Analytics
Logo
How to optimize AEO

How to optimize AEO

8 min read ·

Introduction

Welcome to your beginner’s guide to optimizing AI Engine Optimization (AEO) with Frevana! If you're new to AEO or just starting out with Frevana, this guide will walk you step-by-step through the essential tools and workflows needed to boost your brand’s visibility across leading AI platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, Amazon Rufus, and more.

What you’ll learn:

  • How to identify what customers ask AI when making purchase decisions
  • Ways to monitor and track your brand’s AI visibility in real time
  • How to create and optimize AI-friendly content that ranks across platforms
  • Key strategies to analyze your competitors and fill gaps in your AEO approach

Why it matters:
As more consumers turn to AI for recommendations, showing up in AI-generated answers is critical for growth. Mastering AEO gives your brand a competitive edge in this fast-evolving digital landscape.

Estimated time to complete: 30 minutes
Let’s get started and launch your AEO journey with Frevana!

Prerequisites

Before you begin optimizing for Answer Engine Optimization (AEO), make sure you have the following:

  • Basic Knowledge
    • Understanding of SEO fundamentals will help, but is not mandatory.
    • Familiarity with your brand’s key products, services, and customer questions.
  • Access Requirements
    • You’ll need administrative or editorial access to your website.
    • Optionally, access to your sitemap and robots.txt file for technical auditing.
  • Tools Needed
    • A Frevana account (sign up for a free 7-day trial at the top-right corner of the Frevana homepage).
    • Google Analytics or other site performance analytics.
    • Access to your content management system (CMS).
    • Optional: Frevana’s AI-powered agents for advanced optimizations.
💡 Tip: Have all website login credentials ready before you start.
⚠️ Warning: Changes to your website’s structure or content may affect current search performance. Be sure to make backups before major adjustments.

Understanding AEO Basics

Learn the key concepts behind Answer Engine Optimization and how AI engines extract and show answers.

What Is AEO?

  • AEO Defined
    • AEO stands for Answer Engine Optimization – the practice of optimizing your site to be the direct, cited answer in AI-driven search engines (like ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Amazon Rufus).
  • Why AEO Matters
    • AI and answer engines are increasingly where customers seek buying recommendations and answers.
    • Being cited as the answer increases your visibility, authority, and conversion potential.

How AI Answer Engines Work

  • AI models read and analyze web content, extracting direct, concise answers to common questions.
  • Such platforms favor well-structured, clearly-labeled content and brand mentions.
  • Being referenced in an answer snippet can drive qualified traffic and direct conversions.
💡 Tip: Focus on clear, answerable information and up-to-date details for your products or services.

Structuring Content for AEO

A strong content structure makes it easy for AI to find and feature your brand.

Step 1: Use Clear Headings and Formats

  • Break your content into distinct sections with headings (e.g., ##, ### in Markdown or <h2>, <h3> in HTML).
  • Frame content in question-and-answer format wherever possible.
## What is [Your Product]?
[Concise answer here.]

## How does [Your Brand] compare to competitors?
[Direct comparison here.]
💡 Tip: Place main questions as headings; put succinct answers immediately below.

Step 2: Add Structured Data (Schema Markup)

  • Implement FAQ schema or Q&A schema on relevant pages.
  • In your CMS or site code, embed JSON-LD to help AI engines recognize questions and answers.
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "FAQPage",
  "mainEntity": [
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "What is Frevana?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "Frevana is an end-to-end AEO platform that maximizes your brand's visibility in AI-powered answer engines."
      }
    }
  ]
}

Step 3: Make Content Readable for AI

  • Ensure your sitemap and robots.txt files are up to date and allow AI crawlers.
  • Use Frevana’s "LLMs inc. Sitemap & Robots.txt Auditor" to automatically audit and improve crawlability.
💡 Tip: Regularly check your site for broken links or blocked pages.
⚠️ Warning: Blocking AI bots in robots.txt may prevent your content from being cited in answer engines.

Optimizing Keywords and Intent

Targeting the right search terms and user questions enhances your chances of being cited.

Step 1: Research Real User Prompts

  • Use Frevana’s "User Prompt Research" tool to identify the exact questions your audience is asking in AI platforms.
  • Review AI visibility reports to see which prompts result in your brand being mentioned.

