AEO in 2026: how to get cited by ChatGPT, Perplexity & AI Overviews

Answer Engine Optimization is the new SEO. Here is how to structure content, schema, and entities so large language models surface and cite your brand in their answers.

By , Head of AI and Growth · · 8 min read

What is Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)?

Answer Engine Optimization is the practice of structuring content so AI answer engines — ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, Claude — can extract, trust, and cite it inside generated answers. Where SEO optimises for a ranked list of links, AEO optimises for being the sentence the model quotes.

How do you get cited by AI answer engines?

  1. Lead with the answer. Open each section with a direct, self-contained statement an engine can lift verbatim. Context comes after.
  2. Write in question-and-answer blocks. Use real questions as H2s. They map directly to user prompts.
  3. Ship structured data. Article, FAQPage, BreadcrumbList, and Organization JSON-LD give machines an unambiguous parse.
  4. Strengthen entity signals. Consistent brand, author, and product entities across the web build the knowledge-graph confidence engines need to cite you.
  5. Be the primary source. Original data, named methods, and specific numbers get quoted; generic restatement does not.
  • Rising Zero-click answers
  • Sources Citations favour
  • 100% Schema coverage target

Does AEO replace SEO?

No — it extends it. Technical health, crawlability, and authority still matter; AEO adds a layer of extractability on top. The brands winning in 2026 do both: they rank in the list and get named in the answer above it. This very page is built to that spec — question-style headings, definitive opening sentences, and full JSON-LD.

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