What You’ll Learn

This guide was built for the business owner, the over-caffeinated office manager, or the burned-out marketing lead trying to get the website to do something. In it, you’ll find:

• Zero jargon, guaranteed
• Real stats that explain what’s working now (and what’s still working from five years ago)
• Tools we actually use and trust (with plain English explanations)
• Tips for showing up in Google, Siri, ChatGPT, and wherever your customers are searching
• A way to understand the digital landscape without being expected to do it all yourself

What the Heck is AEO?

AEO stands for Answer Engine Optimization. If SEO is what helps your website show up in a list of links, AEO is what helps it get picked up, summarized, and spoken aloud.

Think: Siri reading your answer. ChatGPT linking to your page. Google showing your snippet in the “People Also Ask” box, or more recently, in Gemini’s snippet at the top of every search.

It’s not magic. It’s just writing helpful, direct content that answers real questions, not just matching keywords.

Think Like Someone Who Doesn’t Know the Answer

Most businesses write for people who already know what they’re looking for. But that’s not always how search works.

Someone typing into Google or talking to Alexa doesn’t say, “P-Trap Installation Guide.” They say, “Why does my sink smell like rotten eggs?”

The key is to back up and ask: What would someone ask if they didn’t already know the answer lived on your page?

That’s the phrase that needs to be a header. That’s the question your content should lead with. Not the internal term. Not the technical title. The real-life question.

Stats That Actually Matter (and What to Do With Them)

Let’s be real: Stats can feel like white noise unless you know why they matter.

These 25 data points are grouped by what they help you do, and each one comes with a takeaway.

Understand Search Behavior

1. 92% of all keywords get 10 or fewer searches a month.
   Don’t ignore small topics; THEY ADD UP!
2. Voice search accounts for over 20% of all mobile searches.
   Write in plain-spoken language.
3. Most people ask Google questions, not just keywords.
   Use full-sentence headers like “Why is my AC leaking?”

Improve How Your Content is Structured

1. Using headings keeps people on the page 36% longer.
2. Bullet points boost readability by up to 50%.
3. A table of contents increases time-on-page by 1.4x.

Get Picked Up by Google, Siri, and ChatGPT

1. Pages with FAQs are 2x more likely to appear in featured snippets.
2. Coding, we call Schema markup, can increase clicks by 20–35%. Even basic Q&A formatting helps if you don’t use code. (Schema is just a code overlay)
3. Brands that show up in AI answers get more trust, even if they’re not clicked.

Increase Long-Term Traffic

1.  Evergreen posts (not date-specific) continue to get traffic for 4+ years.
2. Updating an old blog can increase its traffic by 30–50%.
3.  Internal links between related pages can boost time on-site by up to 40%.
4. Companies that blog regularly get 67% more leads than those that don’t.

Use Tools (Wisely)

1. Tools like Yoast and RankMath help with structure, but aren’t ranking guarantees.
2. A “green light” from Yoast doesn’t mean your content is findable. Focus on clarity over scoring. (More on this below.)
3. RankMath lets you track 5 keywords for free vs. 1 in Yoast.
4. Both tools can help with basic SEO but real questions matter more.

Write Like a Human

1. Pages written at an 8th-grade reading level get more engagement.
2. Google prefers simple, clear language over buzzwords.
3. Voice search queries are 76% longer than typed ones. Use complete thoughts and phrases.

Build Authority and Reach

1. Pages with consistent Q&A get indexed by Google more often.
2. Content shared on Facebook gets 13% more organic traffic.
3. Pages with internal links rank higher in search results.
4. Businesses that use FAQs on their product or service pages see more conversions than those that don’t.
5. Repurposing one blog into 3–5 social posts increases reach without more work.

11 Tools You’ve Probably Heard Of (But Don’t Need to Fear)

We’ve tested a ton of platforms. These are the ones we trust—because they work, and because they don’t require a PhD to operate.

1. Yoast & RankMath
   Plugins for WordPress that help you manage SEO basics like page titles, meta descriptions, readability, and structure.
   Pro tip: Don’t obsess over green lights. If your content is useful and well-written, that matters more.
2. Semrush
   Powerful (and pricey) research tool to find what people are searching for, where your competitors are ranking, and what content gaps you have.
3. AnswerThePublic
   Plug in a word like “furnace” and get back dozens of real questions people ask about it. Fantastic for generating blog topics or FAQs.
4. BuzzSumo
   Tells you what content is trending, where it’s getting shared, and what type of post formats perform best.
5. Screaming Frog
   This website crawler shows you where your links are broken, which pages are slow, and what technical stuff might be hurting your rankings.
6. Surfer SEO
   A content editor that helps you optimize new or existing blogs based on what’s already ranking.
7. ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude
   These AIs are helpful, but only when trained with your brand voice and values. Otherwise, they’ll default to bland.
8. Reddit
   An underrated goldmine for raw, unfiltered customer questions. Great for identifying what people are really asking.
9. Siteimprove
   Helps keep your content accessible, consistent, and clean, especially if you have a team managing your website.
10.  seoClarity
    Enterprise-level SEO tracking and content performance software. Great for larger companies managing lots of locations or service lines.
11.  Graphite
    AI visibility tracker. Want to know when ChatGPT is referencing your content? This tool shows you.

