Whitehat's AEO service ensures your brand gets cited—not just ranked—when buyers ask ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity, and Claude for recommendations. AI-referred visitors convert 3-6x higher because they arrive pre-sold by the AI's endorsement.
Answer Engine Optimisation for UK Brands
AEO: The Strategic Evolution Your Search Strategy Needs
Answer Engine Optimisation isn't a replacement for SEO—it's the essential complement that ensures your brand appears where B2B buyers actually search in 2026. Whitehat's AEO service structures your content, builds your authority signals, and implements the technical foundations that AI engines need to cite your brand confidently.
Our methodology combines proven SEO expertise with AEO-specific optimisations: answer-first content structure, schema markup for AI extraction, authority signals across review platforms, and citation tracking that flows directly into your HubSpot reporting.
Unlike US-focused agencies charging £10,000+/month, Whitehat delivers UK-market expertise with B2B SaaS specialisation at price points that make commercial sense for growth-stage companies.
BOOK YOUR FREE AEO AUDIT
Skip to content
Whitehat AEO Services (UK)
Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) that gets your brand cited in AI search
Answer Engine Optimisation is how you earn visibility when prospects ask ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews or Perplexity what to buy and who to trust. Whitehat builds AEO programmes that turn your expertise into “quotable” answers, strengthen citation signals, and make AI visibility measurable.
Your buyers are getting answers without clicking
Traditional SEO assumes the path to revenue starts with a click. That’s no longer guaranteed. In the US, 58.5% of Google searches end with zero clicks, and only 360 clicks per 1,000 searches go to the open web. In the EU it’s similar: 59.7% zero-click, with 374 open-web clicks per 1,000 searches.
In B2B, that shift hits hardest at the top and middle of the funnel: “best CRM for X”, “how to reduce churn”, “alternatives to Y”. If AI gives the shortlist and your brand isn’t in it, you’re losing the conversation before your site ever loads.
AEO fixes that by making your content and brand signals easy for AI systems to extract, trust, and cite—so you show up in the answer, not just the results page.
AEO is not “SEO with a new label” — it’s a visibility system for AI answers
Answer engines don’t rank ten blue links; they synthesise sources into one response. That means your content has to be structured for extraction (clear answers, tight sections, definitions), your brand needs to be associated with the right entities (topics, problems, tools, industries), and your authority signals must exist where AI models actually learn and cite.
Whitehat’s AEO service combines three disciplines: (1) classic technical SEO foundations so AI bots can crawl and interpret your site, (2) “citation-ready” content architecture designed to be quoted, and (3) off-site mention and review strategy so your brand appears in the places AI engines trust. This complements our SEO services rather than replacing them.
The outcome you’re buying isn’t traffic alone. It’s: being recommended when your buyer asks, “Who should we use?”—and being measurable inside HubSpot, so you can prove if AI visibility is creating pipeline.
What you’ll achieve with Whitehat AEO
More brand mentions in AI answers
We target the questions your buyers actually ask (and the sub-questions AI expands into), then build answer blocks, FAQs and entity signals so tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity can confidently reference your site and name your brand.
Higher-intent visitors when they do click
AI referrals can behave differently to typical search clicks. In one large study, AI visitors spent 86 seconds on-site vs 78 seconds from search, even with a slightly higher bounce rate. The point: when AI sends a click, it’s often a “pre-qualified” click.
Future-proofed content that also ranks today
We build AEO content in a way that strengthens traditional SEO too: clearer intent mapping, better information architecture, stronger internal linking, and schema. You don’t bet against Google; you broaden your footprint across AI Overviews and answer engines.
Attribution you can show leadership
If you use HubSpot, we set up tracking and reporting to identify AI-driven sessions, map them to lifecycle stages, and connect visibility to revenue where possible—so AEO becomes a board-ready channel, not a “nice idea”.
Data notes: zero-click figures from SparkToro/Datos and Search Engine Land (2024). AI visitor behaviour from Ahrefs (2025) based on 81,947 websites.
How our AEO programme works
AEO audit & query mapping
We identify the “answer journeys” in your market: the questions buyers ask, the entities AI associates with those questions, and the sources currently being cited. You get a prioritised roadmap tied to commercial outcomes.
Citation-ready content & schema
We create or rework pages to include extractable answers (40–60 word blocks), stand-alone sections, and FAQ coverage. We implement schema where it adds clarity (FAQPage, HowTo, Service, Organisation).
Authority signals where AI learns
We build brand mentions and credibility in the ecosystems answer engines rely on: reviews, industry publications, partner ecosystems, and expert content. This is where AEO becomes defensible against copycat content.
Proof you’re not hiring a science experiment
AEO is new, but the disciplines behind it are not. Whitehat has delivered B2B organic growth since 2011 and we’re a HubSpot Diamond Partner—meaning we can connect search visibility to pipeline in ways most agencies simply can’t. We apply that same measurement-first mindset to answer engines.
