AIEO (AI engine optimisation) is the practice of structuring a website's content so that AI answer engines, such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews and Copilot, can find, understand, trust and cite it. It extends traditional SEO with clear definitions, direct answers, structured data, authoritative sources and consistent brand signals.
What it means
Traditional SEO aims to rank pages in a list of links. AIEO aims to be the source an AI system quotes or summarises when it answers a question. That favours content that answers questions directly near the top of the page, uses clear headings, defines terms precisely, cites credible sources and is marked up with schema such as FAQ and Article.
Similar disciplines are often called generative engine optimisation (GEO) or answer engine optimisation (AEO).
How it works in a UK business
Practical steps include writing concise, standalone definitions and FAQs, keeping facts current and sourced, ensuring pages are fast and crawlable by AI bots, and building consistent mentions of the brand across trusted sites.
Measurement is still developing, so businesses typically track citations in AI answers, referral traffic from AI tools and branded search alongside traditional rankings.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between AIEO and SEO?
SEO focuses on ranking pages in search engine results. AIEO focuses on being cited or summarised in AI-generated answers. They overlap heavily, since both need high-quality, crawlable, well-structured content, but AIEO puts extra weight on direct answers, precise definitions, structured data, source citations and clear entity information about the brand.
Does a glossary help with AIEO?
Yes. Glossary pages provide short, standalone definitions that AI answer engines can quote accurately, and they link related concepts in a way that helps machines understand a site's subject expertise. Each entry should define the term in the first sentence, answer common questions and point to deeper content on the topic.
Last updated: 5 November 2026