When it comes to AEO, there are two types of content that help you appear in AI-generated answers:
- Owned content – Pages you control (your blog, landing pages, docs, help center, etc.)
- Earned content – Mentions on third-party sites (blogs, YouTube, Reddit, Quora, news, forums)
You need both. But they work differently.
Why owned content matters
Owned content is your home base. You can structure it, optimize it, and update it. You can make it crystal clear, detailed, and helpful.
These pages often:
- Answer product-specific questions
- Cover mid- and long-tail question variants
- Offer detailed feature lists or comparisons
- Show up in follow-up queries where the user is already interested in your brand or solution
Examples of effective owned content:
/compare/x-vs-ypageshow-it-worksproduct explainer pages- feature-by-feature breakdowns
- long FAQ sections or help docs
- visual tables with pricing, integrations, support options
If your content is clean, scannable, and answers real user questions, it has a good chance of being used in LLM responses.
Especially if…
- The page URL is descriptive
- Your answers are in clear paragraphs or bullet lists
- You use schema (especially Article/FAQ/Author markup)
Why earned content is even more powerful
Here’s the big difference from SEO:
In AEO, the most-cited brand often wins, not the highest-ranked link.
So even if your own site is perfectly optimized, it might not matter if you’re not being mentioned on Reddit, YouTube, affiliate roundups, or trusted blogs.
In fact, head-term answers (like “best software for X”) are often built from multiple citations. The AI model will:
- Pull in 3–5 articles or threads
- Look for overlap in brand names
- Summarize the common winners
If your brand isn’t mentioned enough, you’re out of the answer.
AEO isn’t just about what you say about yourself – it’s about what others say about you.
Examples of high-impact earned content
| Format | Example Use Case | Why It Works |
|---|---|---|
| YouTube video | “How I used [your tool] to automate my work” | Cited in LLMs often; high trust signal |
| Reddit thread | Reply to “What’s the best tool for…?” | Reddit is one of the top LLM citation sources |
| Guest blog post | On industry site comparing 3 tools | Boosts off-site mentions in head queries |
| Affiliate roundup | Paid inclusion on “best tools” pages | Still indexed and cited by LLMs |
| Forum answers | Expert-level responses on niche forums | Adds long-tail coverage and brand trust |
Which should you focus on first?
If you’re:
- A new brand with little traffic: start with earned. You can get mentions fast.
- A scaling brand with decent organic: build strong owned pages that answer product-specific questions.
- A mature brand: do both, and track your share of citations across each topic.
Your AEO success equation
Citations (Owned + Earned) × Answer Quality × Model Readability = Visibility in AI answersIf you’re missing from third-party mentions, or if your owned content is vague or bloated, you’re reducing your chance to appear.
In the next section, we’ll look at exactly how to optimize your owned content for AI readability and reuse. Enter Crafting Pages That LLMs Love (On-Page Optimization for AEO).
AEO & GEO Handbook 2026 by People, business, and AI systems clarity coach Mike Moisio