Answer Engine Optimizer (AEO) vs Known Agents – Track AI Bots and Crawlers, Block Scrapers, Analyze LLM Referral Traffic

Answer Engine Optimizer (AEO) is the ultimate WordPress plugin for optimizing your content to appear in AI-generated answers from platforms like Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Perplexity, and other AI search engines. While traditional SEO focuses on ranking in search results, AEO ensures your content is selected and featured directly in AI-generated answers—the future of how users discover information. Core Features Real-Time AEO Scoring * Unified AEO score (0-100) with detailed component breakdown * Yoast SEO-style scoring interface with color-coded indicators * Real-time updates as you edit content in Gutenberg * Instant feedback on content quality and optimization Smart Summary Management * Manual summary editor with character counter (optimal: 300-500 chars) * Auto-generated summaries from content blocks * AI-powered summary suggestions via OpenAI integration * Summary type indicator (Manual/Auto) Structured Data & Schema * Automatic JSON-LD schema generation * Article schema with AEO summary integration * FAQ schema for question/answer content * Service schema for local businesses * Proper schema markup for AI crawler understanding Content Analysis & Guidance * Content Structuring recommendations * FAQ items detection and optimization * Service metadata validation (for service post type) * Real-time improvement tips with severity levels * AI Crawler Visibility checks Comprehensive Dashboard * Content audit report with PDF export * Post-type filtering and score-based filtering * Statistics cards (Excellent, Needs Improvement, Poor) * Average score tracking * Content coverage by post type REST API & Extensibility * REST API endpoints for programmatic access * /wp-json/aeo/v1/analyze/{post_id} – Unified analysis * /wp-json/aeo/v1/score/{post_id} – Score only * /wp-json/aeo/v1/tips/{post_id} – Improvement tips * /wp-json/aeo/v1/visibility/{post_id} – Visibility checks * Rate limiting and caching built-in * Subscription-ready filter hooks Performance Optimized * Debounced real-time updates (1.5s delay) * 5-second server-side caching * 2-second client-side caching * Optimized for large content (5000+ words) * Graceful fallback for Classic Editor Why Answer Engine Optimization? Traditional SEO focuses on ranking in search results. AEO ensures your content is selected by AI systems to generate direct answers to user queries. As AI-powered search becomes mainstream, AEO is essential for content visibility. Perfect For Content marketers optimizing for AI discovery SEO professionals expanding into AEO Business owners wanting AI visibility Bloggers and publishers Local businesses with service offerings E-commerce sites with product content News and publishing platforms Additional Information Plugin Support For support, documentation, and updates, visit: * Website: https://troontechnologies.com * Documentation: https://troontechnologies.com/aeo-docs * Support Forum: https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/aeo-ranking/ Compatibility ✅ WordPress 6.0+ ✅ PHP 7.4+ ✅ Gutenberg Block Editor ✅ Classic Editor ✅ Multisite compatible ✅ Compatible with major SEO plugins Performance Real-time updates with 1.5s debounce 5-second server-side caching 2-second client-side caching Optimized for content up to 10,000+ words Minimal database queries Security Nonce verification on all AJAX requests Capability checks (manage_options for settings) Edit post capability for content analysis Sanitized and escaped output No external data storage Third Party Services This plugin may connect to external third-party services to provide AI-powered features. All connections are optional and require explicit user configuration and consent. OpenAI API Integration Service: OpenAI API (https://api.openai.com/) Purpose: Generate AI-powered content summaries and suggestions Data Sent: Post title, post content, and user-provided prompts When Data is Sent: Only when you manually click “Get AI Suggestions” or “Generate Summary” buttons in the post editor User Consent Required: Yes – requires manual API key configuration in plugin settings Privacy Policy: https://openai.com/policies/privacy-policy Terms of Service: https://openai.com/policies/terms-of-use Important Privacy Information No Automatic Data Transmission: The plugin does not send any data to external services automatically Manual Action Required: All API calls require explicit user action (clicking a button) API Key Required: You must manually configure an OpenAI API key in Settings before any external connections are made No Data Storage: This plugin does not store any data on external servers Local Processing: All content analysis, scoring, and schema generation happens locally on your WordPress server Optional Feature: AI-powered features are completely optional – the plugin works fully without external API connections Data Handling When you use AI-powered features: 1. You click “Get AI Suggestions” or similar button 2. The plugin sends your post title and content to OpenAI API 3. OpenAI processes the request and returns suggestions 4. The