Where the answers appear
In featured snippets, People Also Ask boxes, Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode, and assistants that search the web. For Google's AI features, a page must be indexed and eligible to show with a snippet; Google says no special optimization beyond standard search practice is required.
What it looks like on a page
A heading phrased as the client's question, one or two sentences that answer it, the state's actual process, and one next step. The full AEO guide includes an annotated example.
What it does not promise
No one can guarantee which page an engine quotes. AEO makes your page the clearest candidate and gives you a way to check results over time. For how it relates to the other terms you will hear, see AEO vs GEO vs AI SEO.