Answer engine optimization best practices — extractable structure, direct answers, intent-matched FAQs — scored by evidence and community results.
YouTube in ~16% of LLM answers (vs Reddit 10%), cited 200x more than any other video platform; AIO citations +34% in 6mo; 85% of YouTube citations in ChatGPT point to specific videos, not channels; run script through an LLM pre-recording
How to implement →GeoSource 540 checks: answerability = +109% lift, the single strongest signal; cited pages have the answer in paragraph 1, no fluff in first 200 words
How to implement →Chapters let engines cite specific segments; 'videos answering common customer questions in simple language' = top r/AEO working tactic; mix Shorts (discovery) with 5-15min depth
How to implement →Pages with Google traffic but no AI citations are the highest-leverage targets; answer moved to first paragraph -> Perplexity movement in 3 weeks, ChatGPT ~8 weeks
How to implement →Informational content cited at ~5x the rate of transactional (travel 83%, finance 75% vs SaaS product pages 13%, ecommerce 7%); 'How to choose a CRM' gets cited, 'Our CRM is best' doesn't
How to implement →ChatGPT decides which pages to open based on title/snippet/URL similarity BEFORE reading content; human-readable URLs outperform opaque ones
How to implement →Pages with 5+ standalone quotable sentences cited ~3.2x more; ChatGPT lifts sentences verbatim; 'Context is the biggest challenge' beats buried complex phrasing
How to implement →The exact phrases in competitor 3-star reviews are tomorrow's ChatGPT prompts; write 15-20 variations per query type (comparison, problem-first, category)
How to implement →Adding detailed author bios to 15 articles: citation rate 28%->43% in 4 weeks; caveat: GeoSource found E-E-A-T signals showed -24% correlation (confounded) - use real credentials, not badges
How to implement →Consistent heading levels = ~40% more likely cited by ChatGPT; headings should state what the section answers, not be creative ('How to do X' not 'Why this matters')
How to implement →Listicles = 21.9% of all AI citations, ~41% for commercial queries; lists/short sections/tables favored for commercial prompts (Nectiv study)
How to implement →GeoSource: explicit definitions = +33% citation lift; vague positioning language gives AI nothing quotable
How to implement →Leslie Venetz method: every post structured around questions prospects ask, FAQs at bottom, published on Substack + site (91 likes/94 comments - one of few substantive LinkedIn posts)
How to implement →Feed and search fully AI-ranked; @meta.ai taggable in replies surfaces brand mentions; low effort, emerging channel
How to implement →Browse all disciplines on the full best-practices ranking.