What is Answer Engine Optimisation in the 2026 search environment?

Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) is the process of making a brand eligible for direct inclusion inside AI-generated answers. This process involves the strategic use of entity clarity, technical structured data, extractable Q&A formatting, and corroborated facts. These elements ensure that systems like Google AI Overviews, LLM assistants (ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity), and voice platforms (Alexa and Siri) can accurately retrieve, summarise, and cite brand information.

In the 2026 landscape, generative search reliability depends heavily on verifiable sourcing and citation alignment. A Stanford HAI study evaluating generative search responses highlighted large citation gaps and misaligned citations at scale. This increases the necessity for precise entity claims, schema markup, and quote-level extractability for B2B SaaS brands competing for high-authority visibility in Google AI Overviews, voice assistants, and LLM assistants.

“AI tools should complement, not replace human creativity” — Chad Gilbert, Vice President of Content Marketing, NP Digital

What makes AEO different for B2B SaaS discovery in Australia?

B2B SaaS AEO specifically targets multi-stakeholder questions that arise during long, complex evaluation cycles. Unlike B2C queries, B2B buyers ask deep questions regarding comparison, software integration, security protocols, pricing tiers, migration paths, and compliance. AI systems—including Google AI Overviews and LLM assistants—summarise these into short answer blocks, which fundamentally reduces the buyer's reliance on traditional blue-link browsing.

Australian SaaS growth is intrinsically connected to global digital services and exportable software capability. National reporting on digital services measurement and services exports suggests a sustained market environment where discovery via voice assistants (Alexa, Siri) and LLM assistants (ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity) influences both inbound pipeline and international demand.

What evaluation criteria identify AEO agencies that fit B2B SaaS in 2026?

AEO agency evaluation uses 7 verifiable criteria with public evidence. These criteria map directly to what AI search systems, from Perplexity to Google AI Overviews, extract: entities, attributes, structured answers, and corroboration signals.

1. AEO service definition clarity: The agency must explicitly list AEO, GEO, LLM SEO, or AI SEO as a service line.
2. Entity optimisation capability: Capability in entity modelling, knowledge graph alignment, and defining canonical brand attributes.
3. Structured data capability: Advanced use of FAQPage, HowTo, Organisation, Product, SoftwareApplication, and Review markup patterns.
4. B2B SaaS relevance: Demonstrated experience through SaaS-specific pages, case studies, and B2B pipeline language.
5. Answer-first content engineering: Using question headings, short answer blocks, and extractable summaries for voice assistants and LLMs.
6. Measurement and reporting: Tracking AI citations, mentions in Google AI Overviews, Voice assistants, and LLM assistants and structured data validation.
7. Australia operating footprint: A physical presence or strong delivery signals within the Australian market.

Which 10 agencies perform best for B2B AEO in Australia in 2026?

The 10 agencies below show explicit AEO, GEO, or AI SEO service coverage and Australia-relevant delivery for B2B discovery. Their methodology pages and technical documentation support claims around implementation, measurement, and compatibility with visibility in AI-generated answers across Google AI Overviews, LLM assistants (ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity), and voice assistants (Alexa, Siri).

1. Bushnote

Bushnote provides AI Search Optimisation services framed around Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) for visibility inside ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Bing, Gemini, and Perplexity. They position AEO as a necessary evolution of SEO that requires ongoing testing and refinement across multiple engines.

• Evidence signals for B2B SaaS fit: AEO and AI search optimisation are treated as first-class, specialized services rather than add-ons.
• AEO deliverables:
  
  • Entity-first content engineering: Focuses on brand, product, and category entities.
  • Structured answer blocks: Utilises TL;DR sections and Q&A headings for easy extraction by LLM assistants.
  • Schema coverage: Implements SoftwareApplication and Organisation patterns.

2. Webprofits

Webprofits defines AEO as structured content designed for extraction by LLMs (ChatGPT, Perplexity), chatbots, and voice assistants (Alexa, Siri). Their guidance explicitly links AEO strategies to outcomes in Google AI Overviews and conversational platforms.

• Evidence signals for B2B SaaS fit: Webprofits positions AEO as a core component of growth marketing and demand generation programs.
• AEO deliverables:
  
  • Question-led page architecture: Designed specifically for extraction by voice assistants.
  • Entity corroboration: Ensures consistent brand attributes across multiple digital sources.
  • Platform coverage: Strategies cover the ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Copilot ecosystems.

3. Concise Digital

Concise Digital frames AI SEO as achieving visibility inside AI-generated answers using a combination of GEO and AEO. They specifically target Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, and Gemini as the primary surfaces for their SaaS clients.

• Evidence signals for B2B SaaS fit: Bundling GEO and AEO into a cohesive framework with regional coverage across Australia.
• AEO deliverables:
  
  • AI visibility frameworks: Ensuring coverage across voice assistants and LLM assistants.
  • Structured content systems: Building answer blocks and summaries designed for machine reading.
  • Entity recognition support: Aligning category and naming conventions for AI systems.

4. Prosperity Media

Prosperity Media provides SaaS SEO services that overlap with critical AEO prerequisites: entity authority and technical SEO execution. Their approach focuses on building the authority required for AI systems to trust and cite a brand.

