AI Search Optimization

What this helps you do¶

Get an AI Engine Optimization (AEO) analysis that shows how AI systems like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini will interpret, extract, and potentially cite your content. Hi, Moose's AEO tools:

Analyze your content through AI's lens using the same data sources AI engines use
Pull live Google AI Overview data to see what Google's AI says about your topic
Use OpenAI web search to understand how AI-powered search sees your content
Test with Google Gemini's grounding queries to reveal what AI searches for when analyzing your topic
Generate specific, copy-paste fixes instead of vague suggestions
Score AEO factors that will help determine if AI will cite, summarize, or recommend your content
Create rewritten sections that are optimized for both human readers and AI systems

This means you get actionable intelligence about how AI engines interpret your content right now—not generic best practices. You'll see exactly what to fix, why it matters for AI visibility, and get ready-to-use improvements.

When to use this¶

Before publishing new content to ensure AI engines can understand and extract it
When updating existing pages to improve AI citation potential
If you're not appearing in AI-generated answers (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini responses)
When Google shows an AI Overview for your keyword and you want to understand how to compete
For high-value content that should be cited by AI systems (product/feature pages, guides, resources, data-driven articles)
When content feels unclear or hard to scan and you need structural improvements
To audit competitor content and see what likely makes it AI-friendly

Before you start¶

Requirements¶

A Hi, Moose project (any mode: Marketer or SEO)
Your content published on a live URL, OR your draft content ready to paste
The target prompt/query someone would use to find your content (e.g., "how to train a puppy not to bite")
For Free plans: 3 AEO analyses per month
For paid plans: Unlimited AEO analyses (token-based usage)

What Hi, Moose analyzes¶

Hi, Moose evaluates your content across 10 SEO and Answer Engine Optimization categories:

Freshness: Does your content show clear publication/update dates that AI systems can detect?
Structure: Are headings, lists, tables, and paragraphs well-organized for AI extraction?
Semantic Clarity: Does your content directly align with the target query using natural language?
Extractability: Can AI easily pull quotes, facts, definitions, and key points?
Citation Potential: Does your content include data, sources, and factual statements LLMs cite?
Comprehensiveness: Does your content cover topics Google's AI Overview identifies as relevant?
Factual Accuracy: Are claims verifiable, specific, and backed by evidence?
Engagement: Is content scannable, readable, and formatted for quick comprehension?
Entity Recognition: Are proper nouns, brands, and specific entities clearly identified?
Media Enrichment: Do you include tables, images, audio, or visual elements?

Each factor gets a score from 0-100, with an overall AEO score showing your content's AI-readiness.

Step-by-step (in Hi, Moose)¶

1. Navigate to AEO Tools¶

From your project dashboard, select AEO (SEO Mode) or Improve a Page (Marketer Mode)
You'll see the AEO analysis form

2. Enter Your Target Prompt/Query¶

In the "Target Prompt/Query" field (or "What would someone type or ask to find this page?" in Marketer Mode): - Enter the exact question or search phrase someone would use - Use natural language: "what are the best natural and healthy dog treats for australian shepherds?" - Be specific—this helps Hi, Moose understand your content's goal

Why this matters: Hi, Moose compares your content against this query to measure semantic alignment and relevance.

3. Choose Your Content Source¶

You have two options:

Option A: URL — Analyze a live page - Click "URL — Analyze a live page" - Paste your live URL in the "URL to Analyze" field - Hi, Moose will fetch the full HTML, including publication dates, meta tags, schema markup, and content structure

Option B: Paste Content — Analyze a draft - Click "Paste Content — Analyze a draft" - Paste your content in the "Paste Your Draft" text area - Use this for pre-publish analysis or drafts not yet live

Pro tip: Use URL mode for published content to get full freshness analysis (dates, schema). Use Paste mode for drafts or content you're revising offline.

4. Run Analysis¶

Click "Run Analysis"
The analysis typically takes 30-90 seconds depending on:
Content length
Number of grounding queries Gemini generates
Google AI Overview complexity
OpenAI web search results

You'll see real-time progress indicators showing: - Fetching Google AI Overview - Analyzing content structure - Running semantic clarity tests - Generating improvements

5. Review Your AEO Score¶

Once complete, you'll see:

Overall AEO Score (0-100) (Marketer Mode): - 80-100: Excellent AI readiness—content is highly extractable and cite-worthy - 60-79: Good but needs improvement—AI can understand it but may skip citing it - 0-59: Needs significant work—AI struggles to extract or trust this content

Category Breakdown: - Each of the 10 AEO factors with individual scores - Marketer Mode shows the 3 lowest-scoring categories first with urgency labels: - ✓ Looks good (85+) - ⚠ Needs improvement (70-84) - ⚡ Fix this first (below 70) - SEO Mode shows all 10 categories with detailed summaries

6. Review Actionable Recommendations¶

Scroll to the "Suggested Improvements" section (or "What to Fix" in Marketer Mode).

