aeo-optimizer

# AEO Optimizer Skill

AEO — Answer Engine Optimization — is the discipline of structuring content so that AI engines (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Gemini) can extract clean, quotable answers and confidently cite your content as a source.

Most articles are written for humans who scroll, skim, and click. AI engines don't scroll — they scan for extractable answer units. They look for short, self-contained answer blocks sitting directly beneath a clear question heading. If they can't find those, they either skip the content or paraphrase it poorly. This skill fixes that.

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## The AEO Problem

Here is what AI engines are scanning for, and what most articles fail to provide:

| What AI engines want | What most articles deliver |
|---|---|
| H2 = a direct question ("What is X?") | H2 = a vague topic label ("About X" or "Understanding X") |
| 50-80 word answer capsule immediately under the heading | Long intro paragraphs before the actual answer |
| No links inside the answer block | Inline links that break extractability |
| ≤3 sentences per paragraph | Dense 6-8 sentence paragraphs |
| Named frameworks, original data, first-person experience | Generic statements with no attribution or specificity |
| Consistent question-answer-expand structure throughout | Inconsistent structure that varies section by section |

When an AI engine cannot cleanly extract a 50-80 word answer, it either skips the article or provides a vague paraphrase without a citation link. AEO optimization removes those barriers.

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## Required Inputs

Claude will ask for these if not provided:

| Input | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Article content | Yes | Paste the full draft text, or provide a URL Claude can fetch |
| Target audience | No | Helps calibrate question phrasing — e.g. "beginner founders" vs "senior engineers" |
| Primary keyword or topic | No | If provided, Claude ensures H2 questions cover it directly |
| Existing URL (if published) | No | Used in the audit report to note the live page |
| Preserve exact section order | No | Defaults to yes — Claude rewrites in place, doesn't restructure |

If providing a URL instead of pasted text, Claude will fetch the page content. Note: paywalled or JavaScript-rendered articles may require manual paste.

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## Output Structure

Claude produces two deliverables in sequence:

### Deliverable 1 — AEO-Ready Article

The full rewritten article with:
- All H2s rewritten as direct questions
- 50-80 word answer capsule inserted directly beneath each H2
- Paragraphs trimmed to ≤3 sentences where they exceeded that
- Trust signals preserved and lightly emphasized
- No links inside any answer capsule
- Original voice and structure maintained — this is an optimization, not a rewrite

**Format:**

```markdown
# [Original H1 title — unchanged unless it needs question format]

[Introduction — keep as-is or trim to ≤3 sentences. Add a "What this covers:" summary if intro is >150 words.]

## [H2 rewritten as a direct question?]

[Answer capsule — 50-80 words, no links, self-contained, answers the question completely on its own.]

[Rest of the section body — expanded explanation, examples, data, links allowed here]

## [Next H2 as a direct question?]

[Answer capsule — 50-80 words, no links]

[Section body]
```

---

### Deliverable 2 — AEO Audit Report

Structured report showing all changes made and signals identified.

**Format:**

---

## AEO Audit Report

**Article:** [Title]
**URL:** [If provided]
**Audit date:** [Today's date]
**AEO readiness score (before):** [X/10]
**AEO readiness score (after):** [X/10]

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### Heading Rewrites

| Original H2 | Rewritten H2 | Change type |
|---|---|---|
| Understanding Content Strategy | What is content strategy and why does it matter? | Topic label → direct question |
| The Benefits of X | What are the main benefits of X? | Vague noun phrase → question |
| How We Do It at [Company] | How does [Company] approach X? | First-person → question format |

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### Answer Capsule Placements

For each section, confirm capsule word count is within 50-80 words:

| Section | Capsule word count | Links removed from capsule | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| What is content strategy...? | 64 words | 2 links removed | OK |
| How do you build a content calendar? | 71 words | 0 links (none were present) | OK |
| What tools do content teams use? | 58 words | 1 link removed | OK |

---

### Paragraph Length Audit

| Section | Original max paragraph (sentences) | Action taken |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction | 6 sentences | Split into 2 paragraphs |
| Section 2 body | 4 sentences | Trimmed to 3 |
| Section 4 body | 2 sentences | No change needed |

**Paragraphs flagged as too long (before optimization):** [N]
**Paragraphs within ≤3 sentences (after optimization):** [all]

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### Trust Signal Inventory

Trust signals are the elements AI engines treat as credibility markers — original data, named frameworks, first-person experience, and specific attributions. These make AI engines more likely to cite rather than paraphrase.

| Signal type | Found in article | Example | AEO value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Original data / research | Yes | "Our analysis of 400 posts showed..." | High — cite-worthy claim |
| Named framework | Yes | "The RICE scoring model" | High — search anchor |
| First-person experience | Yes | "After running 3 content audits..." | Medium — authority signal |
| Named expert / quote | No | — | Recommend adding |
| Specific numbers / stats | Yes | "34% increase in organic traffic" | High — extractable fact |
| Date-stamped content | No | — | Recommend adding publication date |
| Case study reference | Yes | "At Acme Corp, we ran..." | High — concrete example |

**Trust signals present:** [N]
**Recommended additions:** [list any gaps]

---

### AEO Scoring Rubric

| Criterion | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| H2s as direct questions (% of total) | [X%] | [X%] |
| Answer capsule present under each H2 | No | Yes |
| Capsules within 50-80 words |