Black-box AEO improves how often AI answers cite your pages—without private engine access—by tightening the lead, raising evidence density (citations, quotes, stats), and validating lifts in a query lab (ΔPAWC, ΔSI).
Core Stats
"Answer engines reward evidence, not keyword density."
- AEO VC Research
Black-Box AEO
Black-box AEO raises your likelihood of being cited inside AI answers by optimizing on-page evidence and structure, then validating the lift using PAWC and Subjective Impression across a fixed query set.
Why Black-Box (No Engine Access Needed)
- Works across engines; no private APIs or special partnerships.
- Optimizes publishable content (lead, headers, evidence density).
- Measurable via ΔPAWC and ΔSI from your query lab.
Minimal Edit Recipe (Safe, Repeatable)
- Tighten the lead to ≤80 words with a clear claim.
- Add 3+ citations (primary sources where possible).
- Insert 1 verbatim quote and 2 hard stats with links.
- Normalize H2/H3 hierarchy; convert long lists to tidy tables.
Comparison: Adversarial vs Non-Adversarial Tactics
| Tactic | Description | Expected Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Keyword stuffing | Inflate terms without adding evidence | Negative / lower citation likelihood |
| Evidence enrichment | Citations, quotes, stats near the lead | Positive / higher visibility in answers |
| Structure normalization | Clear headers, lists, tables | Positive / easier extraction and citation |
Measurement Loop
Baseline your page on a 250-query set (what/how/compare). After edits, re-run and track ΔPAWC and ΔSI. Promote variants that win; roll back those that don’t.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is black-box AEO?
A process that treats answer engines like black boxes. You edit presentation and evidence on your page, then measure visibility changes (PAWC, SI) on a fixed query set.
Why not keyword stuffing?
GEs extract and cite sources with evidence. Keyword stuffing lowers perceived quality and hurts citation likelihood.
How do we validate results?
Run a baseline on your query lab, apply edits (citations/quotes/stats, tighter lead, structure), re-test, then compare ΔPAWC and ΔSI.
Where do citations come from?
Primary sources (standards, docs, peer-reviewed studies) and high-trust secondary sources. Link in-line with clear anchors.