Question 1

What is Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)?

Accepted Answer

Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) is the specialized process of making your brand’s content easy for AI models - like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini - to find, understand, and cite. While traditional SEO focuses on getting you into the 'Top 10' list of links on a search page, AEO focuses on making sure your brand is the actual answer provided by the AI.

Question 2

What is the difference between SEO and GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)?

Accepted Answer

Traditional SEO is designed for 'Search Engines' (like Google) to help users find websites. GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) is designed for 'Generative Engines' (like ChatGPT) to help the AI synthesize information. SEO prioritizes keywords and backlinks; GEO prioritizes direct answers, data accuracy, and becoming the 'cited source' within an AI-generated paragraph.

Question 3

How do AI services like ChatGPT and Perplexity source their information?

Accepted Answer

AI models use a combination of methods: Training Data (older knowledge), RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation, searching live web), and Context Windows (info provided in prompts).

Question 4

Why do different AI engines give different results for the same brand?

Accepted Answer

Each engine has a different 'personality' and data source. Perplexity is a 'Answer Engine' that relies heavily on live web search (often Bing). Gemini has access to Google's massive index and YouTube. ChatGPT relies more on its internal training data unless specifically browsing. It is normal to perform well on one and poorly on another.

Question 5

How do I fix AI hallucinations or incorrect information about my business?

Accepted Answer

Hallucinations usually happen when an AI lacks 'Ground Truth' data about your brand. To fix this, you need to provide a clear, machine-readable source of truth. This is achieved by optimizing your site’s structured data (JSON-LD), creating a dedicated llms.txt file, and ensuring your business information is consistent across the web. Promptrace helps by identifying exactly which AI models are hallucinating and what incorrect sources they are citing.

Question 6

What can be done to improve my brand’s visibility in AI search results?

Accepted Answer

Improving AI visibility requires a three-pillar strategy: Technical Foundation (implementing tools like llms.txt and proper Schema markup), Content Authority (content that directly answers specific questions), and Digital Reputation (mentions across high-authority third-party sites used as trust signals).

Question 7

What is an llms.txt file, and why does my website need one?

Accepted Answer

An llms.txt file is a new industry standard (similar to robots.txt) located at your website's root. It provides a clean, Markdown-formatted summary of your most important information specifically for Large Language Models. It’s important because it acts as a 'cheat sheet' for AI scrapers, significantly reducing the chances of the AI misinterpreting your services or hallucinating facts about your brand.

Question 8

Can I block AI bots from scraping my site while still appearing in AI search?

Accepted Answer

It is a delicate balance. If you use robots.txt to completely block bots like GPTBot, you prevent the AI from seeing your latest updates, which can lead to outdated or incorrect answers. We generally recommend a 'guided' approach: allow the bots to crawl your site but use an llms.txt file to tell them exactly which high-value content they should focus on.

Question 9

What exactly does the Promptrace tool do?

Accepted Answer

We perform a comprehensive 'AI Audit' of your brand. We simulate thousands of potential customer queries across major AI engines (ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Perplexity) to see if your brand is mentioned. We analyze the sentiment, accuracy, and frequency of these mentions to give you a 'Share of Voice' score and actionable recommendations.

Question 10

How do you measure my 'Share of Voice' across different AI platforms?

Accepted Answer

We calculate Share of Voice by simulating thousands of industry-specific prompts. We then measure how often your brand is recommended or cited compared to your direct competitors across platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity. This gives you a clear percentage-based score of how much of the 'AI conversation' you currently own.

Question 11

Why do I need a Technical AEO Audit for my website?

Accepted Answer

AI models are 'lazy' shoppers - they want the easiest data to digest. Our technical audit checks if you have implemented the latest standards (like llms.txt, ai.txt, and advanced Schema.org). If your technical setup is broken, AI bots may skip your site entirely or rely on third-party (and potentially incorrect) info instead of your official website.

Question 12

How long does a deep scan take to complete?

Accepted Answer

A comprehensive 'Deep Audit' simulates real-time user behavior across multiple engines. Depending on the depth of the scan, it typically takes anywhere from 2 to 10 minutes to complete.

Question 13

What kind of results are realistic to expect from AEO?

Accepted Answer

AEO is a long-term strategy. Changes you make today may take weeks or months to be reflected in AI answers as they re-crawl. Realistically, aim for steady improvement in 'Share of Voice' and sentiment over 3-6 months.

Question 14

How do credits work, and why do different AI engines cost more?

Accepted Answer

Each query consumes credits. Different AI Engines require different amounts of credits due to the varying costs of using their APIs. You can view the specific credit usage table on our homepage or pricing section.

Question 15

Can I change, upgrade, or cancel my subscription at any time?

Accepted Answer

Yes. You can upgrade or downgrade your plan at any time via the billing section in your dashboard; these changes are pro-rated. Simply cancelling does not result in a refund unless within the first 14 days with zero usage.

AEO & AI Search Visibility: Frequently Asked Questions

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Basics of AEO & GEO

Technical Fixes

Using Promptrace

Billing & Plans