Answer Engine Optimization

Answer Engine Optimization helps AI answer engines such as ChatGPT Search, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, Copilot and Claude understand and cite your WordPress site.

It adds clean structured data, a visible FAQ and direct-answer block, an llms.txt index, AI crawler controls, a per-post AEO score and a site audit. It works on its own or next to Yoast SEO, Rank Math, All in One SEO, SEOPress and The SEO Framework.

What it does

• Structured data (JSON-LD) – one connected @graph with WebSite, Organization, Article/WebPage, FAQPage, Speakable and LocalBusiness/Hotel nodes. When an SEO plugin is active it lets that plugin output the base graph and only adds what’s missing, so there are no duplicate entities.
• FAQs and direct answers – add a target question, a short direct answer and FAQ items per post. They are shown on the page (FAQ uses accessible <details> elements) and marked up as FAQPage and Speakable.
• Question suggestions – “Suggest questions” in the editor proposes questions and answers from your content (your AI key, or the post’s own headings when no key is set).
• AEO score (0-100) – per post, from content structure, schema completeness, FAQs, readability and citation signals. Works with any language, including Bengali, Arabic and CJK scripts.
• Site audit – flags thin content, missing images, FAQs, direct answers and configuration problems. Some issues can be fixed in one click.
• llms.txt, llms-full.txt and Markdown pages – an automatic /llms.txt index (grouped by language with Polylang/WPML), a full-text /llms-full.txt, and a clean Markdown version of every page at page-url.md or via Accept: text/markdown. Password-protected and noindex pages are left out.
• AI crawler controls – 28 AI crawlers grouped by purpose (training, AI search, user fetch) with one-click presets such as “block training, stay in AI search”, plus Content-Signal lines in robots.txt.
• AI visibility tracking – asks Perplexity (and with Pro also ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude) your customers’ questions with live web search and records whether the answer links to you, names you, at what position and with what sentiment. A question x engine matrix with full answers and sources; share of voice and trends are in Pro. Uses your own API keys. Nothing is estimated or simulated.
• AI traffic – logs AI crawler visits and visitors arriving from AI assistants (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Copilot, Claude…) without cookies or IP addresses.
• Google Search Console and GA4 (Pro) – question-style queries and AI-assistant sessions, using your own Google OAuth client. Bing AI Performance (Pro) – import the CSV export.
• IndexNow – pings Bing, Yandex, Seznam and Naver when a page is published or updated.
• Gutenberg blocks – FAQ, HowTo, Key Takeaways and Direct Answer blocks with matching schema; Elementor and Bricks widgets for FAQ and Key Takeaways. Live AEO score panel in the block editor.
• Content tools – stale-content finder, SEO titles and descriptions (written into Yoast/Rank Math/SEOPress fields when present) and image alt text. Bulk AI FAQ drafts and writing with AI are in Pro.
• Schema templates (Pro) – reusable JSON-LD with display rules (post type, term, page) and placeholders for custom fields, ACF and Meta Box.
• Author profiles – job title, credentials, expertise and profile links as Person schema, with an optional author box.
• Competitor check – reads competitors’ homepage structured data and checks for an llms.txt file, and shows schema types they use that you don’t.
• Local business – multiple locations with PostalAddress, opening hours, geo coordinates and business type (Hotel, Restaurant, Store and more).
• WooCommerce – adds brand and GTIN to WooCommerce’s own Product schema. Pro adds return policy, shipping details, price-valid-until and ProductGroup for variable products.
• Open Graph and Twitter cards – when no SEO plugin is handling them.
• Content briefs – target questions, entities and schema type for a topic, plus an opportunity score based on how much of your own content already covers it.
• Weekly email – optional audit and citation summary.
• White-label and client reports (Pro) – replace the plugin name and logo, and print a client report.
• Roles (Pro) – decide which roles can view reports, edit schema, use AI or change settings.
• Import / export – settings, schema, locations, templates and per-page FAQs as one JSON file; copy Yoast and Rank Math FAQ blocks into the plugin.

Pro add-on (optional)

Answer Engine Optimization Pro is a separate plugin that adds visibility tracking on ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude (25 prompts), share of voice, trends and scheduled scans, Google Search Console, GA4 and Bing data, client reports, white-label, bulk AI tools, schema templates, an MCP server, role permissions and advanced WooCommerce schema. Licenses are managed under AEO → License.

AI providers (optional)

Bring your own API key for OpenAI, Anthropic (Claude), Google Gemini, Mistral, DeepSeek or OpenRouter to improve FAQ generation, rewriting, briefs, meta descriptions and alt text. You can pick the model in Settings. Keys are stored encrypted. Without a key, the plugin uses built-in rules based on your content.

AI visibility scans use the OpenAI, Gemini and Anthropic keys with web search, plus an optional Perplexity key.

