GLOSSARY
AEO Glossary
The core terms behind Answer Engine Optimization and Answer Equity, defined in one place. Link to any definition directly with its anchor, for example #category-salience.
- Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)
- The practice of getting a brand named inside the answers AI assistants give (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude), instead of ranked on a list of links. Where SEO earns a position on the page, AEO earns the recommendation itself. #aeo
- Answer Equity
- The durable advantage of being the brand AI reaches for, measured across four dimensions read straight from the machine's answers: Category Salience, Identity Fidelity, Recommendation Preference and Answer Confidence. Being recommended once is luck; Answer Equity is when it keeps happening. #answer-equity
- AI Shelf
- The short list of brands an AI names when it answers a category question, often five or six, sometimes just three. The rest of the market is not ranked lower; it is simply absent, with no page two to fall back on. #ai-shelf
- AI Answer Index™ (AAI)
- A Nielsen-style read on how often a brand shows up across ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Rufus, tracked against its competitors, combining Share of Answer and Share of Recommendation with the Structure, Credibility and Identity pillar audits. #ai-answer-index
- Category Salience
- Whether a brand surfaces when the category problem is asked without its name in it. Measured via Share of Answer on non-branded prompts. One of the four Answer Equity dimensions. #category-salience
- Identity Fidelity
- Whether the engine describes a brand accurately and distinctly. Measured via accuracy, distinctness and consistency. One of the four Answer Equity dimensions. #identity-fidelity
- Recommendation Preference
- Whether a brand is actually chosen in real decisions, and how prominently. Measured via recommendation rate and position. One of the four Answer Equity dimensions. #recommendation-preference
- Answer Confidence
- Whether a recommendation is backed by credible, consistent evidence. Measured via citation and support quality. One of the four Answer Equity dimensions. #answer-confidence