FAQ
Questions about AEO.
Straight answers to what buyers ask us before an audit: how AEO works, how long it takes and what no one can promise.
What does an AEO agency do?
An AEO agency works to get your business named in answers from ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews and AI Mode, Gemini, Perplexity and Copilot. That means technical access, a clear and consistent entity, content that answers real questions and mentions on the sources engines trust, all tracked over time.
How is AEO different from SEO?
SEO earns rankings on a results page. AEO earns a mention inside the answer. They share a foundation, so good AEO usually improves your SEO too, but AEO adds prompt research, entity work and third-party citations.
Can you guarantee ChatGPT will recommend us?
No one can. AI platforms decide their own answers. We improve the signals they use and show you, prompt by prompt, where you are named each month.
How long until we see results?
Technical and entity fixes can show within weeks. Content and citations typically take three to six months to move answers consistently, depending on your category.
Do I need an llms.txt file?
No. Google states that llms.txt is not needed for AI Overviews, AI Mode or its other AI search features. It is harmless to have, but it is no substitute for crawlable pages, consistent facts and answer-ready content.
Which AI crawlers should I allow?
Allow the search and answer crawlers: Googlebot, Bingbot, OAI-SearchBot, PerplexityBot and Claude-SearchBot. Training crawlers such as GPTBot, ClaudeBot and Google-Extended are a business choice; blocking them does not remove you from those companies’ search answers.
Which AI platforms do you track?
ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Google AI Mode, Gemini, Perplexity and Microsoft Copilot. Every tracked question runs on all six, every month.
Is AEO only for big companies?
No. We work with small, mid-size and large businesses. A local firm might track 60 questions in one city; a national brand might track the same number across several product lines. The method is the same.
What does the free AI visibility check include?
You pick one buyer question and one platform, or all six. We run it and email you the answer, the businesses it names, the sources it used and the one change most likely to get you in. No sales call needed.
What happens on a strategy call?
We look at what AI says about you on two or three real buyer questions, talk through your goals and competitors, and you leave with three priorities, whether or not you work with us.
Do you work with businesses outside the US?
Yes. For Canadian companies we run a separate team and site, Answer Engine Canada, with Canadian prompts, sources and French-language work.
Do you need access to our website?
Not for a AI visibility check or a strategy call. For an audit and fixes we ask for read access to Search Console, analytics and your CMS, and we document every change.
Is AEO the same as GEO?
Mostly, yes. Generative engine optimization (GEO) and answer engine optimization (AEO) describe the same goal: being named and cited in AI-generated answers.
Will AEO replace our SEO?
No. AEO is built on the same foundations as SEO: crawlable pages, clear content and trusted mentions. Most AEO work helps classic search too.
Still deciding?
Run one free question and see what AI says about you today.