Answer Engine Optimization (AEO), Part Two: The Six Research Stages

In Part One we covered why AEO can’t be measured like search rankings, which AI platforms to test, and how to keep your research unbiased (short version: incognito windows, always). Now, the six stages of AEO research.

Identity

In this stage the goal is to discover what AI can find about your business profile and online presence. Stick to checking your information accuracy and completeness, not comparisons or reviews. There is not much value in starting a new incognito window for each prompt here.

Here is an example starting prompt:

“Provide a complete business profile summary for designcraft Advertising on Park Street in Madison, WI. Include their exact primary phone number, operating hours, and website address as verified across multiple online business directories.”

(You’ll notice we’re testing our legacy name here. AI’s sources lag a rebrand, and directories, articles, and reviews still carry the old name, so test the name the world has known you by as well as the new one.)

From here you may ask additional questions, such as:

• What areas does the business serve?

• What charitable organizations does the business support?

• What awards has the business received?

• Who owns and leads the business?

• When was the business founded?

• What social media presence does the business have?

…and so on, or anything else a curious prospect might ask.

Offerings Verification

In this stage the goal is to discover what AI can find about your services and products. Again the focus is on accuracy and completeness, not comparisons or reviews, so don’t ask if the product is “good” and instead stick to the facts. No need for a fresh window per prompt here either.

Example:

“What core creative and promotional services does designcraft Advertising in Madison, WI offer?”

Additional lines of inquiry:

• Ask about each of your primary services by title, such as “Do they do website development?”

• Ask for an example of the work for each service found.

• Ask if there are case studies featuring the service or product.

• Ask if there are news articles or press releases featuring the service or product.

• Ask if the business has a consistent message about its products or services across platforms.

Competitor Overview

At this stage we are still mostly fact collecting, but start a new incognito window for each competitor you ask about. It’s not so much AI memory that skews results here as the line of questioning. You can’t predict what order a potential client will ask things, so your best baseline is a blank context.

Start with a list of competitors you developed, then add more from searches.

Example:

“Who are the top local competitors to designcraft Advertising for website design and branding in the Madison, Wisconsin area? Provide a brief summary of how each competitor positions themselves.”

Once you have the list of competitors, start a new incognito window for each and run through the identity and offerings questions you did for yourself. Notice if there are services, products, awards or other identity notes that come up for competitors but not for you.

Offerings Signals

This is a refinement of the previous stage and still about collecting data rather than inferring intent. Create a list of your most important services or products (key categories, if you have a lot) and develop prompts that are neutral and simple:

“Which advertising agencies in Madison WI do logo design? What are the signals that each agency has competency in this area?”

This will help you see what signals you are giving and what other businesses are giving. Sometimes being different is better, so you don’t have to match all the signals, but if a competitor has five and you have one, consider if you need to update your messaging. Start with a clean context for each prompt.

A variant: ask about key services your competitors offer that you do not, then follow up by asking if your business provides them. For example:

“Which advertising agencies in Madison WI produce TV ad spots? What are the signals that each agency has competency in this area?”

The answer should not include designcraft. Follow up with:

“Does designcraft Advertising produce TV ad spots?”

If there are any false positives consider what that could mean for your market position.

Conversational Intent

Here is where we get into real-world emulation. Create a list of prompts that potential customers might actually be using; some of these can be somewhat complex. We’re still not measuring rank, but this stage helps you understand if your business even shows up and some of the ways it may be portrayed. Start with a clean context for each prompt.

A simple example:

“I am a mid-sized nonprofit organization in Madison, WI looking to launch a digital advertising and social media survey campaign. Which local ad agencies should I consider hiring for this project, and why?”

A complex example (for the aforementioned charity):

“I reside in Wausau WI and although I have a home, I do not have a kitchen table or chairs. I also am short on pants. I do not have any spare money and I have limited mobility. Is there anyone who could help me?”

We recommend creating at least one complex prompt as a challenge to your business: what prompting would a chatty person use? Or an underserved person who may not be familiar with what services or products they even need? Or a neurodiverse person?

Customer Sentiment

Last but definitely not least is customer sentiment. More than any other stage, these prompts get you closest to how you “rank” with AI. AI values customer reviews and mentions and will factor them in when considering which business to present.

Start with a clean context for each prompt. The first prompt can be general, for example:

“Based on online customer reviews and testimonials, what are the primary strengths and weaknesses associated with designcraft Advertising in Madison? What do customers say about their project turnaround times and communication style?”

Then you may wish to ask more specific prompts about key services or products:

“Based on online customer reviews and testimonials, does designcraft Advertising in Madison excel at logo design?”

Summary

With careful consideration of your prompts and what you can reasonably expect to discover through AEO you may find holes in your business’s messaging.