- Category
- AI search
- Level
- Beginner
- Examples
- ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity, Copilot, AI Overviews
- Output
- A written answer, often with cited sources
- Check it free
- AI Visibility Check
What is an answer engine?
A search engine returns a ranked list of pages and leaves the reading to you. An answer engine reads for you: it interprets the question, gathers information, and writes a direct answer, often naming products or brands and citing sources.
Most answer engines combine a large language model with search. The model writes the answer; a search or retrieval step supplies current facts and the pages to cite.
Why it matters
When people ask an answer engine what to buy, only the brands named in the answer get considered. That's why answer engine optimization (AEO) exists: to make sure the answer engine knows your brand, trusts the facts about it, and names it for the right questions.