How long before we see results from an AEO strategy?

Technical fixes (robots.txt, schema, llms.txt) can show results within 2-4 weeks as AI crawlers re-index your site. Content optimisation typically takes 4-8 weeks to impact AI engine responses. Sustained improvement requires 2-3 quarters of consistent effort.

What team resources are needed for AEO?

A typical in-house AEO effort requires part-time involvement from an SEO strategist, a content editor, and a developer for technical implementation. AEO Platform handles the monitoring and auditing automation, reducing the manual effort significantly.

How does AEO strategy relate to our existing SEO strategy?

AEO complements SEO — it does not replace it. Many AEO best practices (structured data, content quality, technical health) also benefit traditional search. The key difference is that AEO focuses on how content is cited and recommended in AI-generated responses rather than ranked in a list of links.

Resource

Framework

AEO Strategy Template

Build a structured AI visibility roadmap from baseline measurement through ongoing optimisation.

Quick answer

An effective AEO strategy requires more than ad-hoc optimisation. This framework template provides a structured approach to planning, executing, and measuring your AI visibility initiatives — from initial audit through quarterly review cycles.

Overview

About this framework

The template is designed for in-house SEO and growth teams who need to build a business case, align stakeholders, and execute systematically. It covers goal-setting, resource allocation, timeline planning, and the KPIs that demonstrate progress to leadership.

Whether you are starting from scratch or formalising existing efforts, this framework ensures you cover all critical dimensions of AEO: technical readiness, content optimisation, competitive positioning, and performance measurement.

Phase 1: Baseline & Assessment

1
Run a complete AEO audit across all target engines
Establish your current technical readiness, content quality, and competitive position.
2
Measure current Share of Model per engine
Record baseline SoM for your brand and top 3-5 competitors across all target query categories.
3
Identify your top 50-100 target queries
Build your initial query bank based on business priorities, search volume, and competitive opportunity.
4
Audit competitor AI visibility
Understand which competitors have strong AI presence and what they are doing differently.
5
Document current technical blockers
List all robots.txt, schema, rendering, and crawlability issues preventing AI indexing.

Phase 2: Quick Wins

1
Fix all critical technical blockers
Resolve robots.txt blocks, add llms.txt, fix broken schema — these yield immediate results.
2
Implement foundational schema markup
Add Organization, Article, BreadcrumbList, and FAQ schema across your site templates.
3
Optimise top 10 pages for answer-first formatting
Rewrite lead paragraphs to directly answer the query before providing supporting detail.
4
Create or update llms.txt file
Give AI engines explicit guidance about your site content and priority pages.
5
Set up monitoring for weekly SoM tracking
Begin tracking Share of Model weekly to measure the impact of quick win changes.
6
Brief content team on AI-friendly writing practices
Ensure all new content follows answer-first formatting and citability best practices.

Phase 3: Sustained Optimisation

1
Expand query bank to 200+ queries per quarter
Broaden monitoring coverage as you identify new query opportunities and market shifts.
2
Create dedicated content for high-opportunity queries
Publish new content specifically designed to earn citations for queries where you currently have low SoM.
3
Build competitive monitoring dashboard
Track competitor SoM trends alongside your own to identify threats and opportunities.
4
Implement advanced schema for product and service pages
Add Product, Review, SoftwareApplication, and Offer schema for commercial pages.
5
Establish monthly reporting cadence for stakeholders
Use the AI Visibility Report Template to communicate progress to leadership.

Phase 4: Quarterly Review

1
Compare SoM against baseline and previous quarter
Track the trend line — consistent improvement matters more than any single measurement.
2
Review citation rate changes per page and per engine
Identify which content investments are driving the most citation improvement.
3
Update query bank based on new business priorities
Add queries for new products, markets, or competitive threats that have emerged.
4
Re-run technical audit to catch regressions
CMS updates, design changes, and deployments can inadvertently break AI crawlability.
5
Adjust resource allocation based on results
Double down on engines and query categories showing the strongest improvement trajectory.

FAQ