This is the September 2026 edition of the AEO Checker (Answer Engine Optimization) benchmarks. Every figure below comes only from scans run inside that month, and none of them will change again — a rate you quote today will still be at this address years from now. For every published month added together, go back to the tool's own page: that one is refreshed each time a month is added, and the figures here never are.
| Data period | 1 September 2026 – 30 September 2026 |
|---|---|
| Unique sites | 3,418 |
| Total scans | 3,706 |
| Benchmarks / tools | 1 — AEO Checker (Answer Engine Optimization), one of the 25 tools in this edition |
| Minimum sample | at least 500 scans per tool in the month |
| Data frozen on | 2 October 2026 |
A monthly snapshot does not change after it is published: the figures on this page stay exactly as they were frozen on that date.
What changed since August 2026
The biggest check-level move was “Uses lists”, which went from 36% in August 2026 to 28% in September 2026 — it went unmet in a smaller share of this month’s sample.
Reading a monthly difference. Each month is a separate sample, and its size changes from month to month. A change in sample size can move a median and a distribution by itself, so a monthly difference should not be mistaken for a change in scores: it does not show that sites improved or got worse.
| Check | Not met then | Not met now | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uses lists | 36% | 28% | −8 pp |
| HowTo / step structure | 36% | 28% | −8 pp |
| Exactly one clear H1 | 43% | 49% | +6 pp |
| Question-style headings | 78% | 73% | −5 pp |
| TL;DR / quick answer block | 94% | 90% | −4 pp |
| Logical H2/H3 subheadings | 28% | 24% | −4 pp |
| Direct answer right after the question | 85% | 88% | +3 pp |
| Concise, standalone passages | 32% | 34% | +2 pp |
| Tables / definition lists | 89% | 90% | no change |
| FAQPage / QAPage schema | 96% | 96% | no change |
Moves under a point are marked as no change. The two months are independent samples of a shifting set of sites, and a difference that small is measurement noise.
See the full comparison across every tool, or this tool's complete series.
How the scores fell
This is how 3,706 scans spread across the five score bands in September 2026. The spread is wide and fairly even: in this sample sites land at very different levels on this measure.
- 0–19
- 20–39
- 40–59
- 60–79
- 80–100
| Score band | AEO |
|---|---|
| 0–19 | 23% · 866 |
| 20–39 | 26% · 964 |
| 40–59 | 40% · 1,481 |
| 60–79 | 10% · 357 |
| 80–100 | 1% · 38 |
| Total runs | 3,706 |
Which SeoMods checks went unmet
The SeoMods checks that were not met in AEO Checker (Answer Engine Optimization) scans during September 2026. What each check means and what to do about it is on the tool's own benchmark page; this page is the record of the month.
| Check | Not met (share of scans) | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| FAQPage / QAPage schema | 96% | Hard fail |
| TL;DR / quick answer block | 90% | Partial |
| Tables / definition lists | 90% | Partial |
| Direct answer right after the question | 88% | Hard fail |
| Question-style headings | 73% | Hard fail |
| Exactly one clear H1 | 49% | Partial |
| Concise, standalone passages | 34% | Partial |
| Uses lists | 28% | Partial |
| HowTo / step structure | 28% | Partial |
| Logical H2/H3 subheadings | 24% | Partial |
The rate is the share of scans in which a SeoMods check was not met. It is SeoMods’ criterion, not Google’s assessment of these pages. “Hard fail” means the check’s full weight is deducted from the SeoMods score; “partial” means part of it.
The weakest areas that month
This month’s sample
In September 2026 the AEO Checker (Answer Engine Optimization) recorded 3,706 successful scans across 3,418 unique domains. Across the whole series that month there were 86,983 scans covering 22,549 sites.
How the sample is collected, how it is anonymized and where the method's limits lie govern the whole series, so they are set out once in the methodology on the hub.
| Tool | Domain endings in the sample |
|---|---|
| AEO | .com 45% · .org 9% · .uk 5% · .it 4% · other 37% |
What this score does not measure
- It is not a direct measurement of the signals every AI system uses. Which system uses which signal, and how, is not public; the score measures the checks SeoMods chose.
- It does not measure whether a page is actually cited in AI answers. It measures readiness on the page, not what any assistant returned.
- It is not a Google ranking. A high score does not guarantee a better position, and a low one does not mean Google has penalised the page.
About this benchmark. This benchmark is calculated from data on the sites SeoMods has scanned. The results do not necessarily represent all websites, or a random selection of them. The scores express SeoMods’ own measurement and scoring criteria; they are not ranking, quality, E-E-A-T or AI visibility scores issued by Google. Sample, anonymization and licence: the full methodology.
Frequently asked questions
What was the median AEO Checker (Answer Engine Optimization) score in September 2026?
In September 2026 the median was 40/100 and the mean was 35.1. 1% of scans reached 80 or above. These figures are frozen and will not change.
Which SeoMods check went unmet most often in September 2026?
“FAQPage / QAPage schema”, which was not met in 96% of scans, followed by “TL;DR / quick answer block” at 90%.
Does this page ever change?
Its figures do not. A dated record is only useful if it stays put: someone citing the September 2026 figures today has to find the same numbers at the same URL years from now. The one thing added afterwards is a pointer to the next month's edition once that is published — the data is left exactly as it was. For every published month added together, see this tool's own benchmark page, which is refreshed each time a month is added.
Citing this edition
The figures on this page are free to reuse under CC BY 4.0. Suggested citation: SeoMods — AEO Checker (Answer Engine Optimization) benchmarks, September 2026 edition, https://seomods.com/seo-score-benchmarks/aeo-checker/september-2026.