Free AEO Checker
Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) is about getting your content cited by AI systems like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews. Check your page's AEO readiness score in 30 seconds.
Based on Princeton GEO research (KDD 2024) · Free for 3 factors · No signup
Check My AEO Score Free →Free: 3 factors · Full report $4.99 one-time · No signup
What is AEO — and how is it different from SEO?
- • Optimizes for Google's 10 blue links
- • Focuses on keyword rankings and backlinks
- • Drives clicks to your website
- • Measured by organic traffic and position
- • Optimizes for AI answer engines (ChatGPT, Perplexity)
- • Focuses on content citation signals and authority
- • Gets your content quoted in AI-generated answers
- • Measured by citation frequency and brand mentions in AI
The 7 AEO signals that determine AI citation probability
From Princeton GEO research — the most rigorous study on what makes AI systems cite content
Linking to authoritative external sources (studies, official data) is the single highest-impact AEO signal. AI systems recognize citation patterns and prefer content that mirrors academic citation practices.
Specific numbers, percentages, and measurable claims dramatically increase citation probability. Replace vague language ("many companies") with data ("68% of companies, per Gartner 2024").
Named expert quotes and attributed statements increase trust signals. AI systems prefer content that demonstrates expert sourcing over anonymous claims.
Your main answer must appear in the first 30% of content. 44% of all AI citations pull from this zone. Bury your conclusion and AI won't find it.
Question-based H2/H3 headings help AI systems navigate and understand topic structure. "What is X?" and "How does Y work?" headings increase citation probability.
High Flesch-Kincaid readability scores correlate with higher AI citation rates. Short sentences, short paragraphs, clear vocabulary. AI systems prefer content that's easy to parse and extract.
Article, FAQ, and HowTo schema help AI understand content type. Updated dates signal freshness — a secondary but real factor in AI citation probability.
AEO optimization vs AEO monitoring
🔄 Most AEO tools (monitoring)
- • Query AI engines to track brand visibility
- • Tell you that you're not being cited
- • Monthly subscriptions ($29-$499+)
- • Don't analyze your actual page content
✦ WriteSEO AEO Checker (optimization)
- • Analyzes your page's content signals directly
- • Tells you why you're not being cited
- • Specific fixes with impact estimates
- • Free for 3 factors · $4.99 full report
Check your AEO score — free
Paste any URL or text. Get a free AEO readiness score with findings on your AI citation probability. Full 7-factor report with prioritized fixes: $4.99. No signup. 30 seconds.
Check My AEO Score →Free: 3 factors · Full report: $4.99 one-time
FAQ
What is AEO (Answer Engine Optimization)?
Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) is the practice of optimizing content to be cited and referenced by AI-powered answer engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews. Unlike traditional SEO (which targets Google rankings), AEO targets AI citation probability — getting your content quoted in AI-generated answers. AEO is also called GEO (Generative Engine Optimization), the term used in Princeton University's KDD 2024 research.
How is AEO different from traditional SEO?
SEO focuses on Google ranking signals: keywords, backlinks, page authority, technical optimization. AEO focuses on AI citation signals: external source citations, statistical data density, quotable sentence structure, and front-loaded answers. The optimization targets are different — content optimized for Google rankings is often poorly optimized for AI citations, and vice versa. The good news: AEO improvements generally also help with Google's E-E-A-T signals.
Is there a free AEO checker?
Yes — WriteSEO's AEO/GEO Checker is free for 3 of the 7 citation signals. Paste any URL or text and get a free AEO readiness score with specific findings. The full 7-factor analysis with prioritized recommendations is $4.99 one-time — no subscription required.
What's the difference between AEO and GEO?
AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) and GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) refer to the same practice. GEO is the academic term from Princeton University's 2024 research paper; AEO is the broader marketing term adopted by tools and agencies. WriteSEO's checker covers both — analyzing the content signals that determine citation probability across AI answer engines.
How quickly can I improve my AEO score?
Content-level AEO improvements (adding external citations, specific statistics, front-loading answers) can be made in hours. Once updated content is indexed — typically within 1-2 days for most sites, faster if you submit to IndexNow — you should start seeing improved citation rates within days to a few weeks, depending on how frequently AI systems crawl your content.