Growing Your Visibility With AEO (Answer Engine Optimization)

What if your next client didn’t find you on Google, but through a question they asked an AI tool?

We have more tools available to us to do research than ever before. Some of us search for answers on Google, some of us use Bing, some of us search YouTube, TikTok, Pinterest, or other platforms. Many of us also use answer engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity.ai, Claude, Gemini, and more.

This gives us more opportunities to get discovered & this is where in addition to SEO, Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) comes in. AEO is about making your content the answer. It sounds technical, but it’s really about being clear, specific, and helpful.

Instead of fearing and pushing back on AI, I’ve been working hard behind the scenes to help my clients and myself get more traffic and leads with the help of AI. We’re making AI with us and for us.

Get ready to take some notes and improve your visibility and search rankings.

A Quick Intro About AEO

Search results are changing fast, and many bloggers have been worried about AI, while others have seen a huge surge in traffic from complementary marketing efforts. Traditional SEO is not “dead,” but it should be complemented with answer engine optimization.

You want to continue to have good search rankings and to also be among the answers that answer engines will give their users.

Most marketers will agree that while we can focus on specific platforms, we should never rely solely on one.

Optimizing your content and creating strategic content for answer engines ensures that you don’t put all your eggs in the same basket, and it helps you get discovered even with AI advancements.

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Start With One Key Question

Every good AEO strategy starts with a simple question. It’s about keeping it simple, using a language your ideal readers or buyers will relate to and actually use when they are using answer engines to ask questions.

I am going to use Pinterest as an example.

Ask yourself: what’s one question my audience keeps asking in their own words?

For example:
“How can I grow my email list using Pinterest?”
or
“How many Pinterest boards should I create?”

Write your blog or record your video around that one single question.

Answer it as soon as you can in your blog post, and you can give more details as you write the blog. This helps readers and answer engines understand exactly what your content is about.

Use Recurring Video Series

Instead of addressing multiple tips in a video, dive deep into a singular topic per video.

For example:

• Video 1: How to find Pinterest keywords

• Video 2: How to optimize your Pinterest banner

• Video 3: How to write a Pinterest board description

Each video answers a clear, single question. AEO tools and answer engines love connected, organized content like this. It shows expertise and helps your content appear for more related questions.

You don’t have to work harder in order for AEO to work for you. If you are already writing blog posts sharing various tips, you can repurpose the blog into short video clips optimized for AEO.

You Don’t Have To Be Everywhere

The good news with AEO is that you don’t need to be everywhere. You want to focus on building a workflow that will work for you and help you with both your SEO and AEO efforts.

Example workflow:
Write a blog → record short videos addressing one point per video → share your blog on Pinterest → share a summary on Reddit.

Each version of the content serves a different audience but leads back to the same main piece.

This way, you’re not spreading yourself thin by trying to be everywhere. You’re building stronger signals from multiple sources.

Another workflow could be:

Record a long-form video for YouTube → record short videos addressing one point per video → share the short videos on TikTok → create a series on Substack.

There are various ways to address this, and you can make AEO work for you without trying to be everywhere.

Make Your Content Easy to Understand

What do humans and answer engines have in common? They love clarity. This is where coaches sometimes struggle; a lot of coaches have signature offers and products that are named based on a transformation they offer, which is great, but not when it comes to SEO and AEO.

Here are some tips:

• Don’t use industry jargon that service providers in your niche use; use clear language, think about writing in layman's terms.

• If you want to use the name of your signature offer or industry jargon, use it in your middle and bottom of funnel content. For top-of-funnel content, focus on simple terms that will allow you to rank in searches.

Why is that? People who need you, or could benefit from what you have to offer, may or may not be familiar with industry jargon and much less with your own specific signature offers verbiage.

When we use language that our potential readers don’t understand, we limit our visibility opportunities because our potential buyers don’t know yet that they need what we have to offer.

How would I do this in this example?

I would make sure I create short videos that answer one question at a time about keyword research. Only after using simple terms would I introduce the name of my offer.

For example, If you want to learn how to find the best Pinterest keywords using the Pinterest trends tool, take my masterclass called The Pintricks Vault 2.0.

For blog content, I would use simple language and focus on the solution people are searching for, and only introduce the name of the offer later on in my blog.

Keep it simple and focus on your readers and potential buyers.

Reddit Can Help

Reddit is a powerful support tool for AEO because it naturally rewards helpful, in-depth content. It is built around niche communities where people actively search for real answers.

When you share genuine insights, respond to questions, and participate in conversations, you build trust and visibility.

Reddit helps your content show up in places where people are already looking for answers, and it strengthens the authority signals that answer engines pay attention to.

Keep Testing and Refining

Keep testing and refining because AEO is not a one-time setup. It is an ongoing practice. Pay attention to which pieces of content get the most traffic, saves, or engagement. If one post or video performs really well, expand on that topic.

Keep your content updated, too, because answer engines value freshness and accuracy. Even small edits like updating examples or stats can help improve your visibility.

AEO Will Work For You

As you start implementing these tips, don’t be surprised if more and more of your new clients start to tell you that tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity recommended you based on questions they asked.

You don’t need fancy tools to start with AEO.
You just need a clear question, a helpful answer, and consistent sharing.

Focus on:

• Answering questions directly (focus on specific questions)

• Organizing your content into small series

• Reusing content across Pinterest, Reddit, and video

• Keeping things simple and fresh

When you do that, your brand won’t just show up online. It will become the go-to answer people (and AI tools) trust.

Want to talk about creating optimized AEO content? Let’s chat.

Frequently Asked Questions About AEO (Answer Engine Optimization)

• What is Answer Engine Optimization?

  Answer engine optimization is the practice of creating content that directly answers user questions in clear and simple language. It helps your content show up when people ask questions on tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Gemini, Google, and more. Think of it as guiding AI tools to choose your content as the best answer.

• Is AEO replacing SEO?

  No. AEO is a complement to SEO. Search engines are still important, but people now get answers from multiple tools. You can keep your strong search rankings with SEO while also helping answer engines understand and recommend your content.

• Do I need to be on every platform for AEO to work?

  Not at all. AEO is about clarity and consistency. You can choose a simple workflow. For example, write a blog, record short videos from the same topic, and share a summary on Pinterest or Reddit. You don’t have to be everywhere for AEO to help you get discovered.

• How do I know what questions to answer in my content?

  Start with one clear question your audience keeps asking in their own words. This becomes the anchor for your blog post or video. When you use their exact language, answer engines understand your content better and are more likely to surface it as a helpful response. You can also look in places like Reddit or Answer the Public to get some ideas.

• Why should I avoid jargon in my AEO content?

  People searching for answers may not know your industry terms or the names of your signature offers. When your content uses simple language, more people and more tools can understand it. This helps you reach a wider audience and improves your visibility.

• Do short videos really help with AEO?

  Yes. Short, focused videos that answer one question at a time are easy for viewers and answer engines to understand. When you link multiple videos together in a series, you create a clear structure that boosts your authority on that topic.

• Do I need advanced tools to get started with AEO?

  No. You only need one clear question, a helpful answer, and a simple workflow for sharing your content. You can start small and refine your approach as you go.