AIO (answer engine optimisation, sometimes called GEO or AEO) means structuring a website so that AI tools cite it in their answers: ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google’s AI Overviews. Where SEO aims to rank a page, AIO aims to get a piece of information cited.
The two complement each other: answer engines rely heavily on pages that already rank well. Here is what actually changes, and how to prepare for it.
How do answer engines choose their sources?
AI tools do not rank ten links: they compose an answer and credit a handful of sources. They favour content that makes their job easier:
- Direct answers: the information in the first sentence of the section, not after three paragraphs of introduction.
- Extractable structures: lists, tables, marked-up FAQs, headings phrased like the questions people really ask.
- Verifiable data: dated figures, named sources, honest ranges rather than superlatives.
- Clear entities: who is speaking, about what, where. A brand named and described consistently everywhere.
- Authority: citations go to sites that are already credible on their subject, backed by links and mentions.
SEO and AIO: what changes and what does not
| SEO | AIO | |
|---|---|---|
| Goal | Rank in the results | Get cited in the answer |
| Unit | The page | The passage (the section that answers) |
| Winning format | Comprehensive, well-linked content | Direct, structured, dated answer |
| Measure | Rankings, clicks | Citations, brand mentions, AI traffic |
| Common foundation | Authority, clean technical set-up, useful content | The same: AIO is built on good SEO |
Where should you start with AIO on your site?
- Rewrite the opening of each section on your key pages: the answer first, the context after.
- Add a marked-up FAQ (FAQPage) to every service page, with the questions your clients really ask.
- Name your entities: your brand, your city, your services, both in the text and in the structured data.
- Publish content that AI tools can credit: clear definitions, numbered methods, honest comparisons.
- Track your mentions: ask ChatGPT and Perplexity what they say about your sector in your city, and see who gets cited.
FAQ
Does AIO replace SEO?
No, it extends it. Answer engines draw first and foremost on pages that already rank well: without an SEO foundation, there is nothing to cite. A site optimised for one almost always improves on the other.
AIO, GEO, AEO: what is the difference?
Three names for the same discipline: optimising your visibility in AI-generated answers. AIO and AEO refer to answer engines, GEO to generation. The substance is identical.
How do you measure your visibility in AI tools?
By regularly testing your clients’ queries in ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google’s AI Overviews, and by tracking referral traffic from these platforms in your analytics. Dedicated tracking tools are emerging, but a monthly manual test remains the most reliable method.
BLACKT works on SEO and AIO together: getting found, and getting cited. Our approach, or let’s talk about your visibility.
Further reading
- AIO: being understood and cited by answer engines.
- SEO and AIO: the two sides of visibility today.
