What is an AEO score?
Definition
An AEO score is a 0-100 rating that measures how visible and citable your website is to AI search engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews. It evaluates four dimensions: AI Crawlability, Structured Data, Content Clarity, and Entity Definition, each worth up to 25 points.
Traditional SEO measures how well you rank on Google. An AEO score measures something different: whether AI search engines can find your content, understand it, and cite it when answering user questions.
As ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews replace traditional search for an increasing share of queries, your AEO score determines whether your business appears in those AI-generated answers or gets skipped entirely.
What is a good AEO score?
Strong AI visibility. Your site is well-optimized for AI search engines.
Solid foundation with room for improvement in specific dimensions.
Moderate visibility. AI can find you but struggles to cite you effectively.
Below average. Significant gaps in how AI search engines understand your site.
Largely invisible to AI search engines. Immediate optimization needed.
Most websites score below 40. Our clients average 97/100 after an initial 3-month engagement.
How is an AEO score calculated?
The AEO score evaluates your website across four dimensions, each worth 25 points. Together they measure whether AI search engines can discover, understand, extract, and attribute your content.
AI Crawlability
0-25 ptsCan AI bots find and read your site?
- robots.txt with AI bot directives (GPTBot, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot)
- llms.txt file present and complete
- XML sitemap with proper structure
- Page load speed and render accessibility
Structured Data
0-25 ptsDoes your site speak the language of AI?
- Organization schema with full entity detail
- FAQ, Product, and Service markup
- BreadcrumbList navigation schema
- JSON-LD coverage across key pages
Content Clarity
0-25 ptsCan AI extract clear, citable answers?
- Logical heading hierarchy (H1 to H2 to H3)
- Question-and-answer content patterns
- Content depth and topical authority
- Meta descriptions and structured summaries
Entity Definition
0-25 ptsDoes AI know who you are?
- Business identity and brand consistency
- People schemas (founders, team, authors)
- Service and product entity definitions
- Cross-platform entity consistency
Why does your AEO score matter?
AI search engines are changing how people find businesses. When someone asks ChatGPT "best accounting software for small businesses" or Perplexity "how to choose a marketing agency," the AI generates an answer by pulling from websites it can understand and trust.
If your website scores low, AI search engines cannot parse your content into clear answers. Your competitors with higher scores get cited. You get skipped.
Unlike traditional SEO rankings that change gradually, AEO scores can improve significantly in weeks. Adding an llms.txt file, implementing structured data, and restructuring content for extractability are concrete changes with measurable impact.
How can you improve your AEO score?
Add an llms.txt file
This file tells AI crawlers what your business does, what services you offer, and how to cite you. Most websites don't have one.
Implement JSON-LD structured data
Organization, FAQPage, Product, and Service schemas give AI search engines structured information to extract and cite.
Structure content around questions
Use question-based H2 headings with clear, concise answers in the first paragraph. This matches how AI generates responses.
Define your entities clearly
Ensure your business name, founder, services, and location are consistently defined across structured data, content, and meta tags.
Allow AI bot access
Check your robots.txt for AI crawler directives. Some sites inadvertently block GPTBot, ClaudeBot, or PerplexityBot.