Frequently Asked Questions

Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) is the practice of structuring content so AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews can understand, extract, and cite it. AEO emphasises direct answers, clear headings, question-and-answer blocks, entity clarity, and schema markup. It complements traditional SEO: SEO helps pages rank in search results, while AEO helps the same content be quoted inside AI-generated answers.

Not for scoring. The free audit and Lite's scoring need no API key. AI-written suggestions use your own AI key: optional in Lite (OpenAI), and part of Pro (your choice of provider). If you want suggestions in Lite, enter your OpenAI key in AEO BOB → Settings, where the settings page explains how to get one. You pay OpenAI directly for usage.

Lite gives you free SEO and AEO scores plus AI suggestions with your OpenAI key: up to 3 sentence rewrites, 3 heading suggestions and 3 FAQ questions per request, then Apply the ones you pick. Pro adds the Quality score, section-by-section suggestions with no 3-per-request cap, 5 AI providers, Fix Voice, FAQ generation, bulk operations, and the Score Dashboard.

No. AEO Bob complements traditional SEO plugins. While Yoast and Rank Math focus on Google rankings, AEO Bob adds Answer Engine Optimization, improving your content's readiness for AI answer engines. Use both together.

OpenAI (ChatGPT) is the most popular and works great for most users. Claude is excellent for nuanced content. Google Gemini offers speed and Google ecosystem integration. You can switch anytime, with no vendor lock-in.

For AI-written suggestions, yes. The free audit and Lite's scoring need no API key. AI-written suggestions use your own AI key: optional in Lite (OpenAI), and part of Pro (your choice of provider). Pro supports OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, Perplexity, or Zhipu AI (Cohere coming soon). You enter the key in settings and pay the provider directly for usage.

Unlimited sites with any Pro license, both Annual ($99/year) and Lifetime ($199 one-time). Use it on all your WordPress installations.

No. AEO Bob is designed to preserve your unique voice. Pro analyzes your existing content to understand your tone, reading level, and vocabulary. All AI suggestions match YOUR style, so it sounds like you wrote it.

Full support for Classic Editor, Block Editor (Gutenberg), and Elementor. Pro includes enhanced Elementor integration with in-editor AI suggestions and one-click apply.

No. Analysis only runs when you click the analyse button inside the editor, and results are cached in the database. Nothing executes during regular front-end page views, so visitor-facing load times and Core Web Vitals are unaffected. Bulk operations in Pro run in the background from the admin area and can be paused at any time.

Scoring is always local and never sends content anywhere. When you click an AI suggestion button, content is sent to your AI provider: OpenAI in Lite, or your chosen provider in Pro. Nothing is sent automatically. Your API keys and content are only used to generate optimization suggestions.

Yes! Pro includes the Score Dashboard with Rescore all, bulk operations for analysis and suggestions, and exclusions so you can skip pages you don't want scored. Perfect for optimizing large content libraries.

Track direct traffic increases (AI recommendations drive direct visits), brand search growth, and engagement metrics. Pro's Score Dashboard shows SEO, AEO and Quality scores for every post, so you can see which pages still need work.

AEO Bob requires WordPress 5.0 or higher and PHP 7.4 or higher. It is tested with current WordPress releases, follows WordPress coding standards, and works with Classic Editor, the Block Editor (Gutenberg), and Elementor. No other plugin is required, though it runs alongside SEO plugins such as Yoast and Rank Math without conflict.

Email support@aeobob.com and we will help. Lite users are supported through the WordPress.org community forum, and Pro users receive priority email support with faster response times. The site also has guides and a comparison page covering setup, scoring, AI providers, and licensing if you prefer to find answers yourself.