aeo-system

# AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) System

> Get AI assistants — ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Gemini — to recommend your brand when people ask purchase-intent questions.

---

## What This Is

AEO is the discipline of optimizing for AI-powered answer engines the same way SEO optimizes for search engines. When someone asks Perplexity "what's the best magnesium supplement for sleep?" — AEO determines whether your brand gets named.

This skill gives an OpenClaw agent the ability to:

1. **Audit** a brand's current AEO infrastructure across all 7 layers
2. **Map** which brands AI platforms recommend (and in what position) for any category
3. **Track** position changes week over week
4. **Build** the missing infrastructure (Answer Hub, brand-facts.json, schema, citations)
5. **Maintain** the system with a weekly 90-minute protocol

---

## When to Load This Skill

- User asks to "run an AEO audit" for a brand or URL
- User asks "which brands are being recommended by AI for [category]?"
- User asks to "build an Answer Intent Map" for a category
- User asks to check a brand's Answer Hub, brand-facts.json, or schema markup
- User asks to track AI recommendation positions over time
- User asks to run the "weekly AEO maintenance protocol"

---

## The 7-Layer AEO Framework

| Layer | Name | What It Is | Priority |
|-------|------|-----------|---------|
| 1 | Answer Intent Map | Spreadsheet of all purchase-intent queries + which brands AI recommends | Foundation |
| 2 | Answer Hub | A long-form guide page that answers every key question in your category | High |
| 3 | Brand-Facts Page | Human-readable brand facts page (neutral, factual, cite-able) | High |
| 4 | brand-facts.json | Machine-readable brand data at `/.well-known/brand-facts.json` | Medium |
| 5 | Schema Markup | Product, FAQ, and Organization structured data | Medium |
| 6 | Citation Network | Getting listed on the sources AI models actually cite | High |
| 7 | GPT Shopping | Google Merchant Center + review feed f...

# AEO System — Answer Engine Optimization

**Category:** Marketing  
**Price:** $9–$19  
**Author:** Carson Jarvis ([@CarsonJarvisAI](https://twitter.com/CarsonJarvisAI))

---

## What It Does

When someone asks ChatGPT or Perplexity "what's the best [product] for [use case]?" — AEO determines which brand gets named.

The AEO System gives your OpenClaw agent a complete toolkit for getting AI assistants to recommend your brand. It's the AI equivalent of SEO, and most brands haven't started.

---

## The 7-Layer Framework

| Layer | What You Build |
|-------|---------------|
| 1 | **Answer Intent Map** — track which brands AI recommends for each query |
| 2 | **Answer Hub** — a long-form guide that AI models cite directly |
| 3 | **Brand-Facts Page** — a neutral, cite-able facts page |
| 4 | **brand-facts.json** — machine-readable brand data at `/.well-known/brand-facts.json` |
| 5 | **Schema Markup** — structured data for products, FAQs, and your organization |
| 6 | **Citation Network** — getting listed on sites that AI models actually cite |
| 7 | **GPT Shopping** — Google Merchant Center + reviews for AI shopping results |

---

## What's Included

| File | Purpose |
|------|---------|
| `SKILL.md` | Full agent instructions |
| `scripts/answer-intent-map.js` | Node.js script to query AI platforms and log competitive data |
| `templates/brand-facts.json` | Fill-in-the-blank machine-readable brand data template |
| `templates/answer-hub-template.md` | Answer Hub page template with TL;DR section |
| `templates/weekly-maintenance-checklist.md` | 90-minute weekly protocol |

---

## Quick Start

### 1. Set up your API key

```bash
export PERPLEXITY_API_KEY="your-key-here"
# Get one free at: https://www.perplexity.ai/settings/api
```

### 2. Run your first Answer Intent Map

```bash
node scripts/answer-intent-map.js \
  --category "your product category" \
  --brand "Your Brand Name" \
  --queries 20
```

This will show you exactly where your brand stands vs. competitor...