Blog Post AEO Template

Blog posts are the most common content type that gets cited by AI engines. But most blog posts are structured for human readers browsing from search results and not for AI engines extracting answers. This template restructures the standard blog format for maximum AI citation while keeping it engaging for human readers.

The Template

Meta Information

Title: [Primary Query Answer] - [Topic] Guide [Year]
Meta description: [Direct answer to primary query in 150-160 chars].
  Covers [subtopic 1], [subtopic 2], and [subtopic 3].
URL: /blog/[topic-slug]/

Title formula: Use the answer or topic upfront. Avoid clickbait because AI engines evaluate titles for accuracy against content.

Article Schema

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Article",
  "headline": "Your Article Title",
  "description": "Your meta description",
  "datePublished": "2026-02-05",
  "dateModified": "2026-02-05",
  "author": {
    "@type": "Person",
    "name": "Author Name",
    "jobTitle": "Author Title",
    "url": "https://yoursite.com/team/author-name"
  },
  "publisher": {
    "@type": "Organization",
    "name": "Your Company",
    "url": "https://yoursite.com"
  }
}

Content Structure

Opening (First 100 Words)

This is the most critical section for AI citation. AI engines evaluate the first 100 words to determine whether this content answers the user’s query.

H1: [Topic]: [Subtitle with context]

[Direct answer paragraph - 40-60 words]
Answer the primary query completely in the first paragraph.
Be specific, factual, and authoritative. No preamble.

[Context paragraph - 40-60 words]
Why this matters, who it's for, or what changed recently.

What NOT to do:

• Don’t start with “In this article, we’ll explore…”
• Don’t start with a story or anecdote (save it for later)
• Don’t start with a question you then take 500 words to answer

Key Takeaways Box

Immediately after the intro, add a takeaway summary:

## Key Takeaways

- [Takeaway 1 - specific, actionable, 10-15 words]
- [Takeaway 2 - specific, actionable, 10-15 words]
- [Takeaway 3 - specific, actionable, 10-15 words]
- [Takeaway 4 - specific, actionable, 10-15 words]

Why this matters: AI engines often extract bullet-point summaries. A pre-built takeaway section gives AI exactly what it needs.

Body Sections (H2s)

Each H2 should answer a specific sub-query:

## [Question or Topic as H2]

[Direct answer - first sentence answers the H2 question]

[Supporting details - 2-3 paragraphs with data, examples, context]

[Practical application - what should the reader do with this info]

H2 headings should be:

• Query-aligned (“How to…”, “What is…”, “Why…”)
• Specific (not vague like “Overview” or “Background”)
• Self-contained (someone reading just this section gets value)

Data and Evidence Sections

Include at least 2-3 data points per post:

## [Data-Driven Section]

According to [Source], [specific statistic].

| Metric | Value | Source |
|--------|-------|--------|
| [Metric 1] | [Value] | [Source, Year] |
| [Metric 2] | [Value] | [Source, Year] |
| [Metric 3] | [Value] | [Source, Year] |

Why this matters: AI engines strongly prefer content that backs claims with specific, cited data. Vague claims like “studies show” get filtered out.

FAQ Section (Bottom of Post)

## Frequently Asked Questions

### [Question 1]?

[30-50 word direct answer, then expanded context]

### [Question 2]?

[30-50 word direct answer, then expanded context]

### [Question 3]?

[30-50 word direct answer, then expanded context]

Add FAQPage schema for this section. Target questions related to but not fully covered by the main content.

Author Bio Section

Every blog post should end with a clear author attribution:

---
Written by [Name], [Title/Credentials].
[1-2 sentences about author's expertise in this topic].
[Link to author profile page]

Use Person schema to make this machine-readable.

Section-by-Section AEO Checklist

Section	AEO Check	Why
Title	Contains primary keyword and year	AI evaluates title accuracy
Opening paragraph	Directly answers primary query in 40-60 words	First 100 words are most extracted
Key Takeaways	3-5 bullet point summary	AI extracts formatted summaries
H2 headings	Each maps to a specific query	H2 sections cited independently
Body content	Includes data with sources	Backs claims for Citability
Tables/lists	Structured data in scannable format	AI prefers structured info
FAQ section	3-5 Q&A pairs with schema	Captures long-tail queries
Author bio	Name, credentials, expertise	EEAT authority signals
Publication date	Visible on page and in schema	Freshness signal

How Genrank Automates This

Genrank’s audit analyzes your blog posts across all five dimensions. It identifies whether your opening paragraph is answer-first, whether your headings are query-aligned, whether you have proper author attribution, and whether your schema is complete then prioritizes fixes by citation impact.