# AutoAEO — glossary

## Answer engine

An AI system that answers a question directly in prose, often citing sources, instead of returning a list of links. Examples: ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, Copilot.

## AEO (Answer Engine Optimization)

The practice of making a subject collectable and quotable so AI answer engines include it in answers. Distinct from SEO, which targets ranked links.

## Citation

A mention of a subject, or of a page describing it, inside an AI-generated answer or in the sources the engine lists alongside it.

## Snapshot

The archived record of a single check: the engine, the question asked, the answer received, when it was taken, how it was obtained, and the citations used.

## Snapshot hash

A SHA-256 hash computed over a snapshot in a fixed key order. It lets anyone recompute the value from a report and confirm the underlying record was not edited.

## Retrieval mode

How an answer was obtained. web means the engine answered from live search results; memory means it answered from its own trained knowledge; none means no channel was available.

## llms.txt

A Markdown file at a site root that gives AI systems a short, structured summary of what the site offers and where the authoritative detail lives. AutoAEO publishes one at https://autoaeo.work/llms.txt.

## Grounding

Connecting a model's answer to external, retrievable sources so the answer reflects current information and can be attributed.

Last updated: 2026-09-23. Canonical: https://autoaeo.work/llms.txt