Guide Updated
AEO tools: what answer engine optimisation software does, and which one you need
Answer engine optimisation used to mean winning the featured snippet. Now the answer engine is ChatGPT, and the snippet is the whole page. So an AEO tool in 2026 has to do a different job from the one it did in 2022.
This page explains what changed, lists the tools that do the new job, and says which one fits which kind of business. Geoffy is on the list. We have said so where it matters.
AEO then and now
| AEO in 2022 | AEO in 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| The answer engine | Google featured snippets, voice assistants | ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude, Google AI Overviews |
| The prize | Position zero above ten links | The only answer the shopper sees |
| The unit | A question and a paragraph | A buying intent and three to five named products |
| The signal | FAQ schema, concise headings | Structured facts, consistency across surfaces, citable statements |
| The risk | A rival takes the snippet | The engine describes you wrongly, or never names you |
AEO and GEO (generative engine optimisation) now describe the same work. AEO is the older term and still gets searched more. Use whichever your team prefers. The tools below serve both.
What an AEO tool has to do
- Ask the answer engines real questions and record who gets named.
- Show why a page was used or skipped.
- Change the page so the engine can lift a clean answer from it.
- Re-run the questions after every model update and fix what drifted.
Monitors do one and two. Fixers do three and four. Only a few tools do both.
The tools
| Tool | Monitor | Fix | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Geoffy | Yes, per product | Yes, automated for Shopify and WordPress | Online stores with 100 to 50,000 products |
| Peec AI | Yes, brand level | No | Marketing teams and agencies |
| Profound | Yes, brand level, deep | No | Enterprise brands |
| Scrunch AI | Yes, persona based | No | B2B and considered purchases |
| Otterly AI | Yes, basic | No | Small businesses, first look |
| AthenaHQ | Yes | Suggests, does not publish | Content teams |
| Frase, Surfer and similar | No | Content optimisation for Google snippets | Blogs and editorial sites |
| Schema plugins | No | Schema only | Fixing broken markup on a budget |
Pricing changes monthly. Check each vendor.
The one AEO rule that survived
Answer the question in the first sentence, in plain words, with a number where there is one. That rule won featured snippets in 2019 and it wins ChatGPT citations in 2026. The difference is that a product page has to do it for every product, not just the FAQ.
Here is what that looks like on a product page.
Is the Arch Support Runner 2 good for flat feet?
Yes. It has a medial post and a 10mm drop, which suits overpronation. £109, sizes 6 to 13, in stock.
That paragraph answers the question, states the facts and gives the engine nothing to guess. Geoffy generates it, and the structured version behind it, for every in stock product. Available now
Which tool for which business
Online store: a fixer first. The engine cannot name a product it cannot read. Geoffy for Shopify and WordPress. Add Peec if you want the category source map.
Content site or blog: a snippet optimiser like Frase or Surfer for Google, plus Otterly to see whether the AI engines cite you.
Brand or B2B: Peec or Scrunch for monitoring. Fix pages by hand or through your agency.
Enterprise: Profound for reporting. A fixer or your own engineers for the site.
Questions people ask
What is an AEO tool?
Software that helps your content get used as the answer by search and AI engines. In 2026 that means monitoring what ChatGPT and Perplexity say, and changing your pages so they can cite you.
Is AEO the same as GEO?
Same work, two names. AEO came from featured snippets. GEO came from the AI engine crowd. Pick one term for your team and ignore the argument.
Does FAQ schema still matter?
Less than it did. Google cut FAQ rich results in 2023. Product schema and plain, citable facts on the page matter more now.
Can an AEO tool get me into Google AI Overviews?
The same fixes that get you cited by ChatGPT get you into AI Overviews: clean product facts, correct schema, consistency across your site and feed. No tool can guarantee a placement.