Developers

• REST API under /wp-json/aeo-genius/v1/ (cookie or Application Password auth).
• MCP server (Pro) at /wp-json/aeo-genius/v1/mcp (off by default) with 14 tools, and the same tools registered with the WordPress Abilities API (6.9+).
• WPGraphQL fields: aeoScore, aeoTargetQuestion, aeoDirectAnswer, aeoFaqs, aeoSchema, aeoMarkdown.
• Public schema map: /wp-json/aeo-genius/v1/schemamap.
• WP-CLI: wp aeo audit, wp aeo score, wp aeo fix <issue_id>, wp aeo scan.
• Filters: aeo_post_types, aeo_post_schema_nodes, aeo_auto_schema, aeo_location_schema, aeo_llms_txt, aeo_llms_txt_limit, aeo_defer_to_seo_plugin, aeo_is_noindex, aeo_ai_model, aeo_woocommerce_product_schema, aeo_digest_recipient.
• Multisite: network activation sets up every site, including sites created later.
• Deleting the plugin removes its data. Define AEO_KEEP_DATA as true to keep it.

Source code

The admin screens are a React app compiled into assets/build/. Its full, human-readable source is included in the plugin in admin-app/src/, with the build setup in package.json, vite.config.ts, tsconfig.json, tailwind.config.js and postcss.config.js. To rebuild: run npm install, then npm run build.

Privacy

The plugin sets no cookies. AI traffic logging stores the crawler or assistant name, page and time, never IP addresses; you can turn it off. When you use AI features, post content (never visitor data) is sent to the provider you configured. AI visibility scans send your tracked questions to the engines you choose. IndexNow sends page URLs to api.indexnow.org. Competitor checks fetch the competitor’s public homepage and llms.txt.

External services

The plugin works without any external service. The services below are only contacted when you turn on the feature that uses them or add an API key for them.

AI providers (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, Mistral, DeepSeek, OpenRouter, Perplexity)

Used for the optional AI features (FAQ generation, rewriting, content briefs, meta descriptions, alt text) and for AI visibility scans. A request is sent only when you click an AI action or run a scan, and only to the providers whose API key you saved. For AI features the request contains the post title and content you are working on; for scans it contains your tracked questions. No visitor data is sent. Your API key is sent to the provider to authenticate.

• OpenAI (api.openai.com): Terms of use, Privacy policy
• Anthropic (api.anthropic.com): Commercial terms, Privacy policy
• Google Gemini (generativelanguage.googleapis.com): Gemini API terms, Privacy policy
• Mistral AI (api.mistral.ai): Terms and privacy
• DeepSeek (api.deepseek.com): Terms of use, Privacy policy
• OpenRouter (openrouter.ai): Terms, Privacy policy
• Perplexity (api.perplexity.ai): Terms of service, Privacy policy

IndexNow

When the IndexNow option is on, the URL of a page you publish or update, your site’s host name and the plugin’s IndexNow key are sent to api.indexnow.org, which shares them with participating search engines (Bing, Yandex, Seznam, Naver). Terms, FAQ

QueueCommerce license server

Only used if you install the separate Answer Engine Optimization Pro add-on and enter a license key on AEO → License. The license key, your site’s domain and the product name are sent to www.queuecommerce.com when you activate or deactivate the key and once a day to check that it is still valid. Nothing is sent if no key is saved. Terms, Privacy policy

Support

• Documentation & Plugin Page
• Author: Tarikul Islam Riko
• GitHub Repository
• Report a Bug

Automatic Installation

1. Go to Plugins → Add New in your WordPress admin
2. Search for Answer Engine Optimization
3. Click Install Now, then Activate
4. Open AEO in the left admin menu
5. Complete the short setup wizard

Manual Installation

1. Upload the answer-engine-optimization folder to /wp-content/plugins/
2. Activate the plugin through the Plugins screen
3. Navigate to AEO → Dashboard
4. Run the onboarding wizard to configure schema, FAQs, and site type
5. (Optional) Add an OpenAI, Anthropic or Gemini key, and a Perplexity key for citation tracking, under AEO → Settings

After Installation

• Run your first Site Audit (AEO → Site Audit → Run Audit)
• Review your AEO Score on the dashboard
• Add FAQ schema to top posts using the FAQ Manager or post editor meta box
• Add tracked keywords and a Perplexity API key in Settings to track AI citations

For Developers

cd wp-content/plugins/answer-engine-optimization
npm install
npm run build

1. 

   AEO Dashboard — site-wide score, schema coverage, FAQ coverage, and quick actions

2. 

   Content — per-post AEO scores and AI rewrite preview

3. 

   Schema Builder — JSON-LD editor with templates and validation

4. 

   FAQ Manager — AI FAQ generator and global FAQ library across your site

5. 

   Site Audit — full-site scan with Critical, Warning, and Opportunity issues plus auto-fix

6. 

   Analytics — Perplexity citation results and competitor schema check

7. 

   Setup wizard — short setup for site type, business info, and AI provider

8. 

