# AEO optimization Human Guide

## What This Is For
Optimize content for AI engines (ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews) so your brand gets cited in AI-generated answers. It gives the agent a clearer input/output frame for AEO optimization: what context to ask for, what decisions to make, and what usable artifact to return.

Use this as a human-readable version of the AEO optimization agent skill. It is meant for marketers, operators, founders, and other non-coders who want the workflow without reading agent-specific implementation instructions.

## When To Use This
- Use this when you need a repeatable process for AEO optimization.
- Use this when the task needs judgment, examples, constraints, or a clear output format rather than a one-off prompt.
- Use this when you want to hand an AI assistant enough context to produce a usable marketing artifact.

## When Not To Use This
- Do not use this when you only need a quick factual answer.
- Do not use this when the work depends on private data you cannot share with the assistant.
- Do not use this as a replacement for legal, compliance, financial, or medical review.

## What You Need Before Starting
- The goal or business outcome you want.
- The audience, customer segment, or market context.
- Any source material the assistant should respect, such as notes, briefs, examples, URLs, or brand guidance.
- Constraints such as tone, length, channel, deadline, region, or approval requirements.
- A clear definition of what a good final answer should look like.

## Step-By-Step Workflow
1. State the job clearly: "Use the AEO optimization guide to help me with..."
2. Add context: audience, goal, offer, channel, source material, and constraints.
3. Ask the assistant to identify missing inputs before producing the final output.
4. Have the assistant follow the skill-specific guidance below.
5. Review the result against the final checklist and ask for revisions where needed.

## Skill-Specific Guidance
- 70% of consumers use ChatGPT for searches
- 47% of Google queries show AI overviews
- Average ChatGPT prompt: 23 words (vs 4.2 for Google)
- AEO market: $886M (2024) → $7.3B (2031)
- Repeat key facts consistently across your own pages
- Use same terminology as industry leaders
- Link to and from authoritative external sources
- Create internal content clusters that reinforce each other
- Concrete examples with specifics
- Clear point of view (not fence-sitting)
- Expert quotes with credentials
- Use semantic triples (Subject → Verb → Object)

## Decision Points And Nuance
The original skill emphasizes: Why AEO Matters Now, How AI Engines Choose Answers, Consensus, Information Gain, Entities & Structure, Semantic Triples (Critical for AEO), Examples, Triple Checklist, Paragraph Pattern (Feature → How → Outcome), Example.

Use these questions to steer the work:
- What is the intended audience or buyer?
- What source material must be preserved?
- What should the assistant optimize for: clarity, persuasion, accuracy, speed, creativity, or conversion?
- What examples represent the desired quality bar?
- What should the assistant avoid?

## Common Mistakes
- Starting without a clear audience or goal.
- Asking for a final artifact before sharing examples or constraints.
- Accepting a generic first draft without checking it against the intended use.

## Copy-And-Paste Prompt
```text
Use the AEO optimization human guide.

My goal:
[Describe the business outcome]

Audience:
[Describe who this is for]

Context and source material:
[Paste notes, examples, links, or existing copy]

Constraints:
[Tone, length, channel, timeline, must-include items, must-avoid items]

Before producing the final output, ask me for any missing information that would materially improve the result.
```

## Final Checklist
- [ ] The output matches the original goal.
- [ ] The audience and context are reflected in the answer.
- [ ] Important constraints and source material were preserved.
- [ ] The assistant made the relevant decisions explicit.
- [ ] The final artifact is ready to use, review, or hand to the next person.

## Source
This guide was generated from the alinaqi/claude-bootstrap skill entry for `aeo-optimization`.

## Source Skill Notes
These notes preserve the nuance from the original skill. Use them as supporting reference when the workflow above feels too generic.

# AI Engine Optimization (AEO) Skill


**Purpose:** Optimize content for AI engines (ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews) so your brand gets cited in AI-generated answers.

**Source:** Based on [HubSpot's AEO Guide](https://www.hubspot.com/aeo) and industry best practices.

---

## Why AEO Matters Now

```
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  THE GREAT DECOUPLING                                          │
│  ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────  │
│  Impressions ≠ Clicks anymore.                                 │
│  AI engines compile answers from multiple sources.             │
│  More buyer journey happens inside chat experiences.           │
│  58% of Google searches = zero clicks (AI overviews).          │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  THE OPPORTUNITY                                               │
│  ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────  │
│  Shape what AI engines say about your category and product.    │
│  Get cited as the authoritative source.                        │
│  Best answer > Best page ranking.                              │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
```

**Key Stats:**
- 70% of consumers use ChatGPT for searches
- 47% of Google queries show AI overviews
- Average ChatGPT prompt: 23 words (vs 4.2 for Google)
- AEO market: $886M (2024) → $7.3B (2031)

---

## How AI Engines Choose Answers

AI engines use three main signals to select content for answers:

### 1. Consensus

Facts that appear across multiple credible sources get trusted and reused.

**How to build consensus:**
- Repeat key facts consistently across your own pages
- Use same terminology as industry leaders
- Link to and from authoritative external sources
- Create internal content clusters that reinforce each other

### 2. Information Gain

Net-new insight beats generic advice. AI engines prefer content that adds value.

**How to add information gain:**
- Original research and data
- Concrete examples with specifics
- Clear point of view (not fence-sitting)
- Expert quotes with credentials
- Case studies with metrics

### 3. Entities & Structure

Clear entities and tidy structure reduce ambiguity and boost quotability.

**How to optimize structure:**
- Use semantic triples (Subject → Verb → Object)
- Clear headings with entity names
- Schema markup (Article, FAQ, Product)
- Short, scannable paragraphs (2-4 sentences)

---

## Semantic Triples (Critical for AEO)

**What they are:** Compact facts that AI engines (and humans) can't misread.

**Pattern:** `[Subject]` `[verb]` `[object]`.

### Examples