In our post introducing AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation), we went over the technical ways to optimize your school website for the reach of AI search tools. We’ve become reliant on the effectiveness of conversational generative AI platforms like ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews at scouring the internet for the very specific answers to our questions.
For parents looking into schools for their children, questions range from “What’s the enrollment process?” to “When do term dates start?” and so much more. Any school website answering questions like these will be cited and referenced by AI tools and will also appear more often in search results.
Just as SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) boosts how high a website appears in traditional searches, AEO helps your school website appear as cited responses to the questions people ask AI. This is the power of AEO, and in this post, we go into more detail on how to achieve it, specifically in the quality of the written content presented on school websites.
Properly Structure the Content in Your School Website
The way you present the written content on your school website doesn’t just make it easier for visitors to understand; it also helps AI systems categorize it for more accurate search results. Clearly designated titles, proper headings, and sub-subheadings are far easier for LLMs (Large Language Models) to parse and present to users.
Where large chunks of writing might be confusing for both readers and algorithms to follow, grouped and concise portions of text give clear signals to AI models about which information is relevant. The focus, in this case, should be on well-structured content, which is far easier for AI to pull and cite as part of an internet search.
Photo by Matheus Bertelli for Pexels, 2023
Aim to Answer “Questions People Ask”
Write the content for your school website in a way that answers any questions parents, guardians, or students may ask. Consider that people often present their queries as questions on AI platforms and search engines. Common search questions could look like, “What schools have the best sports programs?” or “What are the best private schools in X county?”
Format the written content on your site to answer questions like these, and AI tools pick them up as snippets and present them as search results. Snippets could be in the form of short paragraphs, concise lists, or tables of information.
Another excellent way to utilize the “questions people ask” angle is to include the questions themselves in your write-up. Consider making the question a subtitle and then providing the answer in the paragraph underneath it.
A pro tip here is to provide the answer as the first sentence before elaborating with more content after. AI systems will often pull both the question and its immediate answer as references in the closest search results.
Build up Your School Website FAQs Section
Continuing with the ”questions people ask”, FAQs are a great way to incorporate structured data in school website content that is easy for AI to pull in search results. For schools, these are great ways to gather all the possible queries parents and students have and present them in a question-and-answer format. Where possible, consider creating an FAQ section on your school website.
Don’t Be Afraid of TLDRs
Finally, don’t shy away from including (Too Long; Didn’t Read, which is internet slang for a concise summary of a lengthy text). TLDR sections at the top of each write-up on your school website, especially the blog posts. A quick summary will be much faster for AI to pull and for website users to get the correct information they seek faster.
Conclusion
In the age of Answer Engine Optimisation, the quality of the written content on your school website should include concise points and a clear structure. You’re not just writing for regular internet users; you’re writing for AI search engines with algorithms that the users have come to rely on for information. Once you’ve got the content down, consider checking out these technical tips to improve AEO on your school website as well. Not sure where to begin? Fill out this form and reach out to us, and we’ll help you get started reworking the content on your school website for better visibility on AI search engines.