---
title: "AEO | Glossary"
description: "AEO, answer engine optimization, is the craft of writing a page so an answer engine can quote a clean capsule: a direct answer near the top, named entities…"
image: "https://lenvanderhof.com/photos/len-portrait-1.jpg"
---

Term

# AEO

AEO, answer engine optimization, is the craft of writing a page so an answer engine can quote a clean capsule: a direct answer near the top, named entities, visible sources, and no invented FAQ schema. GEO is the system. AEO is the page. They fail together when the first screen is a brand manifesto. Google ended FAQ rich results on 2026-05-07; a fake FAQPage is a liability, not a tactic. If the first screen cannot be quoted, the rest of the page will not save it.

## When to use it

Use it when you are structuring a single URL, not the whole crawl graph. If the first screen is a manifesto, rewrite the opening before you touch schema.

## Do not confuse with

Not GEO under another name, and not a schema trick. GEO is the system. AEO is the page. FAQPage is not a substitute for a direct answer.

## Essays on this site

- [How answer engines select sources](https://lenvanderhof.com/en/blog/how-answer-engines-select-sources/)
- [How to get cited by ChatGPT](https://lenvanderhof.com/en/blog/how-to-get-cited-2026/)
- [Content architecture that answer engines can lift](https://lenvanderhof.com/en/blog/content-architecture-for-answer-engines/)
- [GEO meaning: generative engine optimization, not geography](https://lenvanderhof.com/en/blog/what-geo-means/)
- [What AEO means: answer engine optimization, not customs](https://lenvanderhof.com/en/blog/what-is-aeo/)

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