What's AEO?
It stands for answer engine optimization. In plain English: being the business an AI assistant recommends when someone asks it.
What it is
More people now ask ChatGPT, Google's AI answers, or their phone's assistant things like "who's a good roofer in Dubuque?" instead of scrolling results. The AI pulls its answer from websites, Google listings, and reviews. If your business isn't clearly described online, it can't recommend you.
AEO is making your business easy for those tools to understand: a clear page of the real questions customers ask, your services spelled out plainly, your business info matching everywhere, and reviews.
How it helps your business
It's the same foundation as being found on Google, just aimed at the newest way people look. If you're set up for one, you're mostly set up for the other.
The numbers
- 41% of consumers now ask AI tools for local business recommendations, up from 12% in 2024.Source: Visionary Marketing consumer panel 2026
- 88% of people trust online reviews as much as a recommendation from a friend, and AI answers lean on reviews too.Source: BrightLocal consumer survey, via Searchlab
What to realistically expect
This is new, and anyone selling it as magic is overselling. What's realistic: when your site clearly answers the questions customers actually ask, AI tools have something to work with, and your business can start showing up in those answers over time. Nobody can promise it will, and I won't.
Included free in every site. It's just how I build: a plain questions-and-answers page, services spelled out, and business info that matches your Google listing.
Numbers checked September 2026. I don't promise rankings or results, and you should be suspicious of anyone who does.
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