Defining Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) | Part 1

Part 1 of the Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) — a little bit of a Guide Guide for UX and Product Designers

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(P.S. Some people still call it Ask Engine Optimization (AEO))

Defining Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)

Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) is all about creating content that gives clear, straight-to-the-point answers to user questions. It’s designed for how, before voice assistants and now — AI-powered tools — like chatbots and smart search engines — pick and present information. Unlike traditional SEO (which focuses on boosting your website’s rank on search engines), AEO is about making sure AI tools can find your content, read it, understand it, and use it to give users the answers they’re looking for (and if you are lucky — give the link to your website as a source).

Users don’t always want to dig through the links to find what they need (like they ever wanted…why do you think conspiracy theories are so popular?). They want quick, accurate answers — and companies are now putting AI tools practically everywhere to deliver that. Your job as a UX designer? Make sure that everything you create, and especially content, can serve up a straight-to-the-point approach. Users today have…