Answer Engine Optimization (AEO): Optimizing content to be retrieved and cited by AI systems (ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, etc.) when they generate answers—rather than optimizing for position in a list of links.
Inclusion vs. Ranking: SEO success was measured by position (rank #3 vs. #7). AEO success is binary—you're either part of the synthesized answer or you're invisible. There's no "page two" equivalent.
Generative Intent: A new category of user intent where people ask AI to create something (write X, draft Y, build Z) rather than find something. This is now the dominant intent type in ChatGPT queries at 37.5%.
SEO Model: Publish content → Rank in the list → Earn the click → Convert on your site
AEO Model: Publish content → Get retrieved by AI → Get included in the answer → Influence the decision inside the chat
Google Search
ChatGPT
The generative category didn't exist in traditional search. Navigational collapsed because the AI is the destination.
Each step is optimizable.
Next lesson covers the retrieval mechanism—how AI decides what content to pull and what to ignore. Understanding retrieval is the foundation for creating content that gets cited.
