What is AEO? Answer engine optimisation, explained simply
Google answer boxes and voice assistants read answers straight off your site. Here's how to write yours so they can.
AEO stands for answer engine optimisation. Instead of asking 'how do I rank number one?', it asks 'when someone asks a question out loud, is my answer the one that gets read back?'
Answer boxes, voice assistants and the 'People also ask' results all pull short, direct answers from ordinary web pages. Yours can be one of them.
Write answers, not paragraphs
- Use the real question as a heading: 'How much does a brand photography session cost?'
- Answer it in the first two sentences, in 40 to 60 words, before any storytelling.
- Use the same words your clients use, not industry terms.
- Give a number wherever you can — a price range, a timeframe, a distance.
Add an FAQ page — and mark it up
A page that collects the eight questions you answer in every consultation is one of the highest value pages you can write. Adding FAQ structured data tells search engines exactly which text is the question and which is the answer.
A quick test
Ask your phone's assistant a question a client would ask. If the answer comes from a directory or a competitor, that is a question your site has not answered yet. Write it down — that is your next fix.
Want this done for your site, one fix at a time?
Bloom checks your website, Google profile and social bios, then walks you through the fixes in plain English.
See how Bloom works