What AEO is, and why ChatGPT doesn't mention your business yet

Ask ChatGPT who to call about a villa on the Palm, a jet to London or an architect in Dubai, and it gives you two or three names. Not ten blue links. Two or three names. If yours isn't one of them, that buyer never sees you.

Answer engine optimisation, AEO, is the work of becoming one of those names.

How an AI decides who to name

AI tools don't guess. They read what's published about you and repeat what they can verify. In practice they look for three things.

• A clear statement of what you do, where, and for whom. If your homepage says "excellence in every detail", there's nothing to quote.
• Direct answers to the questions buyers ask. Prices from, areas covered, how long it takes, what's included.
• Other sources that agree with you: Google reviews, directory listings, press, partner sites.

Why most business sites get skipped

Most premium businesses have a beautiful site that says almost nothing in words. Big photos, a slogan, a contact page. A person can fill in the gaps. A machine can't, so it names the competitor whose site spells it out.

What to change first

• Write one plain sentence at the top of your homepage: what you sell, where, to whom.
• Add a real FAQ, written the way your clients actually ask.
• Add structured data (schema) so machines can read your business details without guessing.
• Get your name, address and services matching everywhere you're listed.

None of this hurts your design. Done properly, the page reads better for people too. That's the point: AEO is mostly about being clear.

Related services

• AEO agency