Search is changing – fast.

Your next client might never scroll through a page of blue links. Instead, they’ll open Google’s AI Mode, ChatGPT or Gemini and simply ask:

“Who’s the best person to help me with (their problem)?”

Those tools will then recommend a handful of businesses… and that’s where the decision often gets made.

Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) is about making sure your business has a fighting chance of being one of those recommendations.

This page explains what AEO actually is (in normal language), how it fits alongside “traditional” SEO, and what it looks like in practice for a small business like yours.

If you want this handled properly as part of a wider strategy, take a look at my small business SEO services (including AI search optimisation).

For years, the typical journey looked like this:

1. Someone types a question into Google
2. Scrolls through the blue links
3. Clicks a few websites
4. Shortlists a couple of businesses
5. Finally, gets in touch

Now, a growing number of people are doing this instead:

1. Open an AI tool (Google AI Mode, ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity…)
2. Type one question: “Who should I use for…?”
3. Read a single, summarised answer
4. Choose from the names they’re given

In other words, the whole buying journey – from problem to decision – can happen inside one chat window.

If your business never appears in those answers, you’re not even being considered.

Answer Engine Optimisation is simply the next phase of SEO.

Traditional SEO asks:

“How do I rank higher on Google?”.

AEO adds another question:

“How do I make it easy for AI tools to recommend my business when someone asks for help?”

Answer engines are the AI tools that generate answers rather than just a list of links – things like:

• Google’s AI Overviews and AI Mode
• ChatGPT, Gemini and other AI assistants
• Voice search via Google Assistant, Siri, Alexa, etc.

AEO is about shaping your website and online presence so these tools can:

• Clearly understand what you do
• Clearly understand who you’re perfect for
• Trust you enough to mention you in their answers

There’s a common myth that “SEO is dead” and AEO has replaced it. That isn’t true.

A better way to think about it:

• Traditional SEO is the foundation.
  It’s the infrastructure: fast site, clear structure, helpful content, solid internal linking, trusted backlinks, Google Business profile reviews, and so on.
• AEO sits on top of that foundation.
  It focuses on how all of that information is interpreted by AI tools, and how likely they are to surface you when someone asks a question you’re a good fit to answer.
  

Put simply:

Search is the infrastructure for AI answers.
If your SEO is weak, your chances in AI search are weak too.

So I don’t replace SEO. Rather update it for the way people are actually searching in 2025 and beyond.

If you’d like a more practical overview of SEO foundations, you might also like:
SEO for Small Businesses – Services Overview

In real terms, AEO for small businesses isn’t about chasing every shiny new AI feature.

It’s about making your online presence “answer-ready”.

Clear, focused service pages

Each core service has its own page that spells out who it’s for, what’s included and the results you deliver – in language humans and AI can understand.

Example: my Small Business Website Design page clearly explains who it’s for, what’s included and the outcomes.

Helpful, question-led content

Blog posts, FAQs and resources that answer the very specific questions your ideal clients are asking – the same questions they’ll type into AI tools.

Have a look at these blog posts of mine:

How to Build an SEO-Friendly Website

5 Reasons Why No One Is Visiting Your Website

A clear story about who you are, your experience and why you’re trusted, plus reviews, testimonials and case studies that AI can latch onto.

You can see examples here:

About Melissa Critchley

SEO Case Study: Night Nannies

Web Design Case Study: Mastercraft Shutters

Consistent information about your location, service area and niche so AI tools can confidently say “this person is a good fit for people in [place] looking for [service].”

If local visibility is important for you, you might find this helpful:
Local SEO Services – Target Customers Near You

Logical headings, internal links, fast loading, mobile-friendly, easy-to-crawl pages – all the unglamorous bits that make your site easy to digest.

This is where a lot of the work happens behind the scenes in my Small Business SEO & AEO services.

Pages and posts that are written and structured in a way that makes them ideal candidates to be summarised, cited or referenced in AI-generated answers.

You don’t need to know how to “talk to the algorithms”. You just need to make sure your website and content are clear, useful and trustworthy. My job is to translate that into an actual plan.

It’s absolutely relevant for small businesses, particularly if:

• You rely on people finding you via Google
• You work in a competitive local market
• Your ideal clients are already using AI tools for research and decision-making
• You don’t have time to keep up with the latest changes yourself

Big brands will always have large teams and big budgets. AEO helps level the playing field a little by focusing on clarity, relevance and usefulness – things many big organisations struggle with.

I don’t sell AEO as a separate, mysterious bolt-on.

Instead, I bake it into how I already work with you on SEO:

SEO Audit & Strategy

We start by reviewing where you are now – technically, content-wise and in terms of “AI-readiness”. You get a clear roadmap that covers both traditional SEO and opportunities in AI search.

f you’d like a focused, one-off check-up, my AI Visibility Website Boost combines a website & AI audit, a Power Hour, and done-for-you fixes.

I put the foundations in place: analytics, Search Console, keyword research, content structure, on-page optimisation and AEO-friendly tweaks to your key pages.

You can read more about this process here:
Small Business SEO & Answer Engine Optimisation

Month by month, we improve your visibility in both Google search results and AI search features, publish helpful content, and adapt as these tools evolve.

This often sits alongside your:

• Small Business Website Design
• Local SEO Services
• And, where useful, Google Ads for Small Businesses

If you’re reading this thinking:

• “I don’t have the time or energy to keep up with AI search,” or
• “I’d like to know where I stand and what’s worth doing first,

Then get in touch and I can help!