AEO Audit Methodology

This skill provides the complete Answer Engine Optimization protocol for auditing and optimizing brand visibility in LLM-powered search (ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, etc.).

CRITICAL: Read Protocol First

BEFORE running ANY audit, you MUST read the AEO Protocol SOP:

Read aeo-protocol-sop.md (key sections):
- Lines 1-200: Core methodology
- Lines 850-900: First 50 Words Audit (CRITICAL)
- Lines 1200-1300: Content gap analysis
- Lines 2800-2900: Audit checklist
- Lines 3400-3500: Final checklist

Do NOT skip this step. The protocol is the source of truth.

Core Concepts

What is AEO?

Answer Engine Optimization ensures brands appear in LLM-generated answers, not just traditional search results. LLMs cite sources differently than Google - they need:

• Facts repeated across 3+ authoritative sources (triangulation)
• Structured, extractable content
• Clear entity establishment
• Technical accessibility (SSR, proper robots.txt)

The Three Search Backends

Engine	Backend	How It Works
ChatGPT	Bing + Memory	3-layer cache (parametric → memory → live search)
Gemini	Google Grounding	Real-time Google Search verification
Google AI Overview	Google SERP	Aggregates top organic results

Audit Process

Step 1: Run Brand Audit

Use run_brand_audit MCP tool with:

• Brand name
• Product category (be specific: "hair transplant clinic" not "medical")
• Primary competitor (optional)

Step 2: Discovery Query Testing

Test queries people use BEFORE knowing the brand:

• "Best [category] in [location]"
• "Best [category] for [use case]"
• "Top [category] [year]"
• "[problem] solution"

Step 2.5: CRITICAL - Run Key Queries 10 Times Each

LLM responses are non-deterministic. Single tests are unreliable.

For top 2-3 discovery queries, run each 10 times per LLM and calculate consistency:

Score	Interpretation
9-10/10	Strong (locked in)
7-8/10	Good (consistent)
5-6/10	Weak (inconsistent)
1-4/10	Poor (rarely mentioned)
0/10	Invisible (critical)

A brand at 60% consistency is NOT reliably visible.

Step 2.6: Custom Client Queries

Beyond standard queries, test client-specific "dream queries":

Query Type	Example
Outcome-focused	"[category] if money doesn't matter"
Problem-aware	"fix bad [category]"
Fear-based	"safest [category]"
Lifestyle	"[category] for executives"
Attribute-specific	"[category] no scars"

Ask during intake: "What 3-5 queries do you WANT to own?"

For 0% visibility queries → create dedicated landing page.

Step 3: Competitive Analysis

• Check which competitors appear in LLM responses
• Identify citation sources (what sites are LLMs pulling from?)
• Map competitive tier (don't compare premium to budget)

Step 4: Gap Analysis

For each query where brand is missing:

1. What sources ARE being cited?
2. Is brand mentioned on those sources?
3. What facts are LLMs extracting?
4. What content needs to be created?

Step 5: First 50 Words Audit (CRITICAL)

For every key page:

1. Fetch page content
2. Extract first 50 words of visible body text
3. Check for presence of:
   • WHO: Brand/entity name, credentials
   • WHAT: Core offering/service
   • WHERE: Location
   • PRICE: Pricing tier or specific numbers
4. Score: Pass (3-4) / Partial (2) / Fail (0-1)
5. Document specific rewrites needed

Why this matters: LLMs weight early content heavily. Facts not in first 50 words often aren't extracted.

Scoring Framework

Metric	Weight	Measurement
ChatGPT Mentions	30%	Brand appears in X/8 queries
Gemini Mentions	30%	Brand appears in X/8 queries
Google AI Overview	20%	Brand in AI Overview snippets
Citation Quality	20%	Authoritative sources citing brand

Key Audit Queries (Template)

1. What is [brand]? - Basic recognition
2. Best [category] in [location] - Discovery
3. [Brand] vs [competitor] - Comparison
4. [Brand] reviews - Reputation
5. [Brand] pricing - Commercial intent
6. Best [category] for [use case] - Use-case discovery
7. [Problem] specialist [location] - Problem-aware discovery
8. Top [category] [year] - List inclusion

Red Flags in Audits

• ❌ Brand not mentioned in discovery queries (acquisition problem)
• ❌ Competitor mentioned but brand isn't (content gap)
• ❌ Incorrect facts in LLM responses (reputation risk)
• ❌ No citations to brand's own website (authority problem)
• ❌ Only mentioned with competitor comparisons (positioning issue)

Quick Reference

For detailed methodology, see:

• aeo-protocol-sop.md - Full protocol
• fuegenix-aeo-audit.md - Example audit