People don't only type keywords any more. They ask questions, and they expect clear answers.
Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) helps your business create and structure information so it is easier for search engines and answer-driven experiences to understand and use.
“What keyword should we rank for?”
“What question is the customer trying to answer, and does our website answer it clearly?”
The aim is not to chase a format. It is to make useful information easy to find, easy to understand and easy to trust.
Figures from published research. They describe Google in the U.S. in March 2025, not results for any Redcanvass client, and each one links to its source.
Source: Pew Research Center (22 Jul 2025): 68,879 Google searches from 900 U.S. adults, March 2025.
Searches that began with a question word produced an AI summary 60% of the time.
The median summary was 67 words. The shortest was 7 and the longest 369.
Only 1% of the AI summaries studied cited a single source.
Question-style searches are where AI-generated answers appear most often, and those answers are short. That is why we write clear, direct answers backed by sources. It does not mean any particular page will be chosen, and Google's AI features have changed since this data was collected. Google also says there are no additional requirements to appear in its AI features, so strong SEO fundamentals still come first.
Finding the real questions your customers ask before, during and after they buy.
Placing a direct, accurate answer near the top of the page, with detail beneath it for people who want more.
Clear headings, short sections, lists and tables where they genuinely help people read.
Covering a subject properly across connected pages, so there is more than one thin article.
Making it clear who you are, what you do, who you serve and where you operate.
Supporting claims with credible information, and citing sources where appropriate.
Using structured data when it suits the content. Google says no special markup is required to appear in its AI features, so we treat it as support, not a shortcut.
Collect the questions customers ask, from search data, sales conversations and support enquiries.
Write clear, honest answers in the voice of your business.
Organise content so people and search systems can follow it.
Update answers as the business, the market and search behaviour change.
No one can guarantee that a search feature or AI tool will use your answer. We improve the clarity, structure and credibility of your information, which is what helps your content deserve to be used.
It can be a strong fit when:
[The page or content before]
[Rewritten page or question hub]
[Real outcome afterwards]
[e.g. Search Console, dates]
Answer Engine Optimization focuses on making information clear, structured and useful for experiences that answer questions directly, such as featured snippets and AI-generated answers.
SEO focuses broadly on visibility in search engines. AEO focuses specifically on answering questions well. They overlap heavily, and AEO should complement strong SEO.
Not necessarily. Structured data can help search engines understand content, but Google says no special markup is required for its AI features.
They are related but not identical. AEO is about structuring answers to questions. GEO is about how generative AI tools find, interpret and reference your business more broadly.
From search data, customer enquiries, sales calls, reviews and support messages. Your own team often knows the best questions.
A good FAQ answers real questions clearly and can support understanding. A page stuffed with generic questions does not.
No. It improves the clarity and quality of your information but cannot control what a search feature chooses to show.
We'll look at the questions in your market and where your content could answer them more clearly.