Our Approach

How AEO should be done

AEO isn't a plugin or a trick. It's a repeatable process across six pillars — from measuring what AI says about you today to earning the trust that gets you recommended tomorrow.

The 6 pillars of AEO

Every engagement follows the same framework. The weight we put on each pillar depends on where you start.

01

Measure your AI visibility

You can't improve what you don't measure. We start by finding out what AI actually says about you.

  • Build a prompt set: 50–150 real questions your buyers ask (discovery, comparison, "best X for Y", pricing, alternatives).
  • Run them across ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews / AI Mode, Perplexity, Gemini and Copilot.
  • Record: are you mentioned? cited with a link? recommended? how are you described? who wins instead?
  • Establish your baseline AI share of voice vs. key competitors.
02

Build a clear brand entity

AI models think in "entities" — things with clear, consistent facts. If your facts are fuzzy or contradictory, AI hesitates to name you.

  • Define the core facts: who you are, what you do, for whom, where, and what makes you different.
  • Make those facts consistent on your site, LinkedIn, Google Business Profile, Crunchbase, G2/Clutch, directories and partner pages.
  • Strengthen About, Team and Service pages with real expertise, credentials and proof.
  • Add Organization, Product/Service and Person schema so machines read the facts without guessing.
03

Create answer-first content

AI assistants quote content that answers a question clearly and early. We restructure and create content to be the best, most quotable answer.

  • Lead with the answer: a 40–60 word direct response at the top, then the detail.
  • Use question-based headings that mirror real prompts.
  • Add comparison tables, step lists, definitions and FAQs — formats AI loves to lift.
  • Publish original data, opinions and case studies: unique facts are what get cited.
  • Keep key pages fresh with visible "last updated" dates.
04

Fix technical access

If AI crawlers can't reach or read your content, nothing else matters.

  • Review robots.txt and CDN/firewall rules so AI crawlers (e.g. GPTBot, OAI-SearchBot, PerplexityBot, Google-Extended) are handled deliberately — not blocked by accident.
  • Make sure important content is in the HTML, not hidden behind heavy JavaScript, tabs or logins.
  • Implement structured data (FAQ, HowTo, Article, Product, Organization) and validate it.
  • Ensure Bing indexing is healthy — several AI assistants rely on Bing's index.
  • Optionally publish an llms.txt file summarising your key pages.
05

Earn off-site authority

AI trusts what others say about you more than what you say about yourself. This is where many brands win or lose.

  • Map the sources AI actually cites for your prompts — then get present on them.
  • Reviews on G2, Capterra, Clutch, Trustpilot or Google, depending on your market.
  • Digital PR, expert commentary, podcasts, industry lists and "best of" roundups.
  • Authentic participation in communities like Reddit, LinkedIn and industry forums.
  • Partner, client and association pages that mention and link to you.
06

Track, report & iterate

AI answers change constantly. AEO is an ongoing loop, not a one-off project.

  • Re-run the prompt set monthly and track share of voice, citations and sentiment.
  • Track AI referral traffic in GA4 (chatgpt.com, perplexity.ai, copilot, gemini) and tie it to leads.
  • Watch branded search growth as a signal of AI-driven awareness.
  • Feed learnings back into content, entity and authority work each month.

What the first 90 days look like

A clear plan so you know exactly what's happening and when.

Days 1–30

Audit & baseline

Prompt set, AI visibility baseline, competitor comparison, technical & entity audit, prioritised action plan.

Days 31–60

Foundations & quick wins

Technical fixes, schema, entity consistency, restructuring your top pages to be answer-first.

Days 61–90

Content & authority

New answer content for gap prompts, off-site authority plan in motion, first progress report vs. baseline.

AEO do's and don'ts

What works — and the shortcuts that waste budget or backfire.

✅ Do

  • Start from real buyer questions, not keywords
  • Give direct, factual answers early on the page
  • Keep brand facts consistent everywhere
  • Publish original data and genuine expertise
  • Invest in reviews and third-party mentions
  • Measure monthly and adjust

❌ Don't

  • Mass-produce generic AI content
  • Block AI crawlers without a deliberate decision
  • Stuff pages with keywords or fake FAQs
  • Spam communities or buy fake reviews
  • Treat AEO as a one-time project
  • Abandon SEO — it's still the foundation

Ready to see where you stand?

Every engagement starts with Pillar 1: a clear picture of your AI visibility today.

See our AEO packages