Free · The 2026 AEO Playbook
The data the experts skip
Structure beats authority. Story beats spend.
Keyword stuffing underperforms doing nothing in the Princeton GEO paper. Most AEO advice is still guessing. This playbook labels the guesswork.
What you'll walk away with
A position you can defend.
- 01
A clear thesis for your team
Two routes move citations: your website, and everywhere else AI reads about you. Pick the right starting track.
- 02
A fast AEO baseline
Run 12 prompts across 5 engines. Leave with a number, not a vibe.
- 03
A Track A / Track B decision
Solo or Seed? Start with your website. Larger team? Add off-site brand signals.
- 04
A simple operating rhythm
Daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly moves your marketer can actually run.
- 05
A kill list for wasted spend
Cut dashboards-as-strategy, keyword stuffing, and tactics sold as fact when they are still [GUESSED].
What's inside
11 chapters. 4 parts. No padding.
Part 1 — The frame
- The honest state of AEO in 2026 — why structure beats authority.
- The tools everyone has — what dashboards measure, and what they miss.
- Two tracks — your website vs everywhere else AI reads.
Part 2 — Track A · Your website
- The signal stack — quotes, stats, citations, structure.
- Page templates — answer pages, comparison pages, definitive guides.
- The Track A test — the exact grid we run on MaxShip.
Part 3 — Track B · Everywhere else
- Where AI reads about you — the off-site citation map.
- The storytellers — who says what about your brand.
- The Track B test — founder content, creators, and public proof.
Part 4 — Run the program
- Choose your starting track — then run the cadence.
- What's next — browsing agents, AI commerce, freshness.
Frequently asked
Quick answers.
What is the two-tracks model?
Two routes move AI citations. Track A is your website: structure, schema, comparison pages, answer blocks. Track B is everywhere else AI reads: Reddit, YouTube, creators, Wikipedia, press, and founder content. Start with the track you can ship fastest.
What is the [PROVEN]/[MEASURED]/[GUESSED] grading?
Every serious claim gets a confidence tag. [PROVEN] means peer-reviewed, replicated, or platform-documented. [MEASURED] means credible single-source data. [GUESSED] means useful theory, not fact.
Is SEO dead?
Generic backlink-and-keyword SEO is dead for AI recommendations. The craft still matters, but authority alone does not carry you. Structure, sources, and off-site brand signals matter more.
Do I need to be a developer?
No. Track A needs light dev help for schema, comparison blocks, and answer-format pages. Track B needs no code: founder video, creator mentions, Reddit, press, and public proof.
Is this just another generic AEO guide?
No. It is evidence-graded, practical, and designed to test on your own brand. You get the measurement grid and the prompt for a custom action plan.
What happens after I enter my email?
You get the playbook link and the weekly Captain's Log. Unsubscribe anytime.
Evidence base
Built from the useful stuff.
The playbook draws on peer-reviewed GEO research, large-scale AI citation studies, platform guidance, and MaxShip's own measurement grid. The full source trail stays inside the playbook, not on this landing page.