What I Learned About AEO: 4 Takeaways for Better Content

I recently finished Ahrefs' Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) course. As AI becomes a bigger part of how people search online, I figured I needed to find out what this means for content.

The course covers much more than writing, including how different AI search engines handle queries, choose sources, and generate answers. But there were the four content best practices that stood out to me as a copywriter:

 

Best Practice No. 1: Always put the bottom line up front (BLUF)

Answer the question in the first sentence of the section. Humans and AI search engines scan content in an F pattern. They focus on the first sentence, skim the middle, and focus on the last sentence.

It’s the same principal behind the journalistic “inverted pyramid”. Give people the information they’re looking for, and then provide supporting details. The difference with AI search is that the search engine may pull a section for reference rather than using the entire page to generate an answer.

Best Practice No. 2: Make sure each section is self-contained

AI search engines analyze content in chunks and may start anywhere on the page. That means every H1 tile tag and section should make sense on its own.

Try reading each section individually and ask: Would someone understand what this is about without any additional context?

This is helpful for human readers, too. People tend to scan (see Best Practice No. 1) for the answer they need and don’t always read the page from top to bottom.

Best practice No. 4: Create entity-rich content

Use specific brand, product, person, and place names rather than generic terms. Entity-rich content helps AI identify information that’s tied to your brand, which helps prevent it from being flattened into generic training data.

For example, saying “HubSpot’s CMS” instead of “the CMS” establishes a much stronger association between the company, the product, and the category.

Best Practice No. 4: Focus on one idea per sentence

One idea per sentence makes it easier for human readers and AI to follow along. Like BLUF, this isn’t exactly a new writing tip and has long been considered a best practice in broadcast journalism.

When you’re editing, check to see where you can break up long sentences and simplify the more complex ones.

You're Still Writing for Humans

This may be my favorite takeaway: you’re still writing for people. AI search engines train on content that people actually read. So best practices aren’t about making it robotic or stuffing it with keywords. The goal is to answer questions real people are asking.

Want a quick intro to AEO and GEO?

If you’re looking for a quick (about 1.5 hours) AEO/GEO overview that doesn’t require a technical background, I highly recommend this course: https://ahrefs.com/academy/aeo-course.

(I’m not affiliated with Ahrefs in any way. These are just my takeaways, not a sponsored post.)