Recommendations are organized by priority: - High Priority (red): Fix these first—they have the biggest impact on AI visibility - Medium Priority (yellow): Important improvements for comprehensiveness - Low Priority (green): Nice-to-haves for polish

Each recommendation includes: - Category (e.g., Structure, Freshness, Citation Potential) - Title: What to fix (e.g., "Add Publication Date Markup") - Description: Why this matters for AI engines - Implementation: Exactly how to fix it

7. View AI-Generated Content Improvements¶

Scroll to the "Specific Content Improvements" section (or "Fixes for Your Content" in Marketer Mode).

Hi, Moose generates specific, rewritten sections of your content that: - Current Text (what you have now) - Improved Text (optimized rewrite) - Why fix this to explain why this the change improves AEO - Copy button to copy the improved version to your clipboard

Common improvements include: - Rewriting vague paragraphs with clearer language - Adding structured lists where appropriate - Creating TL;DR summaries or key points sections - Reformatting data into tables for better extractability - Clarifying dates and freshness signals - Adding FAQ sections to address searcher intent

Pro tip: Some improvements will detect when you should use other Hi, Moose tools: - If a suggestion recommends adding FAQs, you'll see a "Generate FAQs" button linking to the FAQ Generator - If a suggestion recommends adding Key Points/TL;DR, you'll see a "Generate Key Points" button linking to the Key Points feature

8. Analyze Keyword Coverage¶

(SEO Mode) Click the "Citation Alignment" tab to see how well you cover the grounding queries and to view the Grounding queries by intent.

(Marketer Mode) Click the "What Google Looks For" tab to see what grounding queries Google used and how well you cover those queries currently.

This shows: - What Google Gemini/AI Mode actually searches for when processing your target query - Coverage analysis: Which grounding queries your content addresses - Gaps: Topics AI expects but your content doesn't cover - Alignment score: How well your content matches AI's research process

Why this matters: When Gemini generates a response, depending on the query, it may need to do additional searches to "ground" its response. It often makes sense to try to cover those grounding queries with your content, either on the page you're analyzing or on another page.

9. Compare with AI Search Results¶

Look for the "Alignment Overview" (SEO Mode) or "How You Content Matches" (Marketer Mode) to see: - What AI-powered search engines return for your query - How your content compares to what AI considers relevant - Gaps between your content and what AI prioritizes

Save analysis: Results are automatically saved to your AEO history
Run another analysis: Click "Run a New Analysis" to test different content or queries
Access history: View all past analyses from the AEO History section

What you get¶

1. Overall AEO Score (0-100)¶

A single metric showing your content's AI-readiness. Higher scores mean AI engines can more easily extract, understand, and cite your content.

2. 10 Category Scores¶

Individual scores for: - Freshness - Structure - Semantic Clarity - Extractability - Citation Potential - Comprehensiveness - Factual Accuracy - Engagement - Entity Recognition - Media Enrichment

Each category explains what's working and what needs improvement.

3. Prioritized Recommendations¶

Actionable tactics organized by High, Medium, and Low priority, with: - What to fix - Why it matters - How to implement it

4. AI-Generated Content Improvements¶

Specific before/after examples with: - Original text - Improved version (optimized for AI) - Reasoning - Copy button for easy implementation

5. Keyword Coverage Analysis¶

Gemini's grounding queries showing: - What AI searches for when analyzing your topic - Which queries your content covers - What's missing - Alignment recommendations

6. AI Search Comparison¶

How your content compares to what AI-powered search engines return, revealing: - Relevance gaps - Content opportunities - Competitive insights

7. Google AI Overview Data¶

If an AI Overview exists for your query, you'll see: - What Google's AI says - Topics it covers - Sources it cites - How to align your content

