Two names, one overlap
Answer engine optimization usually means writing for systems that answer a question directly. Generative engine optimization means writing for systems that build an answer from several sources.
For a small site the work is the same. The difference is in the brief.
The two briefs
answer engine brief
- one question per page, stated as a heading
- the answer in the first two sentences
- the supporting detail after it
- a date, so a stale answer is visible
generative engine brief
- the same, plus the sources behind each claim
- definitions that survive being quoted alone
- named authorship, and a verifiable organisation
- structured data that matches the visible page
A filled rewrite
Meridian Landscaping, the drainage page, before and after.
before
h1: Drainage
first paragraph: a paragraph about the business, its years and its
range of services, with no answer in it
after
h1: Drainage solutions for a driveway that floods
first paragraph: a flooded driveway is usually surface water with
nowhere to go. A soakaway or a channel drain takes it away. Most
domestic jobs take one to two days.
added: a line naming who wrote the page, and the month it was checked
added: markup for the service, matching the visible text
what stayed
- the offer and the coverage area, further down the page
- the photographs, with alt text describing what they show
The rewrite answers the question a visitor arrived with. It does not repeat a question as a heading to satisfy a pattern.
Acceptance: the page is ready when
- one question is answered in the first two sentences
- the answer reads correctly with the rest of the page removed
- every claim that decays carries a date
- authorship is visible on the page, not only in markup
- nothing repeats a question word for word
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Every heading is a question | The brief was applied literally | Keep the question, answer it as a statement |
| Answers are too long to quote | The page opens with context | Move the answer to the top |
| Two pages answer one question | The intent was never assigned | Merge them, or split the question |
| The answer is stale | No date on the claim | Date it, or remove it |
| Traffic did not move | Demand, not structure | Check the query before rewriting again |
Limits
Neither brief can promise that an assistant quotes you. Both reduce the chance that a well-written page is unreadable to a machine.
Neither brief replaces demand. A question nobody asks is still a question nobody asks, however well the page answers it.