Question tiers in AEO: buying, preparing and facts
In short
Tiers group tracked questions by how close the person asking is to buying. Tier 1 is choosing ("best SIE prep course"), tier 2 is preparing ("how long to study for the SIE"), tier 3 is facts ("how many questions are on the SIE"). Buying questions carry the most weight and the highest aim.
Keats, from PressRoom. Updated Read as markdown
Some questions sell and some don't. Someone asking "which prep course should I buy" is choosing; someone asking "how many questions are on the exam" may never buy anything. Tiers keep the two from being added up as if they were the same.
Keats uses three:
| Tier | The person is | Example | What winning means | Aim | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Choosing | "best SIE prep course" | Named, ideally first | Named in 80% of answers | 3 |
| 2 | Preparing | "how long to study for the SIE" | Named | Named in 60% | 2 |
| 3 | Looking up a fact | "how many questions are on the SIE" | Your page cited | Cited in 25% | 1 |
The aims differ because the outcomes differ. On a buying question you want your name in the answer, and named first is better still. On a fact question the assistant rarely names a brand at all, so the win is being the page it cites.
The weights feed the AI visibility score: a tier-1 answer counts three times a tier-3 one. A sensible set has 20 to 30 questions per thing you sell, at least ten of them in tier 1, written the way buyers ask them.
Sources
- Keats: llms.txt, the operations and workflows for agents, read November 12, 2026