> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.useagentshop.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# What Is AEO? Answer Engine Optimization for DTC Brands

> AEO is optimizing product data and content so AI shopping assistants recommend your products, not just index them. Here's how it differs from SEO.

**AEO — Answer Engine Optimization** — is the practice of optimizing your product data and content so AI shopping assistants *recommend* your products, not just index them.

Traditional SEO optimizes for a page ranking in a list of blue links. AEO optimizes for a different surface entirely: the answer an AI assistant gives when a shopper asks "what's the best X for Y?" There's no page of results — there's a single recommendation, and either your product is named in it or it isn't.

That shifts what matters:

* **Structured, machine-readable product data**, so assistants can read your catalog accurately.
* **Content that answers real buyer questions**, so assistants have something to cite.
* **Coverage of the prompts shoppers actually ask**, not just the keywords they used to type.

agentShop is built around AEO: it measures how often AI recommends you, finds the gaps, and helps you close them across your product pages, brand identity, and content.


## Related topics

- [agentShop User Guide: Get Chosen by AI Assistants](/user-guide/introduction.md)
- [agentShop Glossary: Key AI Commerce Terms Explained](/user-guide/glossary.md)
- [Reports Reference: Every agentShop Report Explained](/user-guide/reports/reference.md)
- [How to Optimize a Product Page for AI Recommendations](/user-guide/workflows/optimize-product-page.md)
- [Workflows: What You Do in agentShop, Step by Step](/user-guide/workflows/overview.md)