Services / AEO & AI Search
Answer Engine Optimisation —
be the answer AI gives.
We get your brand cited by AI engines — Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini — not just ranked on Google.
Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) is the practice of structuring your content, data and brand so AI engines — Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini — cite you as the answer when people ask. It combines schema markup, entity clarity and question-led content with traditional search authority. Elite Digital Agency is a UK agency that builds AEO programmes for businesses that want to be found in the AI search era, not left behind by it.
Why this matters now
Search has split in two. People still type queries into Google, but a fast-growing share now ask — they ask ChatGPT for a recommendation, read Google's AI Overview instead of clicking, or let Perplexity summarise the web for them. In every one of those moments, there are no ten blue links to compete for. There is one answer. AEO is how you become it.
If your competitors are cited in that answer and you aren't, the customer never even sees you. This is the single biggest shift in discovery since Google launched — and most agencies are still only optimising for the half of search that's shrinking.
| What it optimises for | The goal | |
|---|---|---|
| SEO | Traditional search engine results (the blue links) | Rank highly on Google |
| AEO | AI answer engines and featured answers | Be quoted as the answer |
| GEO | Generative engines (ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity) | Be cited in AI-generated responses |
In practice they overlap, and we run them together: strong SEO authority makes AEO citation more likely, and AEO structure makes your SEO content machine-readable. We don't sell these as separate products to inflate a bill — they're one integrated discipline.
What we actually do
Entity optimisation
We make your brand a clearly-defined entity engines can recognise and trust: consistent naming, structured data, and authoritative associations across the web.
Schema architecture
Organisation, Service, FAQ, Article and Breadcrumb structured data so engines can parse and quote your pages accurately.
Question-led content
We map the real questions your buyers ask AI, then publish clear, factual, well-structured answers engines prefer to cite.
Topical authority
Pillar-and-cluster content that signals genuine depth in your category, not thin one-off posts.
Citation earning
Digital PR and legitimate off-site mentions, because AI visibility correlates with being referenced across the web.
AI visibility monitoring
We track whether and how AI engines mention your brand for your key questions, and report on it — so this is measured, not guessed.
Our honest promise
No one can guarantee a specific sentence in a specific AI engine's output — and anyone who promises that is selling you something they can't deliver. What we can do is maximise the probability you're cited, measure it, and improve it over time. We optimise for the engines, monitor the results, and tell you the truth about what's working. That honesty is rarer than it should be in this space.
How we work
Audit & Strategy → Execution → Measure & Compound. We start by auditing your current AI visibility and entity footprint, then build the schema, content and authority to improve it, then monitor citations and iterate.
Pricing
AEO programmes start from £995/month, scaled to your category's competitiveness and your content needs. Most clients run AEO integrated with SEO and content for compounding effect — integrated programmes benefit from a blended rate.
See AEO applied in a sector
AEO works hardest where trust and accuracy decide the enquiry. Explore where it connects:
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO)?
AEO is optimising your content and brand so AI answer engines cite you as the answer to a user's question. It uses schema markup, entity clarity and question-led content alongside traditional search authority, so engines like Google AI Overviews and ChatGPT recognise and quote your business.
What's the difference between AEO, GEO and SEO?
SEO targets ranking in traditional search results. AEO targets being the cited answer in AI-powered and featured answers. GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) specifically targets citation in generative engines like ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity. They overlap heavily and we run them as one integrated discipline.
How do I get my business cited by ChatGPT or Google AI Overviews?
Make your content machine-readable and trustworthy: add structured data, define your brand as a clear entity, publish well-structured factual answers to the questions your buyers ask, build genuine topical authority, and earn credible mentions across the web. We do all of this and monitor the results.
Can you guarantee my brand will appear in AI answers?
No — and you should be wary of anyone who guarantees it, because AI outputs aren't directly controllable. We maximise the probability of citation, measure it, and improve it over time. We're transparent about what we can and can't promise.
How is AEO measured?
We monitor whether and how AI engines mention your brand for your priority questions, track changes over time, and tie that to traditional visibility and enquiry metrics. You get reporting, not vague reassurance.
How much does AEO cost in the UK?
AEO programmes typically start from a few hundred to around £1,000+ per month depending on your market's competitiveness and content needs. Ours start from £995/month, and most clients run AEO alongside SEO and content for a blended rate.