smith.jpg" alt="Dr. Jane Smith">
<h3>Dr. Jane Smith</h3>
<p>AI Research Lead with 10+ years experience in search systems.
Previously at Google and Stanford AI Lab.</p>
<a href="/authors/jane-smith">View all articles</a>
</div>
2. Cite Sources
Reference authoritative sources in your content:
According to research published in Nature (Smith et al., 2025),
AI search usage has increased 300% year-over-year. This finding
is consistent with industry reports from [McKinsey](link) and
[Gartner](link).
3. Keep Content Current
- Add "Last updated" dates
- Regularly review and update facts
- Remove or update outdated content
- Track industry changes
Common Mistakes to Avoid
❌ Keyword Stuffing
AI understands meaning, not just keywords. Write naturally.
❌ Thin Content
Short, superficial content won't be cited. Go deep.
❌ Duplicate Content
Unique, original content gets cited. Don't copy.
❌ Ignoring Structure
Unstructured content is hard for AI to parse. Use headings and semantic HTML.
❌ Blocking AI Crawlers
If AI can't access your content, you won't be cited.
❌ Missing Metadata
Complete metadata helps AI understand and cite your content.
Measurement
Track your AEO success:
| Metric | How to Measure |
|---|---|
| AI Citations | Manual search in AI tools |
| AI Traffic | Referrals from AI platforms |
| Brand Mentions | AI-generated content mentioning you |
| Content Reach | Impressions via cited sources |