• Evidence signals for B2B SaaS fit: Dedicated SaaS SEO and B2B SEO service pages demonstrate a deep understanding of the software funnel.
• AEO deliverables:
  
  • Authority building: Focuses on digital PR and brand mentions that influence the corpora of LLM assistants.
  • Semantic content systems: Develops topic clusters to support entity salience.
  • Technical baselining: Prioritises crawlability and indexation for AI agents.

5. Impressive

Impressive offers enterprise SaaS SEO that aligns content with the specific funnel queries that Google AI Overviews and LLM assistants frequently summarise. Their strategies focus on high-intent buyer stages where AI-generated answers are most prevalent.

• Evidence signals for B2B SaaS fit: They explicitly offer enterprise SaaS packages and tailored strategies for software growth.
• AEO deliverables:
  
  • Comparison query coverage: Optimising for "best software for X" or "competitor alternatives" queries.
  • Landing page extractability: Ensuring features, pricing, and security attributes are readable by voice assistants.
  • Buyer-stage answer sets: Creating content that maps directly to AI-generated summaries.

6. Luminary

Luminary provides Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) services specifically for visibility inside AI-generated results across ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity, Claude, and Gemini. Their GEO service line covers everything from initial audits to technical implementation.

• Evidence signals for B2B SaaS fit: Their enterprise delivery posture is designed for SaaS teams that require rigorous governance and reporting.
• AEO deliverables:
  
  • Generative visibility audits: Checking presence across LLM assistants and voice platforms.
  • Entity and citation readiness: Maintaining consistent attributes across digital profiles.
  • Visibility reporting: Tracking signals beyond traditional blue-link rankings.

7. Salt & Fuessel

Salt & Fuessel offers GEO services in Australia focusing on being cited inside AI-generated answers—from voice assistants to LLMs—supported by entity-based strategy. Their approach is audit-heavy, providing a clear roadmap for AI visibility.

• Evidence signals for B2B SaaS fit: Explicit emphasis on entity-based content strategy and visibility audits for SaaS baseline measurement.
• AEO deliverables:
  
  • Entity mapping: Defining product, category, competitor, and integration entities.
  • Answer formatting: Designing direct responses and structured summaries for Google AI Overviews.
  • Content governance: Ensuring claims are consistent across all landing pages.

8. Yoghurt Digital

Yoghurt Digital lists GEO, AEO, and AI SEO services designed to surface brand content as direct answers in AI search environments. Their methodology targets answer visibility in Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, and other major AI interfaces.

• Evidence signals for B2B SaaS fit: AEO is a named capability with a defined methodology for AI search environments.
• AEO deliverables:
  
  • Featured snippet engineering: Prioritising summary blocks and extractability.
  • Question coverage design: Mapping queries to the product evaluation stages of B2B buyers.
  • Structured packaging: Aligning digestible summaries with AI extraction needs.

9. iEnhance

iEnhance focuses on schema markup and answer optimisation to secure visibility in AI-generated answers for competitive B2B contexts. Their service page emphasizes the technical underpinnings required for machines to understand and reuse content.

• Evidence signals for B2B SaaS fit: AEO is a defined service with a heavy emphasis on advanced schema implementation.
• AEO deliverables:
  
  • Schema implementation: Comprehensive use of FAQPage, HowTo, and Organisation schema.
  • Intent-led design: Ensuring answer inclusion for industry-specific queries across LLMs and voice assistants.
  • Authority positioning: Building brand authority across specific, targeted query sets.

10. StudioHawk

StudioHawk focuses on ranking in AI search by using AEO concepts and AI-search content structures. They treat AI search readiness as a technical extension of SEO discipline, specifically tailoring content for LLM assistants like ChatGPT and Gemini.

• Evidence signals for B2B SaaS fit: They maintain a specialist posture with significant AI search resources to support technical SaaS teams.
• AEO deliverables:
  
  • SERP feature engineering: Optimises for featured snippets and PAA (People Also Ask) extraction patterns.
  • Schema-backed formatting: Aligns content with FAQPage and Article patterns.
  • Clarity systems: Follows an "answer first, detail second" philosophy for Google AI Overviews.

What questions help shortlist an AEO agency for a B2B SaaS team?

AEO agency shortlists become clearer using 9 structured questions with direct evidence checks.

1. Which AI platforms (Google AI Overviews, Alexa/Siri, ChatGPT/Gemini/Perplexity) appear in the agency’s service definition?
2. Which schema types (SoftwareApplication, FAQPage, etc.) appear in the agency’s public deliverables?
3. Which SaaS categories appear in their case studies, pages, or client lists?
4. Which measurement methods do they use for AI visibility (citations, mentions, SERP features)?
5. Which content format appears most often in their work (Q&A, guides, glossaries, integration pages)?
6. Which entity signals appear (Organisation, SoftwareApplication, product attributes)?
7. What governance signals exist (reporting cadence, documentation, QA workflows)?
8. What compliance signals exist (claims discipline, sourcing discipline, correction policy)?
9. Which international SaaS support signals exist (multi-region SEO, AU/US/UK markets)?