AEO stands for Answer Engine Optimisation; you may also see it called AI Engine Optimisation or GEO, (Generative Engine Optimisation). It’s the practice of structuring your website and the information on it so that AI tools - the large language models behind platforms like ChatGPT, Google's AI Overviews and Perplexity - can find it, understand it, and surface it when someone asks a relevant question. This is what's known as answer-led search.
That matters because the way people search for information is changing. A potential client who wants to know whether they can remortgage early, or what a stress test means for their application, is increasingly likely to ask an AI tool rather than type a query into Google and scroll through results. The AI responds with a direct answer, often pulled from a handful of sources it considers clear and credible.
If your website is one of those sources, you get in front of that client before they've even started looking for a broker. If it isn't, you don't.
That is what AEO is about. Not chasing algorithms. Not becoming a content publisher. It’s about making sure the expertise you already have is structured clearly enough for AI tools to recognise it and use it, and for potential clients to find you through it.
Traditional SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is largely focused on helping people find your website. AEO takes that a step further, and some of the same changes shaping it are also influencing how brokers think about SEO and online visibility more broadly. Our blog on Getting found online: A brokers guide to modern SEO explores this in more detail.
For example, a client might ask:
“Can I remortgage before my fixed rate ends?”
Instead of scrolling through multiple websites, they may receive a short summary from Google or an AI tool that pulls together information from several sources.
That changes how firms need to present information online. It’s no longer only about appearing in search results - It’s also about whether your expertise is clear enough to be recognised and surfaced within those answers.
For many brokers, that comes down to communication more than technical marketing activity. Clear explanations, practical wording and straightforward answers are easier for large language models to find and use, and easier for potential clients to trust when they do.
This shift can influence the quality of enquiries and conversations coming into your business.
If your content appears in AI-generated answers, potential clients may find your firm before they've even started looking for one. That's a fundamentally different kind of visibility, and a stronger starting point for any conversation.
In many cases, that can help:
For busy firms balancing client communication, compliance requirements and case management, clearer early-stage conversations can reduce friction across the process.
It can also help clients feel more confident about taking the next step.
AI tools and answer-led search environments tend to favour content that is:
That doesn’t mean every firm needs to become a content publisher.
Often, it is about improving the clarity of the information you already share.
For example:
This kind of content can help clients feel reassured before first contact because they can quickly recognise that you understand situations similar to theirs.
It can also help your expertise appear more consistently across AI-generated answers and search summaries.
Many firms already have useful material for AEO within day-to-day client communication.
Think about the questions that regularly come up:
Those conversations can often become:
If you're capturing call notes or client conversations, whether through a CRM or a transcription tool, reviewing those records for recurring questions is one of the most practical places to start. The answers you give most often are usually the content that's missing from your website.
Some firms are also beginning to use AI tools to help draft educational content or outline common answers more efficiently. This can help teams manage both client communication and marketing activity more effectively.
It is also worth anonymising client information before using AI tools to support content or communication drafting, and avoiding inputting any sensitive personal or financial data . If your brokerage doesn't already have an AI use policy in place, this is a good moment to consider one. It doesn't need to be complicated, but having clear guidance for your team on how AI tools should and shouldn't be used can help protect both your clients and your business.
AEO is not really about chasing algorithms or trying to “beat” AI tools.
In practice, it's about helping your content be found by AI tools, and in turn, getting in front of potential clients before they've started looking. Firms that communicate clearly and answer practical questions well are often better placed to be part of that moment.
Human advice remains central, particularly for more complex cases where context and reassurance matter. AEO simply supports discoverability earlier in the process.
For many firms, the next step is relatively small. Review the questions clients ask most often and consider whether your existing website or content answers those questions clearly enough today.
In many cases, improving how clearly you answer common client questions can help create better-informed enquiries, stronger first conversations and higher conversion opportunities over time.