AEO Services

Answer engine optimisation by a Webflow developer who tracks AI search data. I make sure your site surfaces in ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews so when your next client asks an AI who to hire, your name comes up.

Foundation

What is answer engine optimisation and why it's not just SEO for AI

Search is shifting from search engines that list pages to answer engines that assemble responses. Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, and Perplexity still need sources, but they cite them differently than blue-link results. The question is no longer only "where do I rank?" It is "does the model understand this business well enough to mention it when the buyer asks?"

Traditional SEO is keyword-first: query, intent, title tag, page, link profile. AEO is entity-first: who you are, what you provide, where you operate, why your definition is canonical, and which outside sources reinforce that claim. The strongest answer engine optimisation work gives AI systems a clean entity graph, not just another page targeting another keyword variant.

I focus on three signals: structured data, entity coverage, and citation authority. Structured data tells machines exactly what the page represents. Entity coverage helps models recognise the brand and offer. Citation authority makes the page worth referencing. For the underlying search foundation, see my Webflow SEO services.

Technical

How I optimise for AI search - the technical layer

FAQPage schema is useful, but it is only one layer. AEO work needs Person, Service, DefinedTerm, and Organization schema connected into one readable graph. That graph tells answer engines who the expert is, what the service is, which terms the page defines, and how the page connects back to the wider business entity.

Freshness signals matter too. I add visible timestamps where they are useful, keep definitions concise, and structure sections so LLMs can extract them cleanly: question-answer blocks, 40-60 word definitions, and entity-first openings that name the thing before expanding the context. The goal is to make the best answer easy to quote without flattening the page for human readers.

The glossary play is simple: define the important terms in your market before your competitors do, then connect those definitions to commercial pages and external citation targets. This is technical SEO, content design, and structured data working together. For the build layer underneath it, see my Webflow developer services.

Data

Where AI search traffic is hiding - keyword data most SEO tools miss

Most SEO tools still treat AI search as a reporting footnote. That leaves demand hiding in plain sight. I cross-reference organic search volume with AI search volume so we can see which queries already trigger answer-style behaviour and which pages are missing from your site entirely.

One example: "gold forecast" can show meaningful AI volume, but many trading sites still do not have a dedicated page built for that exact answer format. The same pattern appears across every niche: buyers ask the answer engine a precise question, the model cites whatever source has the cleanest definition and strongest entity signals, and otherwise capable sites never enter the conversation.

My methodology uses DataForSEO AI keyword data alongside standard organic demand, then turns the gaps into pages, glossary entries, or schema changes. When the opportunity scales across many terms, I build it programmatically. See my programmatic Webflow services for that system.

Strategy

Why AEO compounds with your existing SEO investment

SEO gets clicks. AEO gets citations. The strongest pages do both, because the same technical discipline that helps a page rank also helps an answer engine parse, trust, and cite it. A page ranking #3 organically that also appears as an AI Overview citation now owns two placements from one asset.

The flywheel is practical: stronger rankings create more discovery, more discovery earns more mentions, and more mentions strengthen entity confidence. AEO does not replace the work you have already done in search. It gives that work a second surface area at the exact moment buyers are asking for a direct recommendation.

Instrumentation keeps the strategy honest. I use the Google Search Console AI Overviews filter where available, then pair that with page-level ranking, click, and conversion data so we can see whether the citation layer is actually compounding. For the combined search and conversion loop, see my SEO + CRO services.

AEO Services

Building your AI search presence: audit, optimise, track.

Audit Your AI Presence
I check your current schema coverage, entity recognition in Knowledge Graph, and AI Overview impression data in GSC. You get a ranked list of gaps: critical schema missing, entity coverage gaps, and keywords with AI volume you are not capturing.
Build the Entity Layer
Multi-layered schema deployment (Person, Service, FAQPage, DefinedTerm), entity-first content rewrites, glossary integration, and citation-worthy data pages. Every change ships with verification against Google Rich Results Test.
Track and Compound
GSC AI Overviews filter tracking, monthly AI search volume re-checks via DataForSEO, and ongoing schema maintenance as AI search behaviour evolves. The entity layer gets stronger over time as more sources cite you.

Projects

Recent builds that deliver

View all projects

Creative coworking with TOSH Space — TOSH Space

Ficus Health: I Built the Site for a 120-Clinic AI Platform — Ficus Health

Full-service agency with Creative Balcony — Creative Balcony

Healthcare CX with Fresh Squeezed Ideas — Fresh Squeezed Ideas

Listing Monster AI e-commerce platform — Listing Monster

Powering Telecoms World Forms and CMS — Telecoms World

Clinical trials with WithPower — WithPower

DeskLodge coworking and meeting spaces — DeskLodge

Creative education with Glasgow School of Art — The Glasgow School of Arts

Secure payment solutions with FMpay — FMpay

UK care management software with Log my Care — Log my Care

Climate action with Commons.earth — Sanchali Pal

Finance leaders community with Tech CFO — Cooper Parry

Testimonials

What clients say

"As I grow in my business, I need services to grow with, Derrick is that service when it comes to my website. He is patient, listens and takes onboard the changes I want in a timely manner. My website changes and develops with the needs of my clients and my offer which is great. He also brings new ideas and perspectives in how to improve and grow in line with my goals and business needs. I look forward seeing how this new phase develops."

