AEO Explained: How AI Tools Choose Which Med Spas to Recommend

Beginner guides for med spa and aesthetic practice owners on how AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Google AI impact your online visibility and how to improve your performance.

Start with Part 1 and read in order, or jump to the question you have. Each guide takes a few minutes and gets to the point first. They are written for practice owners and managers, using the AI answers measured by Acuven.

How Several Sources Become One AI Answer

How several sources become one AI answerSources (reviews, the Google listing, the practice website, social media, directories, forums, booking sites and local articles) are read and combined by an AI tool (the ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Google engines, each shown with its mark and name) into one written answer. In the answer, a business can be Recommended (for example, "For lip filler, Larkspur Med Spa is a top choice, with strong reviews"), Named in passing (for example, "Copperleaf Skin has fewer reviews than Larkspur Med Spa"), or Cited as a source (for example, a sentence about filler pricing that points to the page fernwoodskin.com). The practice names are invented.ReviewsGoogle listingPractice websiteSocial mediaDirectoriesForumsBooking sitesLocal articlesRead and combined by the AI toolsChatGPTChatGPTPerplexityPerplexityGeminiGeminiGoogleGoogleIn the answer, a business can beRecommended“For lip filler, Larkspur Med Spa isa top choice, with strong reviews.”Named in passing“Copperleaf Skin has fewer reviewsthan Larkspur Med Spa.”Cited as a source“Most clinics price filler by thesyringe.”[1][1] fernwoodskin.com How several sources become one AI answerSources (reviews, the Google listing, the practice website, social media, directories, forums, booking sites and local articles) are read and combined by an AI tool (the ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Google engines, each shown with its mark and name) into one written answer. In the answer, a business can be Recommended (for example, "For lip filler, Larkspur Med Spa is a top choice, with strong reviews"), Named in passing (for example, "Copperleaf Skin has fewer reviews than Larkspur Med Spa"), or Cited as a source (for example, a sentence about filler pricing that points to the page fernwoodskin.com). The practice names are invented.ReviewsGooglelistingPracticewebsiteSocialmediaDirectoriesForumsBookingsitesLocalarticlesRead and combined by the AI toolsChatGPTChatGPTPerplexityPerplexityGeminiGeminiGoogleGoogleIn the answer, a business can beRecommended“For lip filler, Larkspur Med Spa isa top choice, with strong reviews.”Named in passing“Copperleaf Skin has fewer reviewsthan Larkspur Med Spa.”Cited as a source“Most clinics price filler by thesyringe.”[1][1] fernwoodskin.com

A four part guide to AEO

Start here Part 1

What Is AEO?

AEO, short for Answer Engine Optimization, is the practice of making a business show up in the answers provided by AI search engines and tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google's AI Overviews. The goal is to have your business appear in those answers: recommended by name, named in passing, or cited as a source.

Read Part 1 (8 minute read)

  • Part 2

    SEO vs AEO/GEO

    SEO, AEO and GEO are overlapping kinds of work. SEO aims at ranking in a list of links, while AEO and GEO share largely the same aim: being named in the answer an AI tool writes.

    Read Part 2 (8 minute read)

  • Part 3

    How Med Spas Show Up in AI Searches

    AI tools with live search appear to build each answer by searching, reading what they find, and naming the businesses those sources support. A med spa gives them the most to work with when its reviews, listings, website and mentions elsewhere agree and are easy to understand.

    Read Part 3 (5 minute read)

  • Part 4

    What an AEO Audit Checks: A Checklist for Med Spas

    An AEO audit asks AI tools the questions your patients ask, records each answer exactly as written, and shows for each tool separately whether your practice was recommended, named in passing or cited as a source, with the date and locations stated.

    Read Part 4 (5 minute read)