Understanding AEO: The Next Step in Online Visibility for Small Businesses

While Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) has long been essential for ranking in Google search results, a newer approach—Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO)—is becoming a key strategy and fast.  AEO focuses on how content is delivered through voice assistants like Alexa and Siri, and AI tools such as ChatGPT, Claude and Google Gemini. These platforms don’t display a list of websites—they provide direct, spoken or written answers. To be that answer, content needs to be clear, concise, and structured.

For small businesses, this shift presents a real opportunity. By using FAQ formats, schema markup, and natural language, your business can become the trusted source AI tools rely on. AEO doesn’t replace SEO—it complements it. SEO still drives traffic from traditional searches, while AEO helps your business stay visible in emerging AI-powered search formats.

Implementing AEO may sound complex, but the fundamentals are simple: understand your customers' questions, answer them clearly, and structure your site so AI tools can interpret it easily.

At Artemis Marketing, we’ve been significantly investing in AI technologies for many years. Our proprietary ARTEMIS INTELLIGENCE® system applies years of research into how artificial intelligence and large language models influence online visibility. It’s designed to help businesses—large or small—thrive in both traditional and AI-driven search environments.