01
Start with the real question
People aren't looking for your blog post — they're solving something. Optimise for the question, not the keyword.
Free Ebook · 20 pages
The AEO Playbook: 10 rules for making your content part of the answer.
Search is changing. People ask questions now, and one synthesised answer decides who gets the customer. This free playbook from Shout Digital shows you exactly how to structure your content so ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google's AI Overviews understand, quote and trust your brand — without rebuilding your site.
Instant download
Get the free AEO Playbook
Fill in your details and the download appears straight away. We'll also offer you a free AI visibility assessment of your site.
- The 10 rules, explained in plain English
- The ask · clarify · prove · sustain framework
- A one-page pre-publish checklist
- The 30-second AEO test for any page
Why this matters
AI delivers one answer. Your brand is either in it, or invisible.
66%
Of Australians under 45 use AI to search for products
61%
Trust AI for product and service suggestions
57%
Will share habits for tailored AI recommendations
Inside the playbook
Does AEO replace SEO? No. It builds on it.
If a page can't be found or understood in traditional search, it won't show up in an AI answer either. Findable is no longer enough. Your content has to be clear enough to quote and credible enough to trust.
The playbook walks through the framework we use with our own clients — from mapping real customer questions to proving expertise and keeping pages true.
1
Ask
Start from the real questions your customers are typing and speaking.
2
Clarify
Make every claim stand alone so it can be quoted without context.
3
Prove
Earn the trust with evidence, expertise and third-party citations.
4
Sustain
Keep it true. Accurate, current pages stay in the answer.
The ten rules
All ten rules, at a glance.
Here's the short version. The ebook gives you the full explanation, the examples and the checklist to run before you publish anything.
02
Answer first
Put the answer near the top, then explain it. Lead with the answer. Earn the detail.
03
Answer the next question
The first question is rarely the last. Not more words — a more complete answer.
04
Make every section stand alone
A single passage gets surfaced on its own. Clarity beats cleverness.
05
Be specific
Fast, affordable, leading say nothing. Use numbers, dates, prices and named examples.
06
Give AI something worth citing
Your own research, experience and results give an engine a reason to cite you.
07
Show your expertise
Name the author, give their role, show why they're qualified. Four lines will do.
08
Make your brand unmistakable
Ask what your brand does — would you get one answer, or five different ones?
09
Make content easy to understand
Headings, short paragraphs, definitions, lists, steps. Write for people. Machines follow.
10
Keep it accurate and current
Freshness isn't churn — it's keeping the page true. Don't just publish. Maintain.
Ready to go further?
The book is free. So is the first look at your AI visibility.
When you're ready to act on the playbook, we'll show you exactly where your brand sits today — and back the plan with a guarantee. If we don't hit the growth we've agreed, we work for free until we do.
Free AI visibility assessment
We test real buying-intent prompts across ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and AI Overviews to show where you appear — and where competitors take your place.
Guaranteed growth
Your X-Chart is a 3, 6, 9 and 12 month guaranteed forecast. Miss the numbers and we keep working at no cost until we hit them.
Up to 3 months free
Depending on how aggressive you want the campaign to be, we place 1, 2 or 3 free months into your plan — with guidance on what suits you.
Senior expertise only
You work with department heads, not juniors. Collective decades inside Google's algorithm shifts, now applied to answer engines.
Unlimited keyword strategies
No keyword caps. We optimise for commercial growth and the questions your customers actually ask.
A fully local team
An Australian team in Melbourne and Sydney — reachable, accountable and in your time zone.
Case Studies
This is what happens when growth-minded brands work with best-in-class SEO strategists.
Featured Case Study
$21
Cost per acquisition from paid channels
Shout showed us it's not about how big you are, it's how smart you do things.
Sam Wood28 by Sam Wood
Featured Case Study
500%
Increase in revenue from organic search
Shout helped us create a single brand with consistency of messaging across online and traditional channels.