   Settings — module toggles, API keys, tracked keywords, and competitor domains

1.3.0

• New: License page (AEO → License) for the optional Answer Engine Optimization Pro add-on, with daily license checks through the QueueCommerce license server.
• Changed: ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude visibility tracking, share of voice, trends, scheduled scans, Google Search Console/GA4, Bing import, client reports, white-label, bulk AI tools, schema templates, the MCP server, role permissions and advanced WooCommerce schema moved to the Pro add-on. Your settings and data are kept and come back when Pro is active.
• Free plugin: AI visibility on Perplexity with 5 prompts per scan.
• Removed: the Hotel page and the Quotel Hotel Booking room integration (room schema, room review ratings, hotel FAQ starter). Hotel sites should use the Quotel Hotel Booking plugin for room and lodging schema; AEO keeps the Hotel/Resort business types without the extra lodging fields, so the two plugins never output duplicate data.
• Fixed: AI visibility page was blank on sites that had never run a scan.
• Fixed: clicking the plugin’s own menu after opening a page from the WordPress submenu jumped back to that page.
• Fixed: long AI scans could stop on Windows servers (PHP time limit), and could check questions twice after an interruption.

1.2.0

• New: AI access page with 28 AI crawlers, presets, Content-Signal, llms-full.txt and per-page Markdown.
• New: multi-engine AI visibility (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude) with share of voice, sentiment, position, answer viewer, prompt suggestions and trend.
• New: AI traffic log, referral tracking, Google Search Console/GA4 connection, Bing AI Performance CSV import, client report.
• New: IndexNow, public schema map.
• New: FAQ, HowTo, Key Takeaways and Direct Answer blocks; Elementor and Bricks widgets; editor score panel; rewritten 100-point score.
• New: content freshness, bulk FAQ drafts with approval, SEO titles and descriptions, image alt text.
• New: schema templates with display rules and custom-field mapping; Person schema and author box.
• New: Hotel and room schema for Quotel Hotel Booking, nearby attractions, room review ratings, hotel FAQ starter.
• New: WooCommerce return policy, shipping details and ProductGroup.
• New: MCP server, WordPress Abilities API, WPGraphQL fields.
• New: Mistral, DeepSeek and OpenRouter providers; roles and permissions; import/export; Yoast/Rank Math FAQ migration; Polylang/WPML-aware llms.txt; translation-ready admin.

1.1.0

• Fixed: activation never ran (tables and defaults were not created) because the hook was registered too late.
• Fixed: /llms.txt returned 404 until permalinks were re-saved.
• Fixed: AI citation and competitor data were simulated. Citation tracking now uses Perplexity’s API; competitor checks read real homepage schema. Old simulated rows are removed on upgrade.
• Fixed: duplicate WebSite, Organization, Article, Product and Open Graph output next to SEO plugins and WooCommerce.
• Fixed: posts with FAQs lost their Article schema. Schema is now one connected @graph with Speakable support.
• Fixed: a crafted FAQ answer could break out of the JSON-LD script tag (XSS). Output is now escaped.
• Fixed: contributors could edit schema, scores and FAQs of posts they cannot edit through the REST API.
• Fixed: question suggestions could inject HTML into the editor; the modal no longer opens by itself.
• Fixed: robots.txt “Allow” groups made AI bots ignore your other rules, and an invalid Sitemap line pointed to llms.txt.
• Fixed: settings and features that read an old option name (direct answer block, question suggestions).
• Fixed: word counts and scores were 0 for non-Latin languages such as Bengali.
• Fixed: “Missing schema” auto-fix replaced full schema with a stub; FAQ auto-fix inserted placeholder text.
• Fixed: random opportunity scores; keywords textarea dropped new lines; API keys could not be removed.
• Added: Perplexity citation scans, weekly email digest, multisite support, uninstall cleanup, model picker, AI crawler settings, Hotel/lodging schema types, location address fields, WP-CLI wp aeo scan.
• Changed: current default AI models; all custom post types are supported.
• Changed: minimal admin redesign.

1.0.2

• Tested updatd

1.0.1

• Modern UI/UX redesign with gradient sidebar, React dashboard, and polished components
• Improved onboarding wizard with step indicators and site type selection
• Enhanced readme and WordPress.org directory optimization

1.0.0

• Initial release — full Answer Engine Optimization suite
• 11 feature modules: Content Optimizer, Schema Builder, FAQ Automation, Analytics, Local Business, WooCommerce, Technical AEO, Content Briefs, Site Audit, Social OG, Agency Tools
• React 18 + TypeScript admin UI with HashRouter navigation
• REST API at /wp-json/aeo-genius/v1/ with 20+ endpoints
• WP-CLI commands: audit, score, fix
• AEO Score engine (0–100) with 5 weighted factors
• 49 Schema.org types with visual JSON-LD builder
• AI providers: OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini + local fallback (no API key required)
• Site audit with one-click auto-fix engine
• WooCommerce Product schema integration
• LocalBusiness multi-location support
• llms.txt, AI crawler robots.txt, Open Graph tags
• Onboarding wizard, Gutenberg meta box, encrypted API key storage
• Custom database tables: schema cache, audit log, citations