What does an AEO agency do?
An answer engine optimization (AEO) agency makes your brand the answer when buyers ask Google’s AI or ChatGPT a question. That answer has little room in it. In our study of 10,000 keywords, Google’s AI Overviews linked 4.94 pages per answer on average, and ChatGPT linked just 2.35.
Source: Web Asset Builders study of 10,000 US keywords, August–September 2026.
To win one of those few spots, an AEO agency does four jobs:
- Finds the questions your buyers ask AI before they buy.
- Writes clear answers to those questions on your site, so AI can use them.
- Gets your brand onto the pages AI trusts, like reviews, lists and comparisons, plus the pages that rank on Google.
- Tracks which brands AI recommends, and keeps closing gaps.
AEO has the same goal as generative engine optimization, under another name. If that’s the term you know, see our GEO agency page. Both are part of the one plan we run as an AI SEO agency: get your brand onto the pages AI trusts and the pages that rank, then obsessively track the answers.
Our answer engine optimization services, step by step
Our answer engine optimization services follow seven steps. Each step feeds the next one.
- Map your buyer questions. We list what buyers ask at each stage: the problem, the options, the comparison and the final check.
- Check today’s answers. We ask Google’s AI Overviews, Google AI Mode and ChatGPT each question more than once. We record which brands get named, what AI says about them and which pages it links to.
- Find the pages behind the answers. Each AI leans on its own set of reviews, lists, comparisons, forum threads and videos. We list the ones that shape your answers.
- Answer the questions on your site. We write plain answers with real facts: what you sell, who it’s for, what it costs and how it compares. One question gets one clear answer.
- Get your brand onto the pages AI trusts. We work to get you added or corrected on those pages, and on the pages that rank on Google for the same questions. You approve everything first.
- Fix what AI gets wrong. If an AI has your features or prices wrong, we find the pages it’s using and get them fixed.
- Track and repeat. We obsessively track the answers and keep closing gaps, so AI names you more often.
Are AEO agency services worth it?
AEO agency services are worth it when your buyers ask AI before they buy and AI names other brands instead of yours. AI answers are now a fixed part of search. Google showed an AI Overview for 8,658 of the 10,000 keywords in our study. When we searched 1,000 keywords three times each, 82.7% showed an AI Overview all three times.
- AI Overview all 3 times 82.7%
- AI Overview 1 or 2 times 7.9%
- No AI Overview 9.4%
The same 1,000 keywords, each searched in Google three times. Source: Web Asset Builders study of 10,000 US keywords, August–September 2026.
AEO is worth it for you if:
- Your buyers research online before they call, book or buy.
- AI names your competitors when you ask it your buyers’ questions.
- You have real customers, reviews or results that other sites can talk about.
It’s not worth it yet if:
- Most of your sales come from walk-ins or one big contract, not from people who search.
- You need sales next week. This work builds over time.
- You want a guaranteed spot. No one can promise that.
Be clear-eyed about how answers move, too. In our study, the brands Google’s AI named overlapped only 60.06% across three runs of the same searches. So judge AEO by how often you’re recommended over time, not by one screenshot.
The cost depends on the size of your gap. That means how many AI platforms you want to show up on, how many buyer questions you need to win and how far ahead your competitors are. A free AI visibility audit shows how big your gap is before you spend anything.
AEO on Google’s AI and ChatGPT: what changes
AEO changes by platform, because Google’s AI and ChatGPT decide who to name in different ways.
Google’s AI Overviews and AI Mode
Google’s AI leans on pages that already rank in Google. In our study, AI Overviews linked to 49.19% of the pages ranked #1 for the same keyword, 9.83% of the pages at #10 and just 3.05% at #20.
Share of pages at each Google rank that the AI Overview linked to for the same keyword. Source: Web Asset Builders study of 10,000 US keywords, August–September 2026.
So AEO for Google means two things. Your own answers need to rank near the top, and the other pages at the top need to mention you. Google AI Mode wasn’t part of our study. It’s also Google search, so we start from the same top pages and check its answers on their own.
ChatGPT
ChatGPT leans more on what it already knows about brands. In our study, 82.22% of ChatGPT answers named at least one brand that an AI with no web search also named for the same question. Only 10.87% of the pages ChatGPT linked to were in Google’s top 10. So AEO for ChatGPT means being known across the web, in reviews, lists, articles and forum threads, with facts that match everywhere. Our ChatGPT SEO service covers this side in depth.
AEO for software and B2B brands
Software buyers use AI to build a shortlist before they talk to sales. If your product isn’t on that list, you don’t get the demo, and you never see the deal you lost. B2B buyers ask AI questions like these:
| Buying stage | What a B2B buyer asks AI |
|---|---|
| Problem | “How do we stop leads from slipping between sales and support?” |
| Shortlist | “Best help desk software for a 20-person team?” |
| Compare | “YourBrand or a rival: which is easier to set up?” |
| Final check | “Does YourBrand work with our CRM?” |
The pages behind these answers tend to be software review sites, “best tools” lists, comparison articles, forum threads and your own help and pricing pages. So AEO for software means clear comparison, pricing and integration pages on your site, and your product named on the review sites and lists buyers trust. Our AEO for SaaS page shows how we do this for software companies.
How to choose an AEO agency
Choose an AEO agency that shows you today’s answers, plans for each AI on its own and works beyond your website. Check these five things before you sign:
| What to check | Why it matters | What to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Platform coverage | Google’s AI and ChatGPT trust different pages. | “Which AI platforms will you track, and how does the plan differ for each?” |
| Work beyond your site | In our study, 80.69% of the links next to brands in Google’s AI Overviews went to other websites. | “How will you get us onto the pages AI trusts?” |
| Answers on your site | AI can only repeat facts it can find. | “Which buyer questions will our site answer, and where?” |
| Measurement | Answers change from one search to the next. | “How often do you check, and how do you count a recommendation?” |
| Honesty | No one controls what AI says. | “What won’t you promise us?” |
Red flags to watch for
- A guaranteed spot as “the answer” in ChatGPT or Google’s AI.
- A plan that’s only FAQ pages and schema markup, with no work on other sites.
- Reports that show rankings and traffic, but not which brands AI recommends.
- A proposal sent before anyone looks at your current AI answers.
A good AEO agency starts with your current answers. Ours starts with a free AI visibility audit: where you stand in Google’s AI and ChatGPT, what your buyers ask AI and how to close the gap.
