What is Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) and Why is Everybody Talking About it?

If you have been hearing the term AEO lately, you are not alone. Tech leaders, marketers and business owners are all starting to ask the same question: how do we make sure AI search engines find and recommend our business?

AEO stands for Answer Engine Optimisation.
It is the new way to make your business visible in an AI-driven world.

What is AEO?

In simple terms, AEO is how you help AI-powered tools like ChatGPT, Google Gemini and Perplexity understand your business, so they recommend you when someone asks a question.

For the past 20 years, businesses focused on SEO, helping their websites rank in Google search results. But AI tools do not show a list of links. They give direct answers.

If your business is not part of those answers, it is invisible.

AEO makes your website easy for AI systems to understand by adding:

• Schema markup: structured data that clearly describes your services, location and credentials

• Clear content: answers to the questions your customers ask

• Trusted sources: so AI knows your business is credible

Why Now?

The shift is already happening.
A recent Wall Street Journal article reported on companies racing to optimise their websites for AI.
Business Insider calls AEO the next big thing in search.

And it is not just theory. According to the New York Post, Google's AI-generated answers have already reduced website traffic for major news outlets by over 25 percent in the last year.

The takeaway? AI is already answering your customers’ questions. The only question is whether it is recommending you or your competitor.

What Should Businesses Do?

The businesses getting recommended today are the ones who:
• Add schema markup to help AI understand what they do
• Build trust through credible sources and reviews
• Create content that answers real questions, not just targets keywords

Why This Matters

Traditional SEO will not make you visible in AI search.
AEO is how you take control of your digital presence in this new search landscape.

At Soren IQ, we help Australian businesses make sure they are part of the answer when people ask AI search engines who to trust.