Answer engine optimization: how to get cited by ChatGPT
When someone asks ChatGPT what to buy, it writes one answer from a few sources and names a few companies. Answer engine optimization is the work of being one of them. Here's what AI looks at before it nods at a company, in plain terms.
- Best for
- B2B companies that want to know if AI puts them on the shortlist.
- Price
- Plans from $1,500/mo. Free check first. Cancel any month.
The terms
What AEO and GEO actually mean.
Answer engine optimization (AEO), also called generative engine optimization (GEO), is getting your company named and cited in the answers AI assistants write.
The short version: publish clear pages that answer the exact questions your buyers ask, and measure whether AI uses them. Assistants that search the web lean on the same pages Google ranks, so we work on both at once.
What earns a citation
What AI reads before it names you.
There's no trick. Assistants cite pages that are easy to find, easy to read and worth quoting. That is how you get cited by ChatGPT and the other assistants.
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Be findable.
Indexed by search engines, readable by AI crawlers. An assistant can't cite a page it can't fetch.
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Answer the exact question.
A plain answer near the top, in your buyer's words. Detail after.
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Be worth quoting.
Real product detail, honest comparisons, clear facts. Vague claims give AI nothing to repeat.
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Measure, then improve.
Ask the same questions on a schedule. See which pages get cited and fix the ones that don't.
The blind spot
Why your analytics can't see this.
A buyer asks an assistant which vendors to compare. It writes one answer, names a few companies and links its sources. Being named is getting the nod.
If you're not named, you're not on the list, and your analytics won't show the conversation you missed. Only a click on a cited link ever reaches your site.
What we check
How to tell if it's working.
Your nod score counts the tracked buyer questions where AI names or cites you, as nods out of answers. AI answers change from run to run, so we ask each question more than once and report the pattern, not one lucky screenshot.
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Are you named?
Does the answer mention you when buyers ask about your category?
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Are you described right?
What AI says you do, and whether it's still true.
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Is your site a source?
Does the answer link to your pages, or someone else's?
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Who's named instead?
Which companies show up for the same question.
| Aspect | Ranking on Google | Cited in AI answers |
|---|---|---|
| What you win | A spot in a list of links | A mention or link inside the answer |
| What analytics shows | Clicks and impressions | Only visits from a cited link. The answer itself is invisible. |
| How it's measured | Rank tracking | The same questions asked again and again, compared with your start |
| What earns it | Useful pages search engines trust | Clear pages that answer the exact question |
FAQ
AEO and GEO, answered
What is answer engine optimization?
Answer engine optimization (AEO) is making your company part of the answer an AI assistant gives. In practice: pages with clear, specific answers to the questions buyers ask, so assistants name you and cite your site.
What is generative engine optimization?
The same work under another name. GEO, AEO, AI SEO and AI search optimization all mean one thing: getting named and cited in AI answers. We call the result AI visibility.
How do you get cited by ChatGPT?
When ChatGPT searches the web, it cites pages it can find and quote. So a page has to be indexed, answer the exact question near the top, and be specific: real product detail, honest comparisons, clear facts. The same pages tend to work in Perplexity, Gemini and Google's AI too.
Nobody can guarantee a citation. We measure it on the same questions every month and show you what moved.
How do you measure AI visibility?
We agree a set of buyer questions with you, then ask them on a schedule in ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Google's AI answers, using live search and AI answer data. For each answer we record whether you're named, how you're described, which sources are cited and who else appears. Answers vary, so we ask each question more than once and report the pattern.
What is a nod?
When an AI answer names your company or cites your site. Your nod score is how many of your tracked questions got one.
We count it on the same questions every month, written as nods out of answers, and compare it with where you started.
Can you guarantee we'll be named?
No. Anyone who does is guessing. Nobody controls what an AI says. We control what we publish and how honestly we measure it.
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