How to Start Answer Engine Optimization (AEO): 5 Steps You Can Implement Today

Learn how to start AEO with 5 actionable steps. Optimize for ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude with semantic HTML, schema markup, internal links, and more.

Shounak BanerjeeMarketCurve

What Is Answer Engine Optimization?

If you know you need to implement Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) but don't know where to start, you're not alone. The rise of AI-powered search tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude has fundamentally changed how people find information online. Traditional SEO isn't enough anymore--you need to optimize for how large language models (LLMs) discover, understand, and cite your content.

The good news? You can start improving your AI visibility today with five straightforward steps that address the fundamentals of LLM crawlability.

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Understanding LLM Crawlability

Before diving into the tactics, it's important to understand how AI search tools actually work. Unlike traditional search engines that send bots to systematically crawl and index websites, AI search tools use a different approach. They combine APIs, plugins, and scraping tools to extract information from the internet in real-time.

When you prompt a tool like ChatGPT to research something beyond its training data, it creates what are called fan-out queries--multiple related searches designed to find relevant sources. The tool then extracts answers from these sources to respond to your question.

However, most AI search tools still rely heavily on content that's already indexed by traditional search engines. This means your first priority is making your existing website content as easy as possible for LLMs to extract and understand.

Step 1: Use Semantic HTML

Semantic HTML is your foundation for AEO. These tags contain brief descriptors that clearly label different aspects of your web page, making it dramatically easier for LLMs to parse your content structure and understand what each section represents.

Essential Semantic HTML Tags

Essential semantic HTML tags you should be using include:

<header> for page headers
<nav> for navigation menus
<main> for primary content
<section> for thematic groupings
<article> for self-contained content
<aside> for sidebar content
<footer> for page footers
<h1> through <h6> for hierarchical structure
<ol> for ordered lists, <ul> for unordered lists
<figure> for images with captions

Think of semantic HTML as providing a clear content outline that AI can immediately understand. Instead of generic <div> tags everywhere, you're explicitly telling the LLM what each piece of content represents and how it relates to the whole.

Step 2: Add Schema Markup

Schema markup is massively important for improving both AI search visibility and traditional SEO. This structured data format clearly labels important content elements, making it easier for AI systems to extract accurate information about your products, services, and expertise.

Schema.org provides an agreed-upon vocabulary for structured data that's recognized across virtually all major platforms. By implementing schema markup, you can explicitly label:

Products with pricing and availability
Authors with credentials and expertise
How-to guides with step-by-step instructions
Recipes with ingredients and cooking times
Reviews with ratings and testimonials
And much more

The beauty of schema markup is that it removes ambiguity. When an AI tool encounters properly marked-up content, it doesn't have to guess what information represents--it knows exactly what it's looking at and can extract it with confidence.

Example Schema Markup

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "HowTo",
  "name": "How to Start Answer Engine Optimization",
  "step": [
    {
      "@type": "HowToStep",
      "name": "Use Semantic HTML",
      "text": "Implement semantic HTML tags to help LLMs parse your content structure."
    }
  ]
}

Step 3: Include Internal Links

Internal linking serves two critical functions for AEO. First, it helps build semantic coherence, allowing LLMs to understand the relationships between different topics on your site and what your content is really about. Second, it improves discoverability for the bots that index content for AI search tools.

Bots like Googlebot, Perplexity Bot, and ChatGPT Bot follow internal links to discover pages on your website. If you don't include internal links throughout your content, these bots may miss crucial pages that you want included in their indexes. Since most AI search tools rely on content already indexed by search engines, poor internal linking can make your content practically invisible to AI-powered search.

The formula is simple: more strategic internal links = better crawlability = improved AI visibility. Focus on linking related content together in ways that make sense for users and create clear pathways through your site's information architecture.

💡 Pro Tip: Check out our guide on creating content that works for both humans and LLMs to learn how to balance user experience with AI optimization.

Step 4: Optimize Your Site Speed

Slow site speed has always been a recipe for disaster, but it's particularly problematic in the age of AI search. If human users, search bots, and AI tools have one thing in common, it's that none of them appreciate slow websites with poor optimization.

Fast loading times create a better user experience, which signals quality to both traditional search engines and AI systems. Page speed affects whether bots will successfully crawl your full site or give up partway through. It impacts how much of your content gets indexed and how favorably that content is weighted.

Key Site Speed Optimizations

Ensure your web pages load quickly by:

Optimizing images (compress, use modern formats like WebP)
Minimizing code (remove unused CSS/JavaScript)
Leveraging browser caching
Using a content delivery network (CDN)
Enabling compression (Gzip/Brotli)

Both strong SEO performance and AI visibility depend on providing a fast, pleasant experience for everyone who visits your site--whether they're human or artificial.

Step 5: Create an llms.txt File

The llms.txt file represents one of the most powerful and underutilized tools in the AEO toolkit. Think of it as a curated sitemap designed specifically for AI comprehension and citation--essentially handing AI explorers a treasure map marked with your best content.

What Is llms.txt?

An llms.txt file is a plain text document that tells AI systems which URLs on your site contain high-quality, LLM-friendly content that you want them to ingest, understand, and potentially cite during inference. Unlike a traditional sitemap that lists everything, llms.txt is selective--it highlights only your very best content.

How to Structure Your llms.txt File

Place your llms.txt file at the root of your domain (for example, at https://example.com/llms.txt). The file uses markdown formatting rather than XML or JSON, making it both human-readable and machine-parseable.

Your llms.txt file should include:

A single h1 heading (using the # symbol) that names your project or site--this is the only required element
A blockquote (using the > symbol) that provides a short summary or context for the links
Standard markdown sections like paragraphs or lists to provide further context if desired
h2 headings (using ## symbols) to introduce categorized link sections
Each link formatted as [Title](URL): Description

Example llms.txt File

# MarketCurve

> The AEO agency helping SaaS companies rank in ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude.

## Core Resources

- [What is AEO?](https://marketcurve.io/blog/what-is-aeo): Complete guide to Answer Engine Optimization
- [LLM Visibility Guide](https://marketcurve.io/blog/what-is-llm-visibility-complete-guide): How to measure and improve AI search visibility
- [ChatGPT Content Parsing](https://marketcurve.io/blog/how-chatgpt-reads-parses-website-content): Understanding how AI reads your content

By thoughtfully structuring your llms.txt file, you guide AI systems directly to your most valuable content, increasing the likelihood of citations and improving your overall AI visibility.

Start Seeing Results Today

The five steps outlined in this guide can all be implemented within a single day, and you should start seeing improvements in your LLM visibility relatively quickly. Focus on making your existing content as accessible and understandable as possible for AI systems.

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The future of search is here, and it's powered by artificial intelligence. By implementing these fundamental AEO practices, you'll ensure your content remains discoverable, understandable, and cite-worthy in the age of AI-powered answers.

If you've successfully implemented these foundational steps and want help executing a comprehensive AEO strategy, we can help. MarketCurve has helped multiple SaaS companies achieve #1 rankings in ChatGPT and dramatically increase their AI search visibility.

Need Help Executing Your AEO Strategy?

If you're ready to implement a comprehensive AEO strategy but want expert guidance, book a free consultation with our team. We'll review your specific situation and show you exactly how to dominate AI search in your category.

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Key Takeaways

AI search tools use APIs and scraping rather than traditional crawling
Semantic HTML provides clear content structure for LLMs
Schema markup removes ambiguity about your content
Internal linking improves both discoverability and semantic coherence
Site speed matters for bots and users alike
The llms.txt file acts as a curated guide to your best content