Tips for best results¶

Use natural language queries: Write your target query as a real person would ask it
Test specific pages: Analyze individual pages rather than entire sites—each page should have a clear target query
Prioritize high-priority fixes first: These have the biggest impact on AI visibility
Copy-paste improvements carefully: Review AI-generated rewrites to ensure they maintain your brand voice and accuracy
Combine with other Hi, Moose tools: Use FAQ Generator, Key Points, Podcast Generator features when improvements suggest adding those elements
Analyze URL mode for published content: This captures dates, schema, and meta tags that paste mode can't see
Use paste mode for iterative testing: Make a fix, paste the updated content, re-analyze to see score changes
Check Keyword Coverage for comprehensive content: If Gemini's grounding queries reveal gaps, add sections addressing those topics
Re-analyze after updates: Run a new analysis after implementing fixes to measure improvement
Compare competitors: Analyze top-ranking competitor pages to see what makes their content AI-friendly
Focus on extractability: Tables, lists, clear headings, and TL;DR sections improve AI extraction
Add dates prominently: AI systems heavily weight freshness—make publication/update dates visible and machine-readable
Address Google AI Overview topics: If an AI Overview exists, ensure your content covers those key themes

Troubleshooting¶

"You've reached your limit of 3 AEO analyses this month"¶

Cause: Free plans are limited to 3 analyses per month.
Solution: Upgrade to a paid plan (Starter, Growth, or Enterprise) for unlimited analyses. Or wait until your monthly limit resets (1st of each month).

Analysis stuck at "Fetching Google AI Overview" or "Analyzing content"¶

Cause: Complex content, slow URL loading, or API timeouts.
Solutions: - Wait up to 2 minutes—some analyses take longer for comprehensive content - If analyzing a URL, ensure the page is publicly accessible (not behind a login or firewall) - Try paste mode instead of URL mode if the site is slow to load - Refresh the page and try again—temporary API issues may resolve

"Failed to fetch URL" or "Unable to analyze URL"¶

Common causes: - URL is behind a login/paywall - Website blocks automated crawlers - URL returns an error (404, 500, etc.) - SSL certificate issues

Solutions: - Verify the URL loads in your browser - Use paste mode instead—copy the content and paste it directly - If the site blocks crawlers, paste mode is your only option - Check for typos in the URL

Some category scores seem too low or too high¶

Explanation: AEO scoring is algorithmic and weighs specific signals. A low score doesn't mean your content is "bad"—it means AI systems may struggle with that specific factor.
Context: - Freshness scores low if no dates are detected (even if content is current) - Extractability scores low if content lacks lists, tables, or clear structure - Citation Potential scores low if content lacks data, statistics, or factual statements

Action: Focus on recommendations, not just the score. Implement suggested fixes to improve specific factors.

"Keyword Coverage" tab shows "Analysis is taking longer than expected"¶

Cause: Gemini's grounding query generation can timeout for very complex topics.
Solution: Check back in a few minutes—the analysis continues in the background. Refresh the page and check the Keyword Coverage tab again. If it still hasn't completed after 5 minutes, try a simpler target query or re-run the analysis.

Content improvements suggest adding FAQs or Key Points, but buttons don't work¶

Cause: JavaScript not loading properly, or browser extension interference.
Solutions: - Refresh the page - Try a different browser or disable ad blockers/extensions - Manually navigate to the FAQ Generator or Key Points feature from your project dashboard - Copy the suggestion text and use it as context when using those features manually

"Semantic Clarity" score is low even though my content is on-topic¶

Explanation: Semantic clarity measures how directly your content aligns with the target query using AI embeddings.
Common issues: - Target query is too broad (e.g., "marketing") vs. specific (e.g., "how to create a social media marketing plan") - Content discusses the topic tangentially without directly answering the query - Opening paragraphs don't address the query immediately

Solutions: - Rewrite your opening paragraph to directly answer the target query - Use exact phrases from the query in your headings and intro - Add a TL;DR section at the top that answers the query concisely - Make sure your H1 and first 200 words clearly address the query

Analysis completed but no "Content Improvements" section appears¶

Cause: AI-generated improvements are still processing in the background (can take 60-120 seconds longer than the main analysis).
Solution: Wait 1-2 minutes after the AEO score appears. The Content Improvements section will populate automatically. If it doesn't appear after 3 minutes, refresh the page—results are saved to your analysis history.