Karin Young

Psychotherapist · Karin Counselling

"Derrick has been a great help in getting our SaaS website up and running. He is very knowledgeable in Webflow and was able to help us get the most out of the platform. His design skills are excellent and he was able to create a custom function-filled website that looks great and operates perfectly. I would highly recommend Derrick to anyone looking for a web designer who knows his stuff!"

Taita Ngetich

CEO · Synnefa

"Derrick is just great to work with! He's super fast, always responds in a timely manner, and is very flexible with last-minute requests. His Webflow development skills are rock solid and he has no problems keeping up with the fast pace of early-stage startups."

Carla Nassisi

Growth · Briink

"It has been a pleasure to work with Derrick! He delivered a pixel-perfect website for LLI, which not only looks and performs well but is also very organised and simple to maintain! During the process, he had the patience to clear all the incoming doubts that occurred when we were transitioning from one platform to another, and he not only delivered a great site but also tutorials on how to manage it."

Isabelle Krauze

UX Lead · LLInformatics

"Derrick is a gem of a person and a wealth of knowledge. He was so patient and helpful when explaining the more intricate parts of Webflow and bouncing around different possible solutions. He really knows the ins and outs of Webflow - it's no wonder that he's a certified Webflow Expert! I'm looking forward to the day when I get to work with him again."

Diana Donaldson

CEO · Be Indigo

"Derrick helped us redesign and build our site on Webflow and we couldn't be more pleased with the entire project. Derrick is very easy to communicate with, fast and efficient, and takes time to ask questions and provide suggestions where necessary. He has a great balance of technical and visual knowledge, which helped us build a fast, SEO-optimized site that looks great and is on-brand. Would happily hire Derrick again!"

Eliza Gerland

Strategic Marketer · UFODrive

"Derrick and his team were wonderful to work with and helped us a lot with launching multiple Webflow projects in addition to doing a full website backend revamp. Recommend him to anyone!"

Liza Moiseeva

CMO · Commons

"Derrick and his colleague were tasked with helping to implement new designs for our Home and Product pages on our website. We had a super tight deadline and they took it in their stride. Their communication throughout the project was great and the results were fantastic. Would highly recommend."

Marcus Vitelli

Brand Executive · Flexciton

"Derrick translated our ideas into visually stunning designs. He took our vision for Mirador Local's online presence and brought it to life in a way that exceeded our expectations. I highly recommend him to anyone seeking a talented and reliable designer for their next project."

Gerry White

Global Growth · Mirador

"Derrick has a solid and broad understanding of Webflow and has delivered huge improvements to our website."

Tim Sater

Marketing Lead · Provenance

"Derrick and his team did a great job building our marketing site and leaving us with the tools to sustainably iterate on our website. They didn't stop until the site perfectly matched our design vision. We would definitely work with them again!"

John Outwater

Data Visualization · Renoster

"Derrick made our vision a reality, he's simply a brilliant website developer. We're incredibly happy with the results, which match the designs. If you're a startup or scale-up looking for an excellent web developer to turn your ideas into reality, look no further!!"

Ben Leftley

Senior Delivery Manager · Unmind

"It was great working with Derrick’s team! Communication was smooth and the website ideation, design and development were executed well without much hiccups. Will highly recommend for your website projects! :)"

Indra Basak

Marketing · PreciX

"Derrick was conscientious, efficient and delivered on time. Communication was effective and they really understood the issues at hand. He ultimately delivered a professional looking website that exceeded expectations."

Miles Owen

Head of Digital · FMpay

Karin Young

Psychotherapist · Karin Counselling

Taita Ngetich

CEO · Synnefa

Carla Nassisi

Growth · Briink

Isabelle Krauze

UX Lead · LLInformatics

Diana Donaldson

CEO · Be Indigo

Eliza Gerland

Strategic Marketer · UFODrive

"Derrick and his team were wonderful to work with and helped us a lot with launching multiple Webflow projects in addition to doing a full website backend revamp. Recommend him to anyone!"

Liza Moiseeva

CMO · Commons

Marcus Vitelli

Brand Executive · Flexciton

Gerry White

Global Growth · Mirador

"Derrick has a solid and broad understanding of Webflow and has delivered huge improvements to our website."

