The Ultimate AEO Strategy Guide for B2B Businesses

Created by Joshua Lee, Head of Organic Search at ROAR.

This free guide shows B2B businesses how to get named when buyers research suppliers in AI platforms like ChatGPT and Gemini. You will get a five-part plan to develop the first month of your AEO strategy in-house, and understand the signals required to show when and whether your AEO strategy is working.

What’s inside the guide?

• Why AI search matters now: Finance directors, CFOs and heads of compliance are already using AI tools to build supplier shortlists.
• The five building blocks of AEO: The five things your website needs to get cited, and the actions you need to take to achieve it.
• Where to start this month: Quick wins for weeks one and two, and a plan for months one to three.
• How to measure success: Five signals to track when AI answers don’t produce a click.

What will your business get from it?

A clear, prioritised starting point for your business, without a long tedious 12-month roadmap where nothing gets done quick enough. Most of the quick wins use the pages you already have.

It matters because buyers are shortlisting before they ever contact you. Close to two-thirds of B2B buyers now use generative AI at least as much as traditional search when researching suppliers, vendors etc according to Responsive’s 2025 buyer study. If your business isn’t cited in those answers, you’re not on the list.

Who’s it for?

This guide is perfect for marketing leaders, business development teams and business owners at B2B companies looking to remain competitive in their industry. If your buyers need to do extensive research on suppliers before conversion, then this is especially relevant for you.

FAQs

How long does AEO take to show results?

In our experience, AEO results, show clearly in your data after three to six months. AI tools update the sources they cite gradually, so changes rarely show up straight away. The quick wins in the guide can be made in the first two weeks, which means the clock starts sooner.

Can we carry out successful AEO without creating new content?

Yes you can. The best place to start is the pages you already have, the citations, PR and social presence you’ve built up. Clear openings on pages, FAQ sections like these and named authors on your most important pages often make the earliest and biggest difference. New content comes later, built around buyer questions your site doesn’t answer yet. Or when you do get cited, correcting what AI platforms might have got wrong with reactive content. This guide shows you which pages to prioritise to get the most out of your first month.

Is AEO worth it for smaller B2B businesses?

Right now, it’s a level playing field. In-house teams in B2B businesses of many sizes are still trying to keep up to date with the changes in SEO. If you act now on our guidance in this resource, no matter your business size, it’ll be worth it. A specialist smaller firm could answer a buyer’s questions plainly and even be cited ahead of bigger competitors.

Can ROAR help us put the guide into practice?

The guide has been shaped by our monthly AEO sprint process, but signing with ROAR can do a lot more than what’s been provided in this guide. We would audit how your business currently appears in AI answers, build a prioritised AEO plan and track the results. Working alongside your team on content and your developer on technical changes such as schema markup. Find out more on our AEO services page.

Is the guide free?

Yes, it is. Simply submit the form below, you’ll receive the link to download the resource. We will also send an email over to you after submitting the form with the link included there as well.