answer-engine-optimization — Answer Engine & Featured Snippet Optimization (AEO)

1. Description & Activation Criteria

Activate answer-engine-optimization when the user wants to:

• Win featured snippets, "People Also Ask" (PAA) expansions, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity citations, and ChatGPT Search passages.
• Structure prose into high-signal answer capsules (C02-answer P1), extractable lists/tables (C03-extractable P2, C05-table-headers P3), natural question headings (G07-question-headings P3), quantified facts (G03-facts P2, G08-stat-density P3), and synchronized visible + JSON-LD FAQs (C04-faq P1/P2, S03-faq-parity P3).
• Ensure snippet controls (G09-snippet-controls P2) do not block passage extraction.

2. Inputs & Prerequisites

• Target: Informational guides, documentation pages (--profile docs), comparison articles, or landing pages (live URL or local HTML).
• Key CLI filters:
  • --skills answer-engine-optimization (alias: aeo, featured-snippets).
  • --profile docs: Elevates C04-faq and G01-llms to P1 for documentation hubs where Q&A retrieval is primary.

3. Step-by-Step Workflow

1. Run an AEO-focused audit:
   • Execute npx one-step-seo page <url> --skills answer-engine-optimization --out ./seo-report and npx one-step-seo ai <url> --json.
2. Verify snippet eligibility (G09-snippet-controls):
   • Ensure neither <meta name="robots"> nor X-Robots-Tag contains nosnippet or max-snippet:0 (G09-snippet-controls P2), which blocks both classic featured snippets and AI Overview passage quoting. Use data-nosnippet selectively on cookie banners or nav chrome instead.
3. Craft the 40–60 word Answer-First Capsule (C02-answer):
   • Worth 25/100 points on the AI Visibility score (GEO_WEIGHTS).
   • Within the first ~120 words of body copy, pose the core user question (What/Why/How/When/Where/Which/Who ...?) or a TL;DR: / In short: lead-in followed immediately by a self-contained 40–60 word factual definition or direct answer.
4. Convert walls of prose into extractable structures (C03-extractable, C05-table-headers, G07-question-headings):
   • Phrase at least half of <h2> headings (on pages with 3+ H2s) as real user questions (G07-question-headings P3).
   • Add ordered <ol> step lists for procedural "How-to" queries and semantic <table> grids with explicit <th> column headers (C03-extractable P2, C05-table-headers P3) for comparisons, specs, and pricing.
5. Synchronize visible FAQs with FAQPage JSON-LD (C04-faq, S03-faq-parity):
   • Add 3–6 genuine user questions and concise answers on-page (C04-faq), and keep <script type="application/ld+json"> FAQPage nodes 1:1 synchronized with visible copy (S03-faq-parity P3).

4. Tools & CLI Commands

# Audit answer-engine and snippet signals on a guide or docs page
npx one-step-seo page https://example.com/guides/what-is-rag --skills aeo --out ./seo-report

# Audit documentation pages with docs profile calibration
npx one-step-seo audit https://example.com/docs --pages 15 --profile docs --skills answer-engine-optimization --out ./seo-report

# Generate a starter FAQPage JSON-LD block to pair with visible FAQ copy
npx one-step-seo schema https://example.com/guides/what-is-rag --generate faq

5. Evidence Requirements

• Report both report.scores.ai.score (report.scores.ai.band) and report.scores.search.score (report.scores.search.band) separately.
• Quote C02-answer, C03-extractable, C04-faq, C05-table-headers, G03-facts, G07-question-headings, G08-stat-density, G09-snippet-controls, and S03-faq-parity evidence strings from report.findings.

6. Expected Outputs

1. AEO Readiness Breakdown: Status of snippet eligibility, answer capsule, question H2 ratio, table header hygiene, stat density, and FAQ parity.
2. Answer Capsule & Heading Rewrite: A crisp 40–60 word opening answer block and question-shaped H2 outline derived strictly from existing page facts.
3. Synchronized FAQ HTML + JSON-LD: Matching <section> FAQ markup and FAQPage JSON-LD.

7. Limitations & External Data

• Structural readiness vs SERP volatility: Featured snippets and AI Overviews depend on live query intent and search index competition; one-step-seo verifies deterministic structural extractability, never guaranteed SERP placement.
• Offline support: 100% supported on local Markdown-rendered HTML and static builds (--offline).

8. Safety & Approval Rules

• Never invent statistics, benchmarks, or citations: When remediating G03-facts or G08-stat-density, extract real numbers already stated on the page or use explicit [TODO: insert verified metric + source] markers.
• Never add FAQPage JSON-LD for questions that are hidden or absent from the visible page (S03-faq-parity).

9. Examples

# Inspect the answer-engine-optimization skill checks and aliases
npx one-step-seo skills answer-engine-optimization

# Run an offline AEO audit on built documentation HTML
npx one-step-seo audit ./dist/docs --pages 10 --profile docs --skills aeo --offline --out ./seo-report