More and more people ask an AI assistant such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude or Perplexity who to hire or how to get something done, instead of searching Google. AEO (answer engine optimization) means getting your website ready so those assistants can read it, understand it and mention you when a customer asks about what you offer.
How is AEO different from SEO?
Traditional SEO aims to get your website into Google's list of results. AEO aims to get your business into the answer itself: the assistant checks several websites, summarizes what it finds and mentions the businesses it can clearly identify.
It doesn't replace SEO; it builds on it. If an assistant can't read your website, it can't recommend you, no matter how well you rank on Google.
Why could your website be invisible to AI?
The most common reason is technical, and hardly anyone notices it. Many websites are built with templates and page builders that load their text with JavaScript, code that runs in the browser. Google does run that code, so the site shows up in its search results (Google). But a December 2024 study by Vercel and MERJ found that the major AI crawlers, including those from OpenAI (ChatGPT), Anthropic (Claude) and Perplexity, don't run it (Vercel). The result: the same website can show up on Google and look empty to ChatGPT.
Other common stumbling blocks:
- Crawlers blocked by accident. Your robots.txt file decides which crawlers can come in. OpenAI, for example, keeps the crawler that powers ChatGPT search (OAI-SearchBot) separate from the one that collects content to train its models (GPTBot). Blocking the second doesn't remove you from ChatGPT; blocking the first does (OpenAI).
- Unclear business details. If your name, address, phone number, hours and services aren't clear or don't match across your site, the assistant isn't sure who to recommend.
- Buried answers. An assistant quotes a paragraph that answers a specific question far more easily than a generic "about us" text.
- No dates or authors. Between two similar sources, the one that is up to date and signed earns more trust.
What does an AI-ready website need?
- AI crawlers must be able to get in, especially the ones behind the assistants' search.
- The important content must be in the page code, not dependent on JavaScript.
- Structured data: a block of code your customers never see that tells the assistant, without ambiguity, who you are, where you are and what services you offer.
- Clear answers to the questions your customers ask, for example in a frequently asked questions section.
- A consistent identity: the same details on your website, your Google Business Profile and your social media.
- Solid technical basics: HTTPS, a sitemap and pages that load fast.
We tested it on our own website first
Before offering this, we applied it to ourselves. Our AEO audit reviews eight areas, from crawler access to speed. On September 30, taxesproservices.com scored 85 out of 100; after our October redesign, it scored 94. The biggest improvements were in business identity, which went from 60 to 100; structured data, from 75 to 89; and answer structure, from 65 to 81.
How can TAXESPRO help?
As part of our AI consulting service, we help you get your website ready for AI:
- An AEO audit of your website: we compare what an AI crawler sees with what a person sees, and review crawler access, structured data, how your content is organized, your business identity and the technical side.
- A clear, prioritized report: what's wrong, what it takes to fix it and where to start, in plain language.
- The fixes on your website: if you'd like, we make the changes and measure again so you can see the difference.
What we won't do is promise that an assistant will recommend you: nobody controls their answers. What we can do is make sure your website stops getting in the way.
Frequently asked questions
Does AEO replace SEO?
No, it builds on it. Many of its basics, like a fast, clear and well-structured website, also help you on Google.
Does it make sense for a small business?
Yes. What matters to an assistant is being able to read and understand your website, not its size: a small, well-prepared site reads just as well as a large one.
How much does it cost?
It depends on the size and platform of your website. We go over it in your first consultation, which is free and lasts up to 30 minutes.
Want to know how AI sees your website? Book your free first consultation, up to 30 minutes, and we'll review it together.