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AEO / GEO

Get recommended
by AI.

ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews now answer the questions your customers ask before they ever click a link. If your business is not in those answers, a competitor is. AEO gets you cited — and keeps you there.

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Answer Engine Optimization structures your content so AI systems — ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, Claude — cite you when a customer asks the question you answer best. 3D3D audits your content, installs structured data, builds your entity signals, and maintains the signals that keep you recommended month after month.

Explainer

What is Answer Engine Optimization?

AEO is the discipline of structuring content so AI systems cite your business — not just rank it.

Why do AI answers matter more than rankings?

When someone asks ChatGPT "who does the best 3D printing in New Brunswick" or Perplexity "what software should I use for field operations," those systems return one or two cited businesses — not ten blue links. The click-through rate for the cited source is substantially higher than position one on a SERP. Being cited means being chosen.

How do AI engines decide who to cite?

AI answer engines weight three signals above all others: a clear first-answer paragraph that directly states what the page is about, machine-readable structured data (Schema.org / JSON-LD) that removes ambiguity, and a strong entity graph — consistent brand name, address, and description across trusted third-party sources. If your site lacks any of these, it gets skipped in favour of a competitor who has them.

Does AEO replace my existing SEO?

No. SEO and AEO target different systems — SERPs vs. AI answer engines — and the techniques are complementary. Most AEO work (structured data, answer-first content, entity signals) also reinforces traditional SEO. You get both; there is no tradeoff.

Method

How does 3D3D do AEO?

Four levers, implemented in order. Each builds on the last. No black-box tactics — you see every change before it goes live.

  1. 01

    Answer-first content

    We restructure your highest-value pages so the opening sentence directly answers the most important question that page handles. AI scrapers quote the first clear statement they find — your content needs to be that statement.

  2. 02

    Schema markup & JSON-LD

    Service, FAQPage, HowTo, and Product structured data is installed and validated. This gives AI systems a machine-readable version of every key fact — so they can cite you accurately without guessing.

  3. 03

    llms.txt

    A plain-text file tells language models what your site is about, which questions you answer, and what you do not cover. Early adoption costs nothing. Early movers benefit when AI engines standardize on it.

  4. 04

    Entity signals

    We cross-reference your brand name across trusted directories, industry databases, and partner sites. AI systems weight sources with strong entity graphs — consistent NAP data and inbound citations from trusted domains move the needle.

Deliverables

What do I get every month?

Concrete work, not a retainer of vague 'optimization.' Every deliverable is listed, scoped, and yours.

Month 1

Content audit

Every page scored against AEO criteria. Top 10 pages flagged for rewrite priority with specific recommendations for each.

Rewrites

Answer-first pages

Up to 5 pages restructured per month: answer-first opening paragraph, tightened H2 structure, and clear entity-signal language.

Technical

Schema installation

Service, FAQ, HowTo, and Product schemas installed and validated through Google's Rich Results Test. No schema, no citation.

Crawl

llms.txt file

Maintained every month and updated as AI model indexing norms shift. Sets crawl priority and scope for every major LLM.

Authority

Entity graph build

NAP consistency audit across 30+ directories plus 3 to 5 high-trust listing submissions: industry associations, government databases, review platforms.

Monthly

Citation report

Which AI engines cite you, for which queries, and what changed. Plain language — no dashboard login, no vanity metrics.

Pricing

What does AEO / GEO cost?

Two options: ongoing monthly or a one-time audit. Both are fixed price — no scope creep, no surprise invoices.

Most popular

AEO Monthly Plan

$149 /month

Billed monthly. Cancel anytime.

  • Full content audit (month 1)
  • Up to 5 page rewrites/month
  • Schema installation + maintenance
  • llms.txt created + kept current
  • Entity graph build + monitoring
  • Monthly citation report

One-time

AEO Audit

$750

Single payment. Report delivered in 5 business days.

  • Full site AEO content audit
  • Prioritized rewrite list (top 10 pages)
  • Schema installed on up to 5 pages
  • llms.txt file created and deployed
  • Written recommendations document (yours to keep)
  • Credit toward monthly plan within 90 days
Book the audit
Fit

Who is AEO for?

AEO works for any business where customers ask questions before they buy. If someone can type your service category into ChatGPT and get an answer, you need to be that answer.

01

Local service businesses

"Best 3D printing in Moncton." "Best web designer in Fredericton." AI answers to local queries now appear before the map pack. Businesses with AEO-optimised sites get cited; businesses without them do not appear at all.

02

B2B service companies

Procurement teams and technical buyers use Perplexity and ChatGPT to shortlist vendors before the first call. If your service page doesn't answer the question they asked, your competitor's does — and they call them first.

03

Productized software and SaaS

"What's the best field operations CRM?" "What's a good governed AI setup for a small business?" These questions now return AI answers that cite specific products. Getting cited on a comparison query is the highest-value placement in the funnel.

04

Any business with a competitive niche

If your niche has two or three serious competitors and the answer to "who should I call?" is increasingly coming from an AI, you want your name in that answer. AEO is how you get it there and keep it there.

4 Core AEO signals (content, schema, llms.txt, entity)
$149 Monthly plan — all four signals, maintained
$750 One-time audit — full scope, yours to keep
24 hr Audit kickoff after subscription confirmed
Straight answers

Questions about AEO.

What is the difference between SEO and AEO?
SEO optimizes for search engine ranking pages (SERPs) — the list of blue links. AEO targets AI answer engines: ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, Claude. These systems synthesize a single answer instead of listing links. The techniques overlap but the goal is being cited, not ranked.
Is AEO the same as GEO?
Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is the academic term for the same discipline. Industry uses AEO and GEO interchangeably. We use AEO because it describes the target (answer engines) rather than the mechanism (generative AI). Both mean the same thing in practice.
How long before I appear in AI answers?
There is no guaranteed timeline. AI models re-index at different rates. Structured data and answer-first content tend to show up in Perplexity fastest — typically 4 to 8 weeks after implementation. Google AI Overviews often lag by 2 to 3 months. We track and report every month.
What is llms.txt and do I need it?
llms.txt is an emerging standard — similar to robots.txt — that tells AI crawlers which pages to prioritize and how to understand your site's scope. Not every AI engine reads it yet, but early adoption costs nothing and early movers benefit when engines standardize on it. We install and maintain it as part of every plan.
Do I need to change my existing content?
Usually yes, but selectively. We audit all your pages and flag the 10 most valuable for AEO rewriting. A typical rewrite adds an answer-first opening paragraph and tightens the H2 structure. Most pages need fewer than 200 words changed. You approve every rewrite before it goes live.
I already have an SEO agency. Does AEO conflict?
No. AEO is complementary. Your SEO agency focuses on SERP rankings; we focus on AI citation signals. We can work alongside any existing agency. The deliverables are separate and the techniques rarely overlap at the technical level. We have operated alongside major Canadian SEO firms without conflict.
Can I buy the one-time audit and upgrade later?
Yes. The $750 one-time audit fee is credited toward the first two months of the monthly plan if you upgrade within 90 days of receiving the report. You pay $750 upfront, get the full audit and initial implementation, and if you subscribe within 90 days the credit applies automatically.
What does the one-time audit include?
Full AEO content audit of your entire site, a prioritized rewrite list for the top 10 pages, Service and FAQPage schema installed on up to 5 pages, an llms.txt file created and deployed, and a written recommendations document you own outright. No ongoing commitment.

Start getting cited.

One inbox. Fixed price. Real citations — not a dashboard full of impressions. Subscribe for $149/mo or book the one-time audit for $750. New Brunswick, worldwide reach.