Quick answer: Start key sections with a 40-word direct answer, use question H2s, and add visible FAQs with FAQPage schema. That is AEO for a Maidstone site.
How to structure a Maidstone website so Google, voice assistants and AI overviews can cite you. This guide is written for businesses in Maidstone and Aylesford, Bearsted, Larkfield and the Medway towns.
What AEO actually is
Answer engine optimisation means writing the sentence a featured snippet or AI overview can lift. It is not a new trick separate from SEO. It is clearer pages. Maidstone is a county hub, so service-area pages beat one homepage.
The page pattern that works
H1 with the query, a short answer, then detail. FAQ at the end. Internal links to services and contact. Mention Aylesford, Bearsted, Larkfield and the Medway towns naturally, not as a dump.
Schema that matches the visible text
FAQPage, LocalBusiness, and Article. Never mark up questions you do not show. Maidstone Web Design includes this on builds from £150.
Voice search around Maidstone
People say “who does web design Maidstone near me?” Your page should answer in spoken English, with hours and a phone number in the same block.
Frequently asked questions
Is AEO different from SEO?
It is SEO with stricter answers. Rankings still need useful pages and local signals.
Do I need special tools?
No. Clear headings, FAQs and accurate business details beat most tools.
Can AI write the answers?
It can draft. A human must add Maidstone facts or the page stays generic.