AEO vs SEO.
Optimize your website to appear in AI search engines.
The way people search for information is changing. More and more users are using AI like ChatGPT or Perplexity as search engines. According to Similarweb data, some categories have recorded up to 30% less traffic to traditional websites due to this change. In this new reality, it’s not enough to appear on Google: now you need to become the source that these AIs cite as an answer. This approach is called Answer Engine Optimization (AEO): optimization for answer engines.
What is AEO?
AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) is an evolution of traditional SEO. While SEO aims for your website to appear among the top results in Google, AEO aims for your website to be the direct answer that an AI shows. This is why it is important:
• Over 90% of Google searches now include AI-generated summaries.
• ChatGPT processes over one billion queries per day.
• Perplexity and other AI tools are changing how information is distributed.
• If you don’t optimize your website for this new landscape, you become invisible.
Who is Sam Hogan and what does he propose?
Sam Hogan is a developer and digital strategist who demonstrated how to apply AEO on a real site. In just 10 days, he went from zero visits from AI search engines to getting traffic from ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews, without campaigns or new keywords.
His proposal: structure content so it is understood and cited by AIs. Best of all: you can implement it in less than 48 hours.
How to implement AEO on your website step by step
1. Write the answers your audience would search for
Create a section on your website (like FAQs) where you answer between 5 and 10 frequently asked questions from your ideal client. Here are two example questions:
Example of 2 FAQs to add to your website.
AEO is a strategy to have your content cited by search engines like ChatGPT or Perplexity.
How can I appear in Perplexity results?
Structure your content as question/answer, use FAQ Schema in JSON-LD, and make sure it is accessible to crawlers.
2. Add structure with JSON-LD schemas
Use structured schemas in JSON-LD format so AI engines can understand your content and cite it as an answer. This type of structure should be added directly into your page’s HTML code.
To implement it correctly, paste this JSON-LD block within the <head> tag or just before the closing </body> tag of your HTML document.
It’s important that this content is not visible to users, but it must be readable by search engines. Users don’t need to see it on screen: its only function is to help AIs better understand your page and increase the chances of being cited as a reliable source in ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI, etc.
If you use a CMS like WordPress, you can add this code using an advanced SEO plugin (such as RankMath or Yoast) or insert it manually in a custom HTML block.
JSON-LD schema (for those 2 FAQs) to include in your HTML.
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "FAQPage",
"mainEntity": [
{
"@type": "Question",
"name": "What is AEO?",
"acceptedAnswer": {
"@type": "Answer",
"text": "AEO is a strategy to have your content cited by search engines like ChatGPT or Perplexity."
}
},
{
"@type": "Question",
"name": "How can I appear in Perplexity results?",
"acceptedAnswer": {
"@type": "Answer",
"text": "Structure your content as question/answer, use FAQ Schema in JSON-LD, and make sure it is accessible to crawlers."
}
}
]
}
3. Publish, index, and validate
Add the content to your index.html or a new page. Update your sitemap, submit it to Google Search Console, check your robots.txt file, and use IndexNow if your CMS allows it.
4. Optimize readability for AI
Use hierarchical headings (H1, H2…), short paragraphs, clear lists, and highlight key information at the beginning. If your text is understandable in plain text, it is AI-friendly.
5. Measure and adjust
Test your answers in Perplexity, Profound, or Google Rich Results Test. If you don’t appear, improve the answer, validate the schema, and try again.
Conclusion
AEO doesn’t replace SEO but complements it. It allows you to appear as a direct answer in AI tools like ChatGPT or Perplexity. Thanks to pioneers like Sam Hogan, we now have a clear guide to start applying this strategy on our websites.