What’s happening in AI search
Adobe’s analytics (reported by The Verge) showed AI search referrals to retail sites jumped 1,300% during the holiday season, and 1,950% on Cyber Monday. Those visitors viewed 12% more pages per visit and bounced 23% less than traditional traffic.
Why measurement matters
In Ahrefs’ analysis of 81,947 websites, AI-driven visitors viewed 4 pages per visit on average vs 5.2 from search, with slightly higher bounce. That’s exactly why AEO needs proper attribution: you want to know when AI is sending “research clicks” versus “ready-to-buy clicks”.
What’s included in Whitehat’s Answer Engine Optimisation service
You get an AEO programme built like a revenue channel: strategy, implementation, authority building, and reporting. If you already invest in SEO, AEO plugs in cleanly—same foundations, different outcome target: citations and recommendations inside AI answers.
Core deliverables
- Answer-journey research: question clusters, entity map, citation gaps.
- Content architecture: answer-first blocks, stand-alone sections, conversion-ready pages.
- Technical clarity: schema, internal linking, indexation, AI-bot access checks.
- Authority & mentions: reviews and placements in sources AI engines cite.
- Reporting: AI referral tracking plus HubSpot lifecycle reporting.
Pricing (same model as our SEO service)
Done-with-you
From £1,967 / month + VAT
Best if you have an in-house team who can implement, but need a senior AEO strategist, research, templates, reviews and accountability.
Done-for-you
From £2,967 / month + VAT
Best if you want Whitehat to handle implementation: content updates, schema, internal linking, reporting, and authority signals—while your team stays focused on core campaigns.
Add-on: content writing and content refreshes (AEO-optimised)
If you want us to create or rewrite the content too, we deliver “AEO content pieces” built for AI citation and human conversion: clear answer blocks, expert positioning, internal links, and schema recommendations.
| Volume (pieces per month) | Price per new piece (800–1,200 words) | Price per refresh/rewrite |
|---|---|---|
| 1–4 | £250 + VAT | £200 + VAT |
| 5–9 | £150 + VAT | £100 + VAT |
| 10–19 | £125 + VAT | £90 + VAT |
| 20+ | £90 + VAT | £75 + VAT |
Pricing is aligned to Whitehat’s existing Content Creation starting point (£450 + VAT) and scales down as volume increases.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO)?
Answer Engine Optimisation is the practice of optimising content and brand signals so AI tools can cite you when they answer questions. It focuses on extractable answers, strong entity associations, and authority signals across trusted sources—not just ranking positions. Whitehat applies AEO to help your brand be recommended in ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, and Perplexity.
Is AEO replacing SEO?
No—AEO expands your organic strategy beyond “ten blue links”. SEO still captures demand and builds authority, while AEO makes your expertise quotable and citable inside AI answers. The winning approach is blended: technical foundations, content quality, and authority building that work for both classic search and answer engines.
How long does it take to see AEO results?
Most teams see early movement within 4–8 weeks as content structure and technical clarity improve, but durable AI citations depend on authority signals and coverage. That’s why we recommend a minimum 3-month programme: audit, implementation, then expansion into more question clusters and trusted sources.
How do you measure AEO if AI answers don’t always send clicks?
We measure AEO using a mix of citation tracking, AI referral reporting, and conversion attribution. Where AI tools do send visits, we tag and report them, then connect sessions to lifecycle stages in HubSpot. Where AI doesn’t send clicks, we track visibility via repeatable prompt queries and brand mention monitoring.
Do you need to rewrite our whole site for AEO?
No. We prioritise the pages that influence buying decisions: category definitions, “best of” comparisons, high-intent solution pages, and key integration or use-case content. Then we add citation-ready answer blocks and FAQs where it moves the needle. The goal is targeted upgrades, not a full site rebuild.
Why Whitehat for AEO in the UK?
Whitehat has delivered B2B organic growth since 2011, and as a HubSpot Diamond Partner we can tie organic visibility to revenue. AEO needs both: content engineering for citation and measurement discipline for ROI. You’re not buying a tactic—you’re buying a channel you can report on.
Find out where AI is recommending your competitors — and fix it
Get a free AEO audit from Whitehat. We’ll map buyer questions, show which sources AI is citing, and give you a practical plan to earn recommendations.
No hard sell. Just clarity on the fastest wins.
Get Your Free AEO AuditCall +44 (0) 208 834 4795 or email info@whitehat-seo.co.uk.
Get your free AEO audit
Share your website URL and what you sell. We’ll return answer opportunities and a roadmap.
Sources referenced on this page: SparkToro/Datos (2024); Search Engine Land (2024); Ahrefs (2025); The Verge (2025).