SEO and AI search
Answer engine optimisation (AEO) gets your content picked as the answer: in Google's featured snippets and People also ask boxes, in AI Overviews, in ChatGPT and in voice assistants.
People used to type two words and scan ten links. Now they ask full questions, by voice or in a chat box, and expect one answer. Google answers many of them at the top of the page. ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity answer them without a results page at all.
The businesses that get picked are the ones whose pages answer the question clearly, early and in a format a machine can lift. That is what AEO is.
| SEO | AEO | GEO | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goal | Rank your pages in search results | Have your content chosen as the direct answer | Have your brand named and cited in AI assistants |
| Where | Google and Bing results | Featured snippets, People also ask, voice assistants, AI Overviews | ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude, Copilot, AI Mode |
| Unit of work | The page | The question and its answer | The brand and what the web says about it |
| Main levers | Technical health, content, links | Question research, answer-first writing, structure, schema | Brand facts, mentions and citations, crawler access |
They overlap, and they depend on each other. Answer engines mostly pick from pages that already rank, so AEO without SEO rarely works. We run them together. Read about our GEO work and our SEO service.
We collect the questions your customers ask, from People also ask boxes, your Search Console data, your sales and support team, reviews, forums and AI assistants themselves. Then we group them by topic and by stage: questions people ask before they know you, while they compare, and just before they buy.
For each important question we write a clear answer of 40 to 60 words straight after the heading, then the detail. Short paragraphs, lists for steps, tables for comparisons. This is the format featured snippets and AI tools quote most often.
We add answers to the pages you already have, and create new pages where a topic needs one.
Clear heading hierarchy, question headings where they make sense, and structured data that describes the page: Organization, LocalBusiness, Service, Product, Article and FAQ. Google stopped showing FAQ rich results for all sites in 2026, so we do not promise them. Clear questions and answers on the page still help readers, and AI tools can quote them.
Answer engines need to know who you are before they quote you. We make sure your name, services, location and people are described the same way on your site, your Google Business Profile and the main directories in your industry.
Voice questions are longer and often local: “where can I get my car valeted near Marylebone today?” We cover those with location pages, opening hours and a complete Business Profile, because voice assistants pull local answers from map listings.
Answers have to be in the page’s HTML, load fast and be crawlable by Google and by AI bots. We check robots.txt, rendering and speed on every page we optimise.
An example for a hair extensions salon.
Before
“At our salon we pride ourselves on offering a wide range of high-quality extension methods to suit every client's needs and lifestyle.”
After
Featured snippet
Tape-in extensions usually need moving up every 6 to 8 weeks as your hair grows. With the right aftercare, the same hair can be reused for several appointments. At your consultation we check your hair type and tell you what to expect.
The second version answers the question in the first sentence, gives a number, and adds the detail a customer needs next. That is the version Google and AI tools can quote.
We begin with the pages that can win soonest.
llms.txt is a proposed file that summarises your site for AI models. No major AI company has confirmed using it, and Google has said it does not. We can add one, since it takes little time, but we do not sell it as a ranking factor.
Weeks 1 to 2
We check which questions you already answer, which snippets and AI answers you appear in, and who wins the rest.
A list of priority questions, grouped by page, with the format each answer should take.
Months 1 to 3
Answers added to existing pages, new pages where needed, schema added and tested.
Ongoing
Monthly tracking and a new batch of questions each quarter.
It all sits in your live Data Studio dashboard, with a monthly review call.
Sample dashboard. Figures are illustrative.
AEO is new, and so are many of the agencies offering it. Ask these questions before you sign.
New answers can win featured snippets within weeks if the page already ranks on page one. AI mentions change more slowly, usually over two to four months, and they move up and down. We report trends, not single wins.
Honest limit: If your site does not rank for a topic yet, AEO will not jump you to the answer box. We will fix the SEO first and tell you how long that should take.
Real numbers only. Each result is published with the date range and the client’s permission.
Result to be confirmed
Alex leads AEO, GEO and SEO strategy and writes the question maps. Louie handles hosting, site speed and crawler access. Meet the team
Alex
Co-founder · Web development, SEO and PPC
Louie
Co-founder · IT, websites, hosting and security
FAQs
Straight answers. If yours is not here, ask us and we will reply within one working day.
Answer engine optimisation. It means structuring your content so search engines, voice assistants and AI tools choose it as the answer to a question.
They overlap. AEO focuses on answering specific questions. GEO focuses on getting your brand named and cited in AI assistants. We usually run both.
Yes. Answer engines mostly pick from pages that already rank. AEO builds on SEO; it does not replace it.
It depends on how many pages and questions we cover. After the audit we give you a fixed monthly fee or a one-off project price, and a written scope.
Snippet wins can come within weeks for pages already on page one. AI mentions usually build over two to four months.
No. Nobody can. We improve the signals they use and track how often you appear.
No. Plans start with a three month term and then roll monthly.
Yes. We have offices in London and Dubai, and we work with clients across the UK and abroad.