suggestions are displayed in your WordPress admin 5. No data is permanently stored by OpenAI (subject to their data retention policies) User Control You control when data is sent (manual button clicks only) You can use the plugin without configuring any external APIs You can remove your API key at any time to disable external connections All AI features clearly indicate when they will connect to external services Additional Information For questions about how OpenAI handles your data, please review: * OpenAI Privacy Policy: https://openai.com/policies/privacy-policy * OpenAI API Data Usage: https://openai.com/policies/api-data-usage-policies Trademark Notice ChatGPT is a trademark of OpenAI. Perplexity is a trademark of Perplexity AI, Inc. Google AI is a trademark of Google LLC. OpenAI is a trademark of OpenAI. This plugin is an independent tool designed to help optimize content for AI-powered search and answer engines. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by OpenAI, Perplexity AI, Google, or any other mentioned companies. All product names, logos, brands, and trademarks mentioned in this plugin are the property of their respective owners. Use of these names does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by the trademark holders. Roadmap Phase 2: Advanced REST API with subscription gating Phase 3: Web Worker support for large content Advanced AI features with custom prompts Bulk optimization tools Integration with popular page builders Banner & Icons Plugin Banner (1544×500 px): – /assets/images/banner-772x250.png (Small banner) – /assets/images/banner-1544x500.png (Large banner) Clean, professional design featuring the Answer Engine Optimizer branding with AI-themed elements. Blue and purple gradient background with modern typography. Plugin Icon (256×256 px): – /assets/images/icon-128x128.png (Small icon) – /assets/images/icon-256x256.png (Large icon) Minimalist icon representing AI optimization with a search/magnifying glass combined with AI elements. Professional, clean design suitable for WordPress.org repository. Color Scheme: * Primary: #2271b1 (WordPress Blue) * Accent: #96C6EA to #B597F6 (Gradient) * Success: #00a32a (Green) * Warning: #dba617 (Orange) * Error: #d63638 (Red)

Track crawlers, scrapers, LLM assistants, and AI agents on your website. Generate a robots.txt that blocks AI bots. Formerly Dark Visitors. Track, control, and optimize your website for AI agents and bots You have 40% more visitors than you think. Protect your content from unwanted AI scraping, and turn the rising wave of AI agents, LLM assistants, and other bots visiting your website into a new growth channel for your business. For full details, visit the Known Agents website. 1. AI Agent & Bot Analytics Get realtime visibility into the hidden ecosystem of crawlers, scrapers, and AI agents browsing your website Watch traffic from crawlers and scrapers as it happens: Track the hidden activity of all known artificial agents visiting your website in real time. Replay AI agent navigation patterns: Follow a single agent’s session as it navigates your website. Find where agents get stuck, identify dead ends, and help them complete their tasks. Catch bots spoofing legitimate agents: Identify bad actors and unauthorized scrapers pretending to be legitimate agents like Googlebot or Bingbot. Never miss a bot traffic spike: Stay informed when an agent’s traffic starts surging or overloading your server. Reveal which agents visit most, and which pages they target: Break down bot traffic by page to understand what they’re interested in. Export reports to CSV: Download agent activity reports for custom analysis. 2. LLM Citation & Referral Tracking (GEO, AEO) Measure citations and human click-throughs from AI chat platforms like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini Increase citations in AI chat responses: See which pages LLMs recommend most often. Double down on content that’s working. Find out which AI platforms are sending you traffic: Measure how many humans are clicking through to your website from a citation. Export reports to CSV: Download LLM referral reports for custom analysis. 3. Automatic Robots.txt & Bad Bot Detection Protect your content and reduce server cost by serving a robots.txt that updates continuously Set robots.txt rules for entire categories of bots: Control access for entire agent categories including AI crawlers, scrapers, SEO bots, and more. One selection covers every current and future agent in that group. We track new bots, you don’t have to: Your robots.txt is updated as new agents emerge, so you never have to manage them yourself or make manual edits. Block misbehaving crawlers and scrapers: Detect and block bots that ignore your robots.txt rules using the WordPress plugin, or our automation detectors. Demos Demos can be found on the home page. Further Details This plugin connects your website to Known Agents. It uses the Known Agents API to connect to your account and provide functionality. By signing up, you agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Are you finding this plugin useful? Please leave us a ★★★★★ review! Questions or issues? Ask us for help.