Answer engine optimization (AEO)

The term predates large language models: it was first used for voice assistants and Google's featured snippets, which also return one answer instead of a list. AI answer engines made the same discipline far more important.

AEO work is mostly on the page: a direct answer near the top, headings phrased as the questions people ask, FAQ sections with matching FAQPage markup, tables for comparisons, and an author and date so the answer can be attributed.

It overlaps almost entirely with generative engine optimization; the two labels describe the same goal from different angles.