Making Content That Lasts

“Evergreen” content isn’t content that never changes. It’s content that deserves to stay visible. And if it’s built right, it does.

To build content with staying power:

• Be timeless — Pick topics that don’t expire every season.
• Refresh yearly — Update old content with new stats, FAQs, or examples.
• Link internally — Keep people on your site by connecting related content.
• Share it in real places — Facebook groups, LinkedIn, trade forums, industry sites

We’ve Been Doing This for 12 Years And Here’s What We Know

I’ve been writing content and helping companies grow since before most of today’s social media channels existed. The tools have changed, but the truth hasn’t:

The most human, most helpful content always wins.

Keyword-stuffed fluff? That’s background noise. AI-generated filler? Not without training. Green-light-optimized copy that says nothing? It doesn’t convert.

In my book The Legacy Link, I talk about building a business with transferable value. One key piece? Letting go of what you don’t have to do yourself.

You don’t have to install schema, optimize for 12 keywords, and track every algorithm update. But you should understand what these tools do and why they matter.

This article is your decoder ring. A translator. A way to make smart decisions, whether you’re writing the next blog yourself or finally handing it off to someone who knows how.

What You Can Do Right Now (5 Actionable Steps to Make Your Content Kinder)

1. Pick a real problem your customer asks about. Write it as a heading.
2. Answer in plain language, like you’d say in person.
3. Break it into bullets or steps for clarity.
4. Add 3 FAQs at the end:
   • “Can I fix this myself?”
   • “How much does it cost?”
   • “When should I call a pro?”
5. Install RankMath or Yoast and check your SEO score, but don’t get caught up in a green light or a score of 100 if you’ve checked off most of the errors or suggestions.

Why AI Can’t Replace People (yet)

You can ask a bot to outline a blog. You can even have AI draft your answers. But if you’re not involved, if you’re not shaping it with your ethos, your nuance, your hard-won perspective, it will show.

I’ve seen people use AI to avoid hard conversations. To dodge the awkwardness of explaining something real. To put a buffer between themselves and the messiness of their humanity.

But the best content? The kind that actually moves people to action? It’s laced with heart. It’s shaped by lived experience. It’s uncomfortable sometimes, and that’s the whole point.

We don’t need to automate humanity. But people are trying. And that statement—“automate humanity”—should make us stop and think. It’s an oxymoron.

Hard conversations. Uncomfortable truths. Moments of confusion, curiosity, and emotional nuance aren’t bugs in the system. They are the system.

This work, done well, is a reclaiming. Of clarity. Of connection. Of remembering what it means to show up as a human being in a digital world.

Because if you’re here, still reading, you probably are that kind of business.

The kind that answers the phone with care.

The kind that builds trust in every interaction.

The kind that didn’t get into this just to chase clicks, but to do something that matters.

You’re trying to lead well, serve well, and build something that lasts. And I believe in that. I believe in you.

And when your kind of heart meets the right digital tools?

That’s when the internet starts working for you.

Because all marketing really does is replicate what a great business already does in person: Build trust. Earn attention. Create connection.

So if you’ve got the heart for the work, and I think you do, you’re already further ahead than you think.

Here’s what that good marketing looks like in practice:

• Blog posts that are still pulling in traffic years after publishing
• Social and email content that doesn’t exist in a vacuum (it all points back to the website)
• Paid ads that don’t just get impressions but build long-term visibility
• Clean, strategic content strategies that hold up when the rules shift again (because they will)

You don’t have to do it all yourself. But if you want to, I hope this gave you the clarity and courage to start.

And if you want a partner to help you build it with heart and technical precision, we’re right here.

Final Takeaway: Let Your Website Be a Reflection of Your Real Work

If your site…

• Answers the questions real people are asking
• Speaks in your voice, with more clarity than clever turns of phrase
• Gets updated when your world (or your industry) shifts

…it won’t just rank. It will resonate.

Because the goal isn’t just visibility.
It’s trust.
It’s connection.
It’s showing up online the same way you do in person: with integrity, with intention, and with something real to offer.

If that’s the kind of presence you want, one that works while you rest and keeps earning attention long after you hit publish, let’s build it.

[Let’s make your website your hardest-working employee.]

(P.S. Every em dash in this guide was placed by a human with an English degree—and a whole lot of heart.)