---
title: /topics/answer-engine-optimization/
canonical: https://clearcited.com/topics/answer-engine-optimization/
published: 2026-09-29
updated: 2026-09-29
author: Logan E Adams
proof_line: "Measured: at least 10 runs per engine, spent adaptively, across 5 AI engines · 95% confidence interval on every figure · open data (DOI 10.5281/zenodo.21612952) · how we measure"
---

# Answer engine optimization

What AEO is, how answer engines decide what to cite, and what actually moves a brand into an AI recommendation.

## Pillar

- [What is Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)?](https://clearcited.com/what-is-aeo/)

## In this topic

- [How AI engines choose what to cite](https://clearcited.com/how-ai-cites-sources/)
- [Why AI search optimization matters — the evidence](https://clearcited.com/why-ai-search-matters/)
- [AI Search Optimization service](https://clearcited.com/ai-search-optimization/)
- [The AEO playbook, step by step](https://clearcited.com/guides/aeo-playbook/)
- [Glossary — AI search visibility terms](https://clearcited.com/glossary/)