Services / AEO & AI Search
Answer Engine Optimisation —
be the answer AI gives.
We get your brand cited by AI engines — Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini — not just ranked on Google.
Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) is the practice of structuring your content, data and brand so AI engines — Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini — cite you as the answer when people ask. It combines schema markup, entity clarity and question-led content with traditional search authority. Elite Digital Agency is a UK agency that builds AEO programmes for businesses that want to be found in the AI search era, not left behind by it.
Why this matters now
Search has split in two. People still type queries into Google, but a fast-growing share now ask — they ask ChatGPT for a recommendation, read Google's AI Overview instead of clicking, or let Perplexity summarise the web for them. In every one of those moments, there are no ten blue links to compete for. There is one answer. AEO is how you become it.
If your competitors are cited in that answer and you aren't, the customer never even sees you. This is the single biggest shift in discovery since Google launched — and most agencies are still only optimising for the half of search that's shrinking.
| SEO | AEO | GEO | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Optimises for | Google rankings (the blue links) | Direct answers and featured snippets | AI-generated responses (ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity) |
| Key assets | Content, links and technical health | Q&A blocks, schema and answer-first structure | Entities, citations and brand trust |
| Success metric | Rankings and organic traffic | Snippet and answer share | AI citations and AI referral traffic |
SEO vs AEO vs GEO — in practice they overlap, and we run them together: strong SEO authority makes AEO citation more likely, and AEO structure makes your SEO content machine-readable. We don't sell these as separate products to inflate a bill — they're one integrated discipline.
Around 60% of Google searches ended without a click in 2026, according to industry zero-click research — users increasingly get their answer directly on the results page or from an AI assistant. Being cited inside the answer matters as much as ranking beneath it.
What we actually do
Entity optimisation
We make your brand a clearly-defined entity engines can recognise and trust: consistent naming, structured data, and authoritative associations across the web.
Schema architecture
Organisation, Service, FAQ, Article and Breadcrumb structured data so engines can parse and quote your pages accurately.
Question-led content
We map the real questions your buyers ask AI, then publish clear, factual, well-structured answers engines prefer to cite.
Topical authority
Pillar-and-cluster content that signals genuine depth in your category, not thin one-off posts.
Citation earning
Digital PR and legitimate off-site mentions, because AI visibility correlates with being referenced across the web.
AI visibility monitoring
We track whether and how AI engines mention your brand for your key questions, and report on it — so this is measured, not guessed.
How we get you cited by AI engines
Our five-step AEO process — the same method whether the engine is Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Perplexity or Gemini:
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Open AI crawler access
Allow GPTBot, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot and OAI-SearchBot in robots.txt, publish llms.txt, and remove rendering barriers so AI crawlers can access and render your site.
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Structure content for extraction
Publish answer-first paragraphs, FAQ schema, comparison tables and self-contained 40–60-word definition blocks mapped to the real questions your buyers ask.
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Fix entity consistency
Make your name, address, founder and identifiers identical across your website schema, Companies House, LinkedIn and review platforms so engines can verify who you are.
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Earn third-party citations
Build reviews, directory listings, digital PR and original research on the sites AI engines already trust — off-site corroboration is what turns claims into citations.
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Monitor and iterate
Track AI citations monthly for your priority questions, and refresh statistics, dates and content quarterly so engines keep seeing current, corroborated answers.
Our honest promise
No one can guarantee a specific sentence in a specific AI engine's output — and anyone who promises that is selling you something they can't deliver. What we can do is maximise the probability you're cited, measure it, and improve it over time. We optimise for the engines, monitor the results, and tell you the truth about what's working. That honesty is rarer than it should be in this space.
How we work
Audit & Strategy → Execution → Measure & Compound. We start by auditing your current AI visibility and entity footprint, then build the schema, content and authority to improve it, then monitor citations and iterate.
Pricing
AEO & GEO programmes start from £995/month, scaled to your category's competitiveness and your content needs. Most clients run AEO integrated with SEO and content for compounding effect — integrated programmes benefit from a blended rate.
See AEO applied in a sector
AEO works hardest where trust and accuracy decide the enquiry. Explore where it connects:
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO)?
AEO is optimising your content and brand so AI answer engines cite you as the answer to a user's question. It uses schema markup, entity clarity and question-led content alongside traditional search authority, so engines like Google AI Overviews and ChatGPT recognise and quote your business.
What's the difference between AEO, GEO and SEO?
SEO targets ranking in traditional search results. AEO targets being the cited answer in AI-powered and featured answers. GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) specifically targets citation in generative engines like ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity. They overlap heavily and we run them as one integrated discipline.
How do I get my business cited by ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity?
Five levers, in order: (1) make sure AI crawlers (GPTBot, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot) can access your site; (2) publish answer-first, question-mapped content with FAQ schema; (3) build entity consistency — same name, address, founder and identifiers across your site, Companies House, LinkedIn and review platforms; (4) earn mentions on third-party sites AI engines already trust (reviews, directories, press); (5) publish original data and statistics, which are the most-cited content type. Our free AI Visibility Checker scores your site on all five — see /tools/ai-visibility-checker/.
Can you guarantee my brand will appear in AI answers?
No — and you should be wary of anyone who guarantees it, because AI outputs aren't directly controllable. We maximise the probability of citation, measure it, and improve it over time. We're transparent about what we can and can't promise.
How is AEO measured?
We monitor whether and how AI engines mention your brand for your priority questions, track changes over time, and tie that to traditional visibility and enquiry metrics. You get reporting, not vague reassurance.
How much does GEO/AEO cost?
GEO/AEO programmes in the UK typically run £800–£3,000/month, usually bundled with SEO because the foundations overlap (technical health, structured content, authority). Standalone AI-visibility audits are available as one-off projects. Beware agencies selling GEO as an expensive mystery bolt-on: the discipline is 70% excellent SEO plus entity and citation work, and pricing should reflect that. Our AEO programmes start from £995/month, and most clients run AEO alongside SEO and content for a blended rate.
Does SEO still work now that Google shows AI Overviews?
Yes — but the target has widened. Around 60% of Google searches now end without a click because AI Overviews answer them directly, which means ranking #1 no longer guarantees traffic. Modern SEO therefore optimises for two outcomes: ranking in the classic results and being cited inside the AI Overview. Sites with clear structure, schema and original data win both; thin affiliate-style content is what actually died.
What is llms.txt and does my website need one?
llms.txt is a plain-text file at your domain root that tells AI crawlers what your site is and which pages matter most — a curated map for large language models, analogous to robots.txt for search engines. It is not yet a ranking factor, but it costs nothing, takes an hour, and early adopters report improved AI-crawl coverage. Any business that wants to be recommended by AI assistants should have one.
Agency vs freelancer vs in-house marketing — which is best?
Freelancers (£25–£75/hr) suit single-channel tasks. In-house (£35k–£55k+/yr per hire + tools) suits companies spending £8k+/month with management capacity. Agencies (£500–£5,000/mo) suit most SMEs: you get a full senior team and proven processes for less than one hire, with accountability built in. The breakpoint for moving in-house is roughly £8,000–£10,000/month of agency spend.
Do digital marketing agencies require long contracts?
Practices vary. Some UK agencies lock clients into 6–12 month contracts; others (including Elite Digital Agency) work on a short initial term — six months, the time SEO genuinely needs to compound — followed by rolling monthly agreements. Expect an honest agency to set that expectation, but expectation-setting is different from contractual lock-in. Always check the exit clause and confirm you keep your website, ad accounts and data.