Every question
worth asking.
Written to be useful even if you never buy anything. Something not covered? Email team@standknown.com.
What is Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)?
AEO is the practice of structuring your digital footprint so that AI chat tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Google AI Overview recommend your business by name when buyers ask who to hire. It differs from SEO because the ranking factors are different: structured data, review density, forum mentions, citations, and entity signals matter more than classical backlinks.
How is AEO different from SEO?
SEO ranks you in Google's blue links. AEO makes you the business AI chat tools recommend by name. SEO ranks pages. AEO ranks entities (businesses, products, people). SEO is largely about keywords; AEO is largely about structured, machine-readable facts.
Is AEO just a rebrand of SEO?
No. SEO targets a different output surface (ten blue links) and uses different ranking signals (backlinks, on-page keywords, dwell time). AEO targets AI-generated recommendations and uses entity-level signals: structured data, citations, review consensus across sources, and llms.txt.
What is llms.txt?
A newer file (standardized in 2025 and widely adopted through 2026) that gives AI crawlers a structured, curated summary of a site's most important information. We write and deploy llms.txt as part of every AEO engagement.
Which AI engines matter for AEO?
As of late 2026: ChatGPT (~63% of AI chat volume), Google AI Overview (~18%), Perplexity (~9%), Claude (~6%), Gemini (~3%), Copilot (~1%). We optimize for all six.
Who do you work with?
High-ticket local businesses where one new customer is worth $2,000+. Roofers, HVAC installers, electricians, dentists, med spas, law firms, accounting firms, low-voltage installers, premium home services, specialty professional services. We also work with retail and food as a testing wedge.
What is a high-ticket local business?
A business where (a) buyers are local to a geographic area, and (b) a single new customer or job is worth enough that acquiring them through marketing is clearly profitable. Typical examples: roofing ($8k–$30k per job), HVAC install ($5k–$15k), med spa package ($1k–$5k), legal retainer ($2k–$20k), dental implants ($3k–$8k).
Do you work with businesses outside the DFW metro?
Yes. We are DFW-based and most of our active work is in Dallas, Fort Worth, Plano, Richardson, Frisco, Allen, McKinney, and Sachse, but AEO is a remote-friendly discipline and we serve clients across the US.
Is my business too small for AEO?
Smaller markets and smaller businesses are often the easiest wins. AI engine coverage of niche local verticals is thin, so the operator who gets structured first owns the recommendation.
What services does StandKnown offer?
Ten: AEO retainer, Local SEO & Google Business Profile, Schema & technical audit, AI-first website build, Blog writing, Social media management, Photo & video shoots, Paid ads management, Branding & design, Live analytics dashboard. See /services for details.
How does the engagement work?
Audit (week 1), Build (weeks 2-4), Optimize (weeks 5-12), Grow (month 3+). You get a baseline AI visibility score before you sign anything, and monthly scorecards tracking which engines mention you.
How quickly will I see results?
Local SEO movement in 30 days. AI engine citations typically in 45-90 days as entity signals compound. The 90-day refund is calibrated to that timeline.
Do you report monthly?
Yes, plus a live dashboard accessible anytime at Growth tier and above. We prefer dashboards to monthly PDFs — easier to trust, easier to act on.
What does StandKnown cost?
Starter from $1,500/mo, Growth from $3,500/mo, Full Service custom. One-off builds (website from $5,500, branding from $3,800, schema audit from $1,200) available separately. See /pricing.
What does the 90-day refund actually cover?
Every dollar paid to StandKnown in your first 90 days. If AI-sourced traffic has not demonstrably increased in your dashboard, you request a refund and we return it. No clawbacks, no small print, no questions asked.
Is there a long-term contract?
Starter and Growth are month-to-month. Full Service is a 6-month minimum because the website rebuild and brand work are upfront investments.
Do you offer discounts for prepay?
10% off Growth and Full Service when paid annually.
Do I need a new website to do AEO?
Not strictly required. Schema deployment, GBP optimization, and entity-building can lift AI visibility on your current site. That said, a modern AI-first website typically compounds the results 2-3x because it is engineered end-to-end for machine-readability.
What is schema.org and why does it matter for AEO?
Schema.org is the structured-data vocabulary used by Google, OpenAI, Anthropic, and most AI crawlers to understand what a page is about. LocalBusiness, Service, FAQPage, Review, and HowTo schemas translate your content into machine-readable facts that AI engines can cite.
Do you build on WordPress?
We can deploy schema and AEO work to WordPress sites, yes. For full rebuilds we prefer static Next.js — faster, more AI-crawlable, zero plugin bloat. We will tell you honestly which path makes sense for your situation.
How do you measure AI visibility?
Weekly automated probes across six engines (ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Google AI, Gemini, Copilot) for your category + geo keywords. We log mentions, position, sentiment, and sources cited. All of it surfaces in your dashboard.
Can I still run Google Ads alongside AEO?
Yes — many clients do. Most taper paid spend as AEO compounds and organic AI referrals grow. We also offer paid ads management as a service if you want it coordinated.
Do I own the website and content you produce?
Yes. Website code, content, photos, video, brand assets — all yours in perpetuity. We hand off repo access and full source files. No lock-in.
What does a successful AEO engagement look like at 90 days?
ChatGPT and Perplexity recommend your business by name for your primary category + city query. You appear in Google AI Overview for 2-5 educational queries in your vertical. Branded search volume rises 20-40%. AI-sourced site visits are tracked in your dashboard, with a measurable lift versus baseline.
What does success look like at 12 months?
AI engines treat you as the default recommendation for your category + city. Organic traffic from both Google and AI chat tools is a majority of lead flow. Paid ad reliance declines quarter over quarter. Lead cost drops as pipeline shifts to compounding channels.
Be the business AI
recommends by name.
Free 30-minute AI visibility audit — we score where you appear across six engines and show you the gaps before you decide anything.