Google AI Overview data shows "No AI Overview found"¶

Explanation: Google doesn't show AI Overviews for all queries. They typically appear for: - Informational queries (how-to, what is, why) - Complex topics requiring synthesis - Questions with clear answers

Action: This is normal and doesn't affect your analysis. You'll still get: - AEO scores - Recommendations - Content improvements - Keyword coverage (Gemini grounding queries) - AI search comparison

If your query doesn't trigger an AI Overview, you may have less competition from Google's AI-generated answers.

FAQs¶

What's the difference between "Marketer Mode" and "SEO Mode"?¶

Both modes analyze your content the same way. The difference is presentation and assuming different workflows for the differing roles:

Marketer Mode: - Simplified language ("What would someone type to find this page?" instead of "Target Prompt/Query") - Shows only the 3 worst-performing categories first (expandable to see all 10) - Focuses on "what to fix" with urgency labels (✓ Looks good, ⚠ Needs improvement, ⚡ Fix this first) - Copy-paste fixes presented first

SEO Mode: - Technical terminology ("Target Prompt/Query", "AEO Score", category names like "Extractability") - Shows all 10 categories with detailed explanations - More data-driven presentation - Tactics organized by priority (High, Medium, Low)

Switch modes anytime via the toggle in your project navigation. Your analysis results stay the same.

Can I analyze competitor content?¶

Yes! Enter their URL and your target query to see: - Their AEO score - What makes their content AI-friendly - Structural patterns you can adopt - Gaps you can fill

Ethics note: Use this for competitive analysis and learning, not to copy their content verbatim. Add something new to the conversation.

Why does my content need to be optimized for AI engines?¶

AI engines (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude) are increasingly how people find information. If your content isn't optimized: - You less likely be cited when users ask AI assistants questions in your niche - You'll lose mindshare and traffic as AI-generated answers replace traditional search results - You'll miss conversions from users who trust AI recommendations over browsing search results

AEO is part of SEO, and is becoming critical for brand visibility.

How accurate is the "Keyword Coverage" analysis?¶

Keyword Coverage uses Google Gemini's actual grounding queries—the searches Gemini runs when processing your target query. This is not simulated or estimated—it's the real queries Google's AI uses.

Accuracy: Very high for understanding what AI searches for.

Limitation: Gemini's grounding queries may vary slightly based on: - Not all queries trigger grounding queries - Geographic location - Search history - Real-time data availability

Treat it as highly accurate directional guidance, not an absolute list.

Can I use AEO analysis for content in other languages?¶

Currently, Hi, Moose's AEO tools are optimized for English content. While you can analyze other languages: - Google AI Overview data is language-dependent and may not be available - OpenAI web search works globally but results quality varies - Gemini grounding queries support multiple languages - Scoring algorithms are calibrated for English content patterns

For best results, use English content. We're working on expanded language support.

What if I disagree with a recommendation?¶

AEO recommendations are data-driven suggestions, not requirements. Use your editorial judgment: - If a recommendation conflicts with your brand voice, skip it - If a suggestion doesn't fit your content goals, ignore it - If a score seems wrong, focus on specific recommendations you agree with

The goal is to make your content more search friendly, not to follow every suggestion blindly.

How often should I re-analyze content?¶

For evergreen content: Re-analyze every 6-12 months or when: - You make significant updates - Google launches core updates or new AI Overview features - Your target query starts triggering AI Overviews - You notice citations, mentions, or traffic (organic or direct) decline

For trending content: Re-analyze every 3 months or when: - New data/statistics become available (update freshness) - Citations and grounding queries start to drift

For new content: Analyze before publishing to catch issues early.

Does a high AEO score guarantee AI will cite my content?¶

No. A high AEO score means your content is structured and written in a way that AI engines can easily extract, understand, and cite.

But AI citation also depends on: - Authority: Do you have credible sources and data? - Backlinks: Do other relevant and reputable sites link to or mention you? - Domain reputation: Is your domain known and trusted? - Recency: Is your content current and updated?

Think of AEO score as potential—you're optimized for AI, but you still need authority and trust to be cited.

What happens to my analysis results?¶

All AEO analyses are saved to your project in the AEO History section. You can: - View past analyses anytime - Compare scores over time - See how updates improved your AEO score - Delete old analyses if needed

Results stay in your project permanently unless manually deleted.

Can I export AEO reports?¶

Yes, you can export to PDF the full report.

Need help? Contact support from your dashboard or email support@himoose.com. For AEO strategy questions or custom analysis, we're here to help you get your content cited by AI engines.