If SEO is Search Engine Optimization, then AEO is Answer Engine Optimization. Answer Engine Optimization is poised by some, such as Forbes’ Council Member Giri Devanur, to be the future of SEO. AEO focuses its optimizing efforts on one goal: being the primary answer to any question asked.
Have you ever typed a simple question into the search bar and gotten a box at the top of your results? This box is called a “featured snippet” and it’s the star of the AEO Show. Sites that implement AEO practices look to be the most reliable and concise answer. This practice combined with the ranking and keyword practices of SEO give the site a better chance of earning the spot as the “featured snippet.”
The key to AEO is a user-oriented mindset. Similar to the clue writers for the game of Jeopardy!, the content creator must think as though they are providing the answer to the question someone will ask, before they even ask it.
This intuitive mindset during the process of optimization is forward thinking and may become the new face of SEO.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2023/03/14/the-future-of-seo-is-answer-engine-optimization-aeo/?sh=68b2ea0d2ef3
3 Responses
I believe that Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) is a promising future for SEO. AEO focuses on providing the most reliable and concise answer to a question asked and aims to earn the spot as the “featured snippet” on search engines.
This is really interesting! I think that in some ways, AEO is already very much a thing. For example, when you ask Siri a question, the answer you get is AEO-related. And of course the featured snippets you mentioned are becoming more and more prevalent, too. They can be a huge help when searching for answers to a question. No doubt it would be very valuable for a company to show up in one of those featured snippets, or when you ask Siri a question.
This was great to read about. It really shows how SEO will continuously evolve and we must change and adapt along with it.