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AEO · Answer engine optimization

Is AI recommending you to your buyers, or your competitors?


Other tools test what a robot asks. We test what your buyer asks.

ChatGPTPerplexityGeminiGoogle AI Overviews

The problem

Does AI give every buyer the same answer?

No. ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Google AI shape each answer around the person asking, so the brands they recommend change from buyer to buyer.

Who's asking

Role, industry and company size

How they phrase it

Their words, not your keywords

Where they are

Country, city and market

What they asked before

Memory and chat history

Their buying stage

Exploring, comparing or ready to buy

Change any one of these, and the answer can change.

The blind spot

Why do automated AEO tools miss this?

They fire generic prompts from a clean, context-free session. So an automated score can say you're visible when your real buyer never sees you.

Illustrative example

Automated tool

A generic prompt, no context

no roleno historyno location

Promptbest budgeting software
AI answerPopular options include:
  1. Your brand
  2. Competitor A
  3. Competitor B

You're cited

As your real buyer

A CFO at a 200-person firm

CFOmanufacturing200 staffUS Midwestcomparing vendors

PromptWe're outgrowing spreadsheets for budgeting. What should a mid-size manufacturer shortlist?
AI answerFor a manufacturer your size, I'd shortlist:
  1. Competitor A
  2. Competitor C
  3. Competitor D

You're not mentioned. Competitor recommended.

Other tools test what a robot asks. We test what your buyer asks.

How it works

How does the AEO Persona Audit work?

We research who your buyers really are, then ask each AI engine what they would ask, the way they would ask it.

01

Build your real buyer personas

From ICP research, not guesswork.

02

Write the questions they ask

In their words, across the buying journey.

03

Audit 4 AI engines as each persona

ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Google AI Overviews.

04

Report what to fix

Who gets cited, where you're missing, and what to fix first.

The audit

What do you get for $499?

A clear picture of what AI tells your real buyers about you, and the 10 fixes that matter most.

  • 3 buyer personas, built from ICP research
  • 25+ buyer questions per persona
  • 4 AI engines: ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Google AI Overviews
  • Who's cited instead of you, by persona and engine
  • Your visibility gap: generic prompts vs your real buyers
  • Top 10 fixes, in priority order
  • A walkthrough call to go through the findings

AEO Persona Audit

$499one-time

Turnaround: 3 business days

Get your AEO Persona Audit: $499 Book a call first

After the audit

What happens after the audit?

You keep the report and the fixes. If you want us to act on them, there are two next steps.

Start here

AEO Persona Audit

$499

See what AI tells your real buyers, and what to fix.

Next

AEO Playbook

Priced after your audit

Turn the top fixes into a content and citation plan your team can run.

Ongoing

AEO Growth Retainer

Priced after your audit

Persona-based tracking every month, answer-first content, and an AI-visibility report.

Why us

Why trust us with your buyers?

Because building buyer personas from research is what we've done for 15+ years, for founders, consultants and global brands.

15+ yrs

of buyer and market research

95%+

five-star client reviews

350+

projects delivered

Top 1%

Expert-Vetted on Upwork

"Personas are what we've built for 15+ years. AEO is where they matter most now."Every recommendation is backed by research.

FAQ

Questions about AEO

What is AEO?

AEO (answer engine optimization) is the work of getting your business cited and recommended inside AI answers from ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Google AI Overviews. SEO gets you ranked in search results; AEO gets you named in the answer itself.

How is AEO different from SEO?

SEO earns a ranked link on a results page. AEO earns a mention inside the answer, which depends on how clearly your content answers your buyers' questions and how often trusted sources mention you. Good SEO helps AEO, but it doesn't guarantee it.

Why not just use an automated AEO tool?

Automated tools send generic prompts from a clean session with no context. Real AI answers change with who is asking, how they phrase it, where they are, what they asked before and their buying stage. A tool can report you as visible while your real buyer never sees you. We test as your buyers.

Which AI engines do you test?

ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Google AI Overviews, as each of your 3 buyer personas.

What do I need to provide?

Your website, the types of customers you sell to, and the 3 to 5 competitors you most often lose to. If you have customer interviews or CRM notes, share them and your personas get sharper.

How long does it take?

3 business days from kickoff, including a walkthrough call to go through the findings.

What happens after the audit?

You keep the report and the top 10 fixes. If you want help acting on them, the AEO Playbook turns the fixes into a plan, and the AEO Growth Retainer tracks your visibility by persona every month and produces answer-first content.

See what AI tells your buyers.


3 personas, 4 AI engines, 10 fixes. $499, one-time.

Start here

Tell us what you need.

  • Reply within 1 business day
  • 15-min call, no obligation
  • Senior team, not juniors