Tim Sater

Marketing Lead · Provenance

John Outwater

Data Visualization · Renoster

Ben Leftley

Senior Delivery Manager · Unmind

Indra Basak

Marketing · PreciX

Miles Owen

Head of Digital · FMpay

Karin Young

Psychotherapist · Karin Counselling

Taita Ngetich

CEO · Synnefa

Carla Nassisi

Growth · Briink

Isabelle Krauze

UX Lead · LLInformatics

Diana Donaldson

CEO · Be Indigo

Eliza Gerland

Strategic Marketer · UFODrive

"Derrick and his team were wonderful to work with and helped us a lot with launching multiple Webflow projects in addition to doing a full website backend revamp. Recommend him to anyone!"

Liza Moiseeva

CMO · Commons

Marcus Vitelli

Brand Executive · Flexciton

Gerry White

Global Growth · Mirador

"Derrick has a solid and broad understanding of Webflow and has delivered huge improvements to our website."

Tim Sater

Marketing Lead · Provenance

John Outwater

Data Visualization · Renoster

Ben Leftley

Senior Delivery Manager · Unmind

Indra Basak

Marketing · PreciX

Miles Owen

Head of Digital · FMpay

Karin Young

Psychotherapist · Karin Counselling

Taita Ngetich

CEO · Synnefa

Carla Nassisi

Growth · Briink

Isabelle Krauze

UX Lead · LLInformatics

Diana Donaldson

CEO · Be Indigo

Eliza Gerland

Strategic Marketer · UFODrive

"Derrick and his team were wonderful to work with and helped us a lot with launching multiple Webflow projects in addition to doing a full website backend revamp. Recommend him to anyone!"

Liza Moiseeva

CMO · Commons

Marcus Vitelli

Brand Executive · Flexciton

Gerry White

Global Growth · Mirador

"Derrick has a solid and broad understanding of Webflow and has delivered huge improvements to our website."

Tim Sater

Marketing Lead · Provenance

John Outwater

Data Visualization · Renoster

Ben Leftley

Senior Delivery Manager · Unmind

Indra Basak

Marketing · PreciX

Miles Owen

Head of Digital · FMpay

Need a website or system?

Let's talk about it

Need an AEO audit? Tell me your domain and I will check your AI search presence.

AEO Services FAQs

Common questions about answer engine optimisation, AI search visibility, and how it compounds with your existing SEO investment.

Answer engine optimisation (AEO) is the process of optimising your website so AI-powered search tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews cite your content in their answers. Unlike traditional SEO, which targets blue-link rankings, AEO targets the entity layer: structured data, authoritative definitions, and citation signals that LLMs use to decide who to reference. It's not replacing SEO. It's adding a second surface area where your business can be discovered.

Three layers. First, structured data: FAQPage, Person, Service, DefinedTerm schema that tells LLMs what your business IS, not just what keywords it targets. Second, entity coverage: being defined in glossaries, Wikidata, and knowledge panels so AI models recognise your brand as an entity worth citing. Third, citation authority: producing content that other authoritative sources reference and link to. I handle all three layers, starting with a technical audit of your current schema and entity presence.

SEO optimises for search engine rankings - your position in the 10 blue links. AEO optimises for AI-generated answers - whether ChatGPT names your business when someone asks 'who should I hire for X.' SEO gets clicks. AEO gets citations. The two compound: a page ranking #3 organically that also gets cited in an AI Overview captures both placements from one piece of content. I run both as a single strategy with shared instrumentation.

Yes, and it's the highest-ROI technical change you can make for AEO. AI models parse structured data to understand entities and relationships. FAQPage schema feeds directly into Google AI Overviews. Person schema establishes you as an authoritative source. DefinedTerm schema tells LLMs 'this is the canonical definition of this term.' Without schema, LLMs guess what your site is about from raw HTML. With schema, you tell them explicitly. Every site I build ships with multi-layered schema by default.

Go to Google Search Console, click Search Results, add the 'AI Overviews' filter under Search Appearance. This shows impressions and clicks from AI Overview results, separate from standard web results. Most sites have zero visibility here even when they rank well organically - that's the gap AEO closes. For deeper tracking, I use DataForSEO's AI keyword data to cross-reference organic search volume with AI Overview volume, identifying keywords where you're invisible on 50%+ of the total search demand.

No. AI search traffic is additive, not a replacement. Google AI Overviews appear on roughly 25% of UK desktop searches and rising, but the 10 blue links still drive the majority of clicks. The smart play is running both: maintain your organic SEO position while building the entity and citation layer that captures AI Overview traffic. Ignoring AEO means ceding 25% of your visible search surface area to competitors who do optimise for it. Ignoring SEO means losing the 75% that still clicks blue links. You need both.

need a hand?