Scott TealCommercial Manager, Baby Bunting
Featured Case Study
100%
Increase in Organic Search Traffic
400%
Social Traffic
#1
Category Words
45%
Lower CPS
The team at Shout gave us the digital foundation we needed to dominate the market online and in-store.
Frank WalkerFounder, National Tiles
Featured Case Study
5x
Increase in Organic Sessions
#1
Category Rankings
2x
Revenue Growth
300%
In-store Conv.
Shout has been an energetic and responsive partner, helping us establish a healthy, profitable presence online.
Luke BowdenHead Of Digital, Repco
Featured Case Study
91%
Increase in organic traffic
#1
Sub-category rankings
#2
Key category rankings
#5
Key B2B categories
Shout helped us find new ways to get new traffic for our new offer.
MoulaSEO, SEM & Paid Social
Reviews
Don't take our word for it. Take theirs.
5.0
76 Google reviews
I've worked with Michael and his team at Shout Digital on several long term projects over the past 8 years, and I've always been impressed by the professionalism, accountability and frankly honest approach to simplifying digital marketing and providing great, reliable results time and time again.
Nigel Ewart
Dec 2025
They supported us in building and optimising our SEO strategy from the ground up, taking a thoughtful, data-driven approach that delivered consistent results. We highly recommend Shout to any organisation looking to strengthen their online presence.
Michael Gammon
Dec 2025
Working with the Shout Digital team, I have no words but praise. They are truly the best SEO and digital marketing agency there is. If you want a team that cares for your business, Shout Digital is the agency for you.
Stephanie Basilio
Dec 2025
After just three months, we made it onto page one of Google for the generic term “builders”, along with heaps of other Melbourne-related searches. Our traffic and rankings have been climbing every month since.
Nick Woodsman Projects
Dec 2025
After working with multiple agencies in the past and burning a lot of cash, Shout finally guided us to invest in the right channels to grow our business. They work as an extension of our team, and their promises are backed by real results.
shereen khan
Dec 2025
I've been with Shout for 2 years and couldn't be happier. Amazing team with great performance outcomes for my service-based business in Melbourne. They consistently drive solid organic leads and we see growth quarter on quarter.
Bismah Shaikh
Dec 2025
We've been working with Shout Digital for the past two years, and they've been an invaluable partner. We've seen consistent improvements in our keyword rankings, organic traffic, and overall online visibility.
Karen Correy
Dec 2025
Worked alongside Shout on a large e-comm client at the start of this year and was impressed by the seniority of the team and their knowledge in technical SEO and Google Ads. Have referred Shout to a few friends since then.
Melissa M
Dec 2025
Our Team
The people behind the playbook.
Rule seven says put a real expert behind the answer. Here are ours.
Founder, Director
Michael Jenkins
Michael is a pioneer of the Australian digital marketing landscape. Since opening Shout in 2010, he's driven growth for businesses of all shapes, sizes and industries.
Head of Growth
Guy Rintoul
Guy turns marketing into a measurable growth engine, combining commercial strategy with hands-on expertise across search, paid media and analytics.
PK
Senior SEO Lead
Parmiss Kia
Parmiss brings 15+ years of senior in-house and agency SEO leadership, having driven organic and paid search growth at Kmart Australia ($450M incremental revenue), Country Road Group ($35M) and REA Group ($375M). She now specialises in AI Search and Answer Engine Optimisation.
Questions about AEO and the playbook.
Get the ebookAEO — Answer Engine Optimisation — means structuring your content so answer-driven search understands what you offer. It's not writing for robots; it's writing clearly enough to be quoted and credibly enough to be trusted. You don't need to rebuild your site to start.
The 30-second test
Is your brand part of the answer?
Grab the free AEO Playbook and your AI search visibility assessment.
Get The Free EbookWe are local!
Visit us in Melbourne or Sydney!
Want to meet the thriving team behind your top campaigns? Come and visit our offices.
Melbourne (Head Office)
187 Burley Street, Richmond VIC 3121
Sydney
Suite 1308, 109 Pitt St, Sydney NSW 2000