AEO Audit — Answer Engine Optimization

Phase 1: Scan

node ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/tools/aeo-scanner.mjs <project-directory>

Phase 2: Report

Present AEO findings:

• Schema — FAQPage, HowTo, speakable, Article/BlogPosting
• Snippet Readiness — direct answers, numbered steps, concise paragraphs
• Voice Search — conversational patterns, 29-word answer targets

Phase 3: Fix

• Missing FAQPage → detect Q&A patterns in content, generate schema: node ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/tools/schema-engine.mjs generate FAQPage
• Missing speakable → add speakable schema targeting key answer sections
• Long answers → restructure to 40-60 word direct answers after question H2s
• No numbered steps → convert procedural content to ordered lists
• Missing featured image → flag for user to add hero image

Phase 4: Verify

Re-run aeo-scanner. Show before/after AEO score.

Phase 5: Voice Search Guidance

• Target conversational long-tail queries ("how do I...", "what is the best...")
• Keep primary answers under 29 words (Google voice search average)
• Add People Also Ask patterns as H2/H3 questions throughout content

Phase 6: Search Console Submission

After deploying AEO fixes, submit to search engines to trigger rich result processing:

Google Search Console

1. Request indexing for pages with new FAQ/HowTo/speakable schema — URL Inspection → Request Indexing
2. Check Rich Results — Enhancements → FAQPage / HowTo / Breadcrumbs / Article
   • Verify new schema is detected and valid (no errors)
   • Common issues: missing image in Article, missing acceptedAnswer in FAQ
3. Test individual pages — Use Rich Results Test before and after fixes
4. Monitor Featured Snippets — Performance → Search Appearance → filter by "Featured snippets"
   • Track which pages win snippets after AEO optimization
   • If pages lose snippets, check if answer length changed (40-60 words optimal)

Bing Webmaster Tools

1. Submit URLs — URL Submission → submit all pages with new schema
2. Verify schema — Bing supports FAQPage, HowTo, and speakable in its rich results
3. Enable IndexNow — instant re-indexing after schema changes

Track Featured Snippet Wins

1. In GSC → Performance → Search Appearance → "Featured snippets"
2. Export the list of queries where your pages appear as featured snippets
3. For queries where competitors hold the snippet, optimize those pages:
   • Add a direct answer in the first 40-60 words after the question H2
   • Use numbered lists for "how to" queries
   • Use definition format ("X is...") for "what is" queries
4. Recheck weekly — featured snippet ownership changes frequently