We’ve had our search engines, Google, etc.

And now answer engines, ChatGPT the most famous of all, the fastest app to get to 1 Billion users. We’ve Google Gemini and AI-powered voice assistants such as Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant to name a few. Of all online searches in the U.S., 40% are voice-based.

72% owning a voice assistant have made it a part of their everyday routine.

65% of Google Home and Amazon Echo owners would not want to go back to keyboard searches. People are making a switch so it’s time to switch up your SEO with AEO.

SEO has been here to stay, the global market is anticipated to reach USD 122.11 billion in 2028 and Google has over a 90% market share.

 

But with the growth of voice search and the popularity of answer engines, you also need to focus on AEO (Answer Engine Optimization).

What is AEO?

AEO changes how we do SEO. We must structure and optimize our content differently.

AEO is about answering users’ questions. Focus on crafting content that answers these questions clearly and concisely. Predict the queries your audience will ask and provide authoritative responses.

Optimizing for question-based searches helps you appear in the “answer box” on SERPs. This boosts your brand’s visibility and gives users quick answers without clicking through.

Google’s algorithm changes, so what works now may not work later. But good AEO aligns your content with how people search and consume information bringing more qualified leads and conversions.

AEO is complementary to SEO.

How does AEO fit into traditional SEO?

Topic and Keyword Research

Along with preparing a targeted high-volume low-competition keyword list, research specific questions people ask about your topic. Use Google Search Console to find questions your domain ranks for. Use tools like SEMrush and Ahrefs to surface common questions. Search for modifiers like “what is” and “how to.”

 

Structured Data

Schema.org released structured data for FAQ, How-to, and Q&A in 2019. Implement this data to increase the chances of capturing rich results. Add structured data to relevant pages. Structured data is vital for many SERP features. Check Google’s documentation for more information on how to implement this structure.

SERP Features and Intent Fracture User intent is crucial for AEO. There are four types of search intent: Informational, Navigational, Commercial, and Transactional. Sometimes user intent is clear, and sometimes it is fractured. Google serves content to fulfill different purposes. When answering questions, understand if the intent is explicit or fractured.

Building Authority Build authority on a topic by covering it in breadth and depth. Cover related topics to establish authority. This approach increases success with answer engine optimization. Long-form content is here to stay and you can answer a lot of questions optimized for AEO in a long-form article. Follow proper techniques for on and off-page SEO, get listed on reputed business directories, and don’t partake in guesswork.

A quick and easy guide to AEO:

1. Understand your ICP and answer their questions: Answer engines answer user questions. Once you understand your ICP, figure out all the kinds of questions they can ask. AnswerThePublic and Google’s “People Also Ask, are good resources. Use sections of FAQPage, QAPage, and HowTo.
2. Create answer-focused content: Use simple language and make the answer look like an answer- don’t insert it amid big paragraphs. Mention it in the first few lines or highlighted boxes.
3. Get into Google and Bing’s highlighted snippets:

 

There are specific question-and-answer styles, lists, and tables that show up in these snippets, reverse engineer, and duplicate the structure of your content.

All this to say, people saying AEO will replace SEO, no. AEO is a subset of SEO, and now just putting enough keywords to rank on page 1 of Google just doesn’t work.