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AEO (Answer Engine Optimization)

AEO is the practice of structuring your website and content so that AI assistants like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity cite your business as the answer when prospects ask questions in their industry. It is the next-generation evolution of SEO.

The longer version

While SEO targets traditional search engines like Google, AEO targets answer engines - AI tools that read your structured data and content to generate direct answers. By 2027, AI search is projected to handle 25-50% of small business discovery queries. AEO involves implementing schema.org markup (LocalBusiness, FAQPage, Organization), publishing answer-style content, building Wikipedia and directory citations, and configuring robots.txt to welcome AI crawlers like GPTBot and ClaudeBot.

Common questions

Is AEO different from SEO?

Yes. SEO gets you ranked in Google search results pages. AEO gets you cited as the answer inside AI responses. Both matter, but AEO is rising in importance fast.

What does AEO cost?

Most SMB agencies charge $799-$2,500 setup plus $99-$300/mo ongoing. Relvexa charges $799 + $99/mo.

How long until AEO works?

Schema changes index within 1-2 weeks. Citation-worthy content takes 30-90 days to be picked up consistently by AI training corpora.

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