AI & AEO

AI Answer Citation

Quick Definition

AI answer citation is when an AI-generated answer explicitly attributes information to a source URL, often as inline citations or a sources list.

In context

Citation patterns favour authoritative, well-structured content. Track citations across AI engines to understand which content gets attributed and why.

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Related terms

AEO (Answer Engine Optimization)

AEO is the practice of optimizing content to be cited in AI-generated answers from ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity, and other generative search engines.

Chatbot SEO

Chatbot SEO is the emerging practice of optimizing brand visibility in AI assistants — ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot — when users ask for recommendations.

Query Fan-Out

Query fan-out is the technique AI search engines use to silently expand a single user query into multiple sub-queries, retrieve documents for each, and synthesize a unified answer from across them.

Zero-Click Search

A zero-click search is when a user gets their answer directly from the SERP — featured snippets, AI Overviews, Knowledge Panel, calculators — without clicking a result.

Entity Establishment

Entity establishment is the process of ensuring search engines and AI systems recognize your business as a distinct, trustworthy entity in their knowledge graphs.

GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)

GEO is another name for AEO — optimizing content for generative AI search engines.

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