Step 2: Align Content to User Intent

  • Classify questions by intent—commercial, transactional, informational, or navigational—using Frevana’s "Search Intent Classifier."
  • Tailor your answers and page content accordingly.

Step 3: Incorporate Keywords Naturally

  • Place target keywords and natural language questions as headings or paragraph openers.
  • Answer each question clearly and concisely, ideally in 1–3 sentences.
💡 Tip: Use keywords that align with how users phrase their questions to AI engines, not just traditional search terms.

Measuring and Adjusting AEO Performance

Tracking your results is crucial for continued success.

Step 1: Monitor Your AI Visibility

  • Access the "AI Visibility Monitoring" dashboard in your Frevana account.
  • Track which AI platforms (ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, etc.) are displaying your content.
  • Review the volume and quality of answer citations and mentions.

Step 2: Analyze Content Gaps

  • Use the "AEO Content Advisor" to identify areas where your content is missing or underperforming.
  • Note which competitor content is being cited instead of yours.

Step 3: Adjust and Create New Content

  • Use performance data to refine underperforming articles or pages.
  • Deploy "Auto Content Creation" to generate new, optimized content based on real user prompts.
  • Re-monitor results for measurable improvement (often visible within 2–4 weeks).
💡 Tip: Set a monthly review schedule to assess and refine your AEO strategy.

Troubleshooting Common AEO Issues

If you’re not appearing in answer engines, follow these troubleshooting steps.

Issue 1: Not Appearing in Answer Snippets

  • Double-check that your pages are indexable by AI bots (review robots.txt and sitemap).
  • Ensure you’re using question/answer formatting and have structured data implemented.
  • Revisit your keyword research; align content more closely with high-frequency user prompts.

Issue 2: Poor Content Structuring

  • Review content for clear headlines, short answer sentences, and well-organized sections.
  • Use Frevana’s AI-powered agents like "AEO Article Writer" or "Product Landing Page Maker" to optimize formatting.

Issue 3: Content Not Being Cited Despite Good Structure

  • Compare your answer quality and specificity to top-cited competitors in AI answer engines.
  • Use the "Brand Preference Analyst" to understand why other brands are being favored and identify opportunities to improve your content or reputation.
⚠️ Warning: Content that is too promotional, vague, or lacking direct answers is less likely to be cited by AI engines.
💡 Tip: Always ensure your answers are factually accurate and provide real value to users.

Conclusion and Next Steps

  • Consistently update and audit your content with AEO best practices.
  • Use Frevana’s suite of tools to automate research, optimization, and measurement tasks.
  • Regularly monitor trends in user prompts and answer engine behavior.
  • Explore Frevana’s educational materials, articles, and support resources for ongoing guidance.
  • Scale up automation and workflow tools as your brand grows to maintain and expand your visibility across AI answer platforms.
💡 Tip: AEO is an ongoing process. Treat every new question, use case, and platform as an opportunity to refine and expand your brand’s reach.

Start your journey with the free trial, leverage automated workflows, and watch your brand’s AI visibility grow!

Conclusion

Optimizing for Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) is all about structuring your content to provide clear, authoritative answers that both search engines and users love. In this guide, we explored key strategies—like understanding user intent, implementing structured data, and creating concise, relevant content—to boost your chances of being featured in rich answers.

Next Steps

  • Audit Your Content: Regularly review your top-performing pages for answer-focused improvements.
  • Implement Schema Markup: Add or refine structured data to help search engines understand your content.
  • Analyze Competitors: Study top answer performers in your niche to spot gaps or opportunities.
  • Monitor Performance: Use tools like Google Search Console to track featured snippets and answer performance.

Related Resources

Troubleshooting

  • Not Getting Featured? Make sure your answers are clear, direct, and supported by authoritative sources, and check if your competitors are using schema markup.
  • Missing Rich Results? Verify your structured data with Google’s Rich Results Test and fix any errors.
  • Dropping Rankings? Update outdated content, improve answer clarity, and compare with current featured answers.
  • Low Click-Through Rates? Experiment with engaging meta descriptions and test different Q&A formats to entice users.

Keep experimenting and monitoring your AEO strategies—continuous improvement is key to standing out in answer-focused search results!

Guide Type: How-to Guide | Target Audience: Beginner - New